Pacasmayo is a quiet coastal town on Peru's northern Pacific seaboard, roughly halfway between Trujillo and Chiclayo on the Pan-American Highway. It sits in a bay where the wind blows constantly — which makes it one of Peru's best spots for windsurfing and kitesurfing, and the left-hand point break at El Faro near the lighthouse draws surfers as well.
The town has an appealing, faded charm. The old pier — built around 1860 when Pacasmayo was an important seaport — stretches into the bay, lit up at night. The Malecón Grau seafront promenade is lined with republican-era houses, and sunsets over the Pacific are reliably spectacular. The pace of life is slow, the seafood is fresh — best at one of the Malecón cevicherias — and there is very little tourism infrastructure.
Nearby, the ruins of Pakatnamú — an ancient Moche and Chimú city built in adobe — are worth a visit. The Jequetepeque valley, with its rice paddies, ancient sites, and the Gallito Ciego dam, makes a pleasant half-day excursion on the road up to Cajamarca.