Tumpi Coast

The coast of Tumbes lies at the northern edge of Peru, where rivers and mangrove-lined channels meet the Gulf of Guayaquil. Indigenous sailors used balsa rafts along the coast, linking Tumbes with communities farther north and south. The region was incorporated into the Inca realm before the Spanish arrived. In 1532 Francisco Pizarro landed at Tumbes during the expedition that led to the conquest of the Inca Empire.