Having arrived in Peru a full two months previously, we were looking forward to our next adventure north of the border in Ecuador. However, before that we had one last pressing engagement along the coast in the small town of Los Organos. We had hoped to see whales earlier on our adventure in Argentina and Chile, but had been largely unsuccessful. In Los Organos, between July and September each year, humpback whales migrate from Antarctica to Costa Rica to avail of the rich feeding grounds for their new born calves. Much to our delight, this meant that our usually not-so-accurate timing would actually have us in town right when the whales would be passing by.
Leaving Huaraz in the Andes mountains, we had a lot of driving ahead of us – 1,750km to be precise. After two long days traveling we reached Trujillo, the largest city in the north of Peru. We identified a campsite close to the city where we could stay with our camper van for a couple of nights and visit the city and local sights.
Arriving at the Huaca del Sol camping, we were immediately greeted by Vicky the owner, her two young children and a plethora of friendly dogs and cats. The campsite was essentially the garden area of their home, where they had set aside an area for vehicles such as ours to park, plus a bathroom they had built for guests to use. Nice, but nothing too elaborate really. But from the moment we set foot on their grounds we really had a great time. Why? The people we met.
The kids played endlessly with the owners children, the trampoline proving the biggest draw of course. The local pets were tremendous entertainment for our animal-loving young ones. The adults were not left-out, with friends from Brazil, USA and Mexico being made as travel routes and stories were shared late into the evening. What was supposed to be two nights in Trujillo turned into four, but each of them well worth the entrance fee.
Next stop was the city of Piura. Not renowned as a place of much beauty or obvious attractions, the campsite at Porta Verde was our reason for staying there. While it had a lovely pool, football pitch, tennis courts, restaurant plus more, again it was the people we met that made our stay there memorable. The kids immediately made friends with some local children who were spending the day on the grounds. Our new friends from Brazil (Robson & Rosely) were there, as were a lovely young German couple who had been traveling for five years straight! We even had the good fortune to park beside an older Argentine couple, who travel in their small hatchback car with their dog and cat. We were amazed as they showed us the artwork they produce and sell at local artesian markets to fund their love of travelling.
Again, after overstaying our initial planned days, we left with a heavy heart, this time finally bound for Los Organos and the passing whales. After our recent positive experiences in campsites, we elected to continue the trend and checked into one which was very well rated by fellow overland travellers. Enrique, Ana and all the staff in Bungalow Chotos camping could not have been more welcoming from the minute we entered. Nothing was too much trouble, from sourcing water for our campervan, booking a locally-run whale tour, or even finding somewhere for us to watch the European Championship Final between Spain and England (a very important occasion in our household!). Our stay was also enhanced by the arrival of Robson & Rosely (yes we seem to be travelling a similarly timed route!), plus meeting with a wonderful Colombian family on a brief but lengthy trip from their homeland. We were delighted to share the highs and lows of their countries defeat in the Copa America Final with them, as our children played happily together.
Our excursion itself to see the whales was wonderful. We saw many mothers swimming with their (not-so-small) babies. We even had the huge fortune to see one of the females jumping from the water, a sight that would really leave anyone speechless. We also saw a multitude of Hawksbill turtles close to the shore. Huge creatures weighing up to 70kg, they are named for their narrow, pointed beak and are found mainly in tropical oceans. The best part of the tour however was doing it with Oskar, such a knowledgeable and respectful local guide. Not only did he explain some fascinating facts to us, it was plain as day to see the love he had for these mammals, and how he strictly followed responsible tourism versus endangering or bothering these wonders of the sea for our amusement.
Driving out the campsite gates in Los Organos, once again after significantly overstaying our travel plans, it left me thinking about our final couple of weeks in Peru. We had travelled a long way with the hope of seeing some beautiful marine creatures. While we had achieved this in abundance, we really gained so much more along the way. We met wonderfully kind and generous people. We ate with young and old, local and foreign. Our children played Peruvian, Colombian and Venezuelan games as multiple cultures seamlessly fused.
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that while the things and places we see along this adventure are fantastic, it is experiences like these that are really what travelling is all about.
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