Historic Pier

Pacasmayo's historic pier dates to the 1870s, when the town was an active seaport serving the silver and copper mines of Cajamarca in the Andes. It stretches about 730 metres into the bay on wooden pilings — now weathered and repaired in places, but still intact and accessible. At night, the pier is lit with a string of lights that reflect on the water, and the view back to the colonial seafront is one of the classic images of the northern Peruvian coast.

Walking out along the pier is the best way to see the bay from the water side. Fishermen use the end of the pier to cast their lines, and pelicans and cormorants perch on the pilings below. The pier is free to walk and open throughout the day. It sits at the centre of the Malecon — the seafront promenade — and is the natural focal point of any walk through Pacasmayo.

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A story
At its height in the 1860s and 1870s, Pacasmayo was one of the most important ports on Peru's northern coast, handling silver and copper from the mines of Cajamarca and the agricultural produce of the Jequetepeque valley. The pier was built to service this trade. The railroad that once connected Pacasmayo to the interior has long since gone, but the pier — remarkably — remains.