Huanchaco and the Caballitos de Totora

December 13, 2007

Huanchaco is a friendly beach town popular during the summer months with the people of Trujillo and known as a excellent surf spot. It is also a popular spot to eat ceviche.

By far it’s greatest attraction, however, is as a place that preserves a fishing tradition dating back thousands of years. Local fishermen still ride the waves on their Caballitos de Totora. Literaly meaning little reed horses because of the way they are straddled when ridden, these rafts are used by the fishermen to drag their nets out into the water, eventually collecting the fish and putting them in the cavity in the back of the raft. These are the same types of reeds that the people of Los Uros use to construct their artificial islands in the lake Titicaca. Due to their shape, and the fact that the beach faces the setting sun, these rafts are extremely photogenic.