Puerto Inka
Chala, Arequipa Region, Peru
Puerto Inka is a small cove on Peru's southern desert coast, about ten kilometers south of Chala, sitting below the ruins of an Inca way station once used to relay fresh fish inland to Cusco. The calm water and warm temperatures make it a straightforward swimming beach, with a family run campground handling the day to day.
The Inca ruins give it a real reason to stop that most beaches on this stretch don't have, but it functions as much as a family campground as a beach destination, so don't expect much beyond that.
How we score beachesStop at the ruins above the cove before heading down to the sand, the old stone relay stations are easy to miss if you go straight for the water.
Turn off the Panamericana Sur near kilometer 603 onto a dirt access road, then it's another four to seven kilometers down to the cove, about five to ten minutes by car. Chala itself is roughly eight hours from Lima by car.
The access road is dirt the whole way, driveable to a parking and camping area near the beach, then a short flat walk to the sand.
December through April is Peru's coastal summer and the most popular stretch here, with warm air and water reported around 26 degrees Celsius. The area reportedly stays sunnier than much of the coast even outside summer.
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