La Esmeralda de Colán and Pueblo Nuevo

Colán lies on the central coast of the Paita province, 15 km north of the port of Paita and about 65 km west of Piura; the drive takes 50–55 minutes on paved roads, with shared vans and rural trucks.

The shoreline of La Esmeralda de Colán is a long, gently sloping beach lined with wooden houses on rustic algarrobo stilts, built since the late 19th century so high tides could flow freely and heat could be mitigated through open galleries and panoramic terraces. Nearby, in Pueblo Nuevo de Colán, stands the San Lucas Church, built by the Dominicans in 1535 over a Chimú-Tallán shrine: the first church erected by the Spanish on the South American Pacific coast and a National Historic Monument.

The experience invites rest in calm, warm emerald-green waters, ideal for swimming, sea kayaking and coastal walks. Inside San Lucas you can see lime-and-quinchas walls, carved baroque altars and early colonial canvases; morning visits with the parish office are recommended. Riverside restaurants serve cachema and grouper ceviches, stews and seafood from the neighbouring bays of Yacila and Cangrejos.

The weather is warm all year, with the beach season peaking between December and April.