Whale watching from Los Órganos

Each year from mid-July to mid-October humpbacks come up the coast of northern Peru, after swimming some 6,000 kilometres from Antarctica, to mate and give birth in the warm water off El Ñuro, Máncora, Cabo Blanco, Los Órganos and Punta Sal. In Los Órganos the boats leave from the artisanal fishing pier.

Go early. Departures are around 6:30 to 7 in the morning, because the sea is calmest before the wind gets up, and trips run two to four hours. Boats range from small launches to yachts for about thirty, and everyone puts on a life jacket before boarding. Some carry a marine biologist and a hydrophone, so you hear the males singing. Dolphins, sea lions, blue-footed boobies and turtles turn up too, and some morning trips on this coast add a swim with turtles. Skip a heavy breakfast, and book with a formal, licensed operator.