Escaping the Heat in Chiclayo

Looking for relief on a hot Chiclayo summer day usually means water in the form of a pool or beach. Chiclayo has some public and private pools, but typically families leave the city for a short ride to one of the beaches in Pimentel, San Jose, Santa Rosa or Puerto Eten. Another option is the water parks near Chiclayo. El Mirador is popular as is AquaPark which we recently visited for the first time.

The park is located a short distance off the Pan American highway and unless you know where it is it would be easy miss it. Once at the park the entrance is plain and unimposing, giving no hint of the spacious and impressive facility inside.

There are two well-maintained pools with just about every type of slide imaginable including the towering toboggan. The kids and some adults enjoyed standing under three huge bucket that dumped their contents at about three minute intervals. The pools are not deep and we saw lifeguards constantly patrolling the perimeters. The clothing/swimsuit changing areas and restrooms are spacious and clean. Beside the pools there is a children’s playground, several soccer fields with artificial turf, and plenty of room to stroll around in.

Sometimes all this activity can wear a person out and there comes a time when young and old alike need to take a break.

For those not inclined to enter the pools there is seating for literally hundreds of people in poolside lounge chairs and at benches and tables under thatched umbrellas (even with the large seating capacity I suspect that on Saturday and Sunday it could be a problem to find a vacant table). Relaxing on one of those chairs or benches with a favorite beverage while people watching or perhaps reading a book strikes me as a great way to spend a hot lazy afternoon. There was a constant breeze which made the temperature bearable even in the afternoon heat.

Surprisingly, carry-in food and beverages is not prohibited. In fact the majority of families we saw (ours included) brought their food with them including plates, glasses, utensils and large pot and pans filled with still warm meals. Food and snacks are available at the park and are ordered at and delivered to your table. Typical dishes on the menu are chicharron, lomo saltado and ceviche. Prices are reasonable…my chicharron de pollo including fries and salad cost $4.30. Beer (Cristal) and pop are available.

AquaPark has no lighting and closes at 6:00pm; something that puzzles me. It seems to me that the facility with lighting and music would be a huge draw for the younger crowd at night, but Peruvians seldom miss a business opportunity so I assume there is a good reason for not going that route. The park opens at 10:00am 365 days. The entrance fee for ages 6 to 65 is $3.60 and is free for those outside those ages.