Where to Stay in Callao, Provincia Constitucional del Callao

What is Callao known for?

On the Pacific shore beside Lima stands the huge Spanish fortress of Real Felipe, the country's main naval base lies here, and monuments honour the sea heroes of Peru, while boats crowd the busy harbour. The ocean rolls in past the docks. Fortress and fleet mark the city.

What are the main landmarks in Callao?

The Real Felipe Fortress guards the port of Callao. The great Spanish fortress of stone, one of the largest in the Americas, looms over the harbour, the emblem of the city, by the sea. Museums honour the navy nearby.

The Naval Museum and the monument and crypt of Admiral Miguel Grau keep the sea heroes, while the old submarine Abtao rests at the quay.

What is the history of Callao?

Callao was the great port of Spanish South America. Founded soon after the conquest, it became the harbour of Lima and the chief port of the whole Spanish Pacific, from which the silver of the Andes was shipped home to Spain. Pirates and the sea threatened the port.

English and Dutch raiders prowled the coast, and a huge wave destroyed the old town in 1746, so the Spanish built a mighty fortress, the Real Felipe, to guard the harbour. The fortress saw the birth of a nation. The last Spanish troops in South America held out in the Real Felipe until 1826, and the guns of Callao fired in the wars of independence.

War brought Peru its heroes. In the war against Chile the admiral Miguel Grau won undying fame on the ocean, and Callao, the seat of the navy, keeps his memory in its monuments. The old fortress still guards the bay.

Callao holds the sea history of Peru beside its port.

Where is Callao?

Callao lies on the Pacific coast of Peru, at the edge of Lima. The city spreads across a flat desert shore where the land meets the sea, on a bay sheltered by islands and the peninsula of La Punta, in the dry coastal belt of central Peru. Barren hills rise inland from the port.

The grey Pacific stretches out to the islands.

What is the climate of Callao?

Callao has a mild, foggy desert coast climate. The cold Pacific current keeps the city cool and grey for much of the year, with almost no rain, and a low sea mist called the garúa hangs over the coast in winter. Fog greys the shore for months.

The desert stays dry beneath the cloud.

How do you get to Callao?

Callao lies on the coast at the edge of Lima. The city runs straight into the capital, and Peru's main airport and seaport both lie here on the shore. Roads and the metro link it to central Lima.

Most arrive through Lima by road.