When (not if) you find yourself in the city of Lima, the capital of Peru, and tu quieres a patinar (Spanish for “you want to skateboard”), one place you should point your wheels is the Complejo Deportivo Skate Park.
This skatepark is located in the Miraflores district of Lima. Miraflores is the area of Lima that is right next to the Pacific Ocean and is a big draw for tourists. This entire area has a meandering walkway, called the Malecon, where you can stroll around, people watch, see paragliders, and view the surf after a day of grinding and grabbing air.
The skatepark itself is situated north of Miraflores’s main tourist mall, called Larcomar, and can be found at the intersection of the streets Mc De La Marina and Joaquin Capelo. Complejo Deportivo Skate Park is open every day (Monday – Friday 8am-8pm; Saturday 8am-9pm; Sunday 9am-8pm) and admission is free.
There are numerous places where a skater can perform tricks. Complejo Deportivo Skate Park contains one half-pipe and two quarter-pipes. In addition, there are a variety of rails, stairs, ledges, ramps, and funboxes for a skater to test their ability. Finally, the skatepark contains what looks like an empty medium-sized swimming pool with a ramp where the diving board would be.
All manner of wheeled entertainment is welcome at this skatepark. In the times I visited with my children, I saw skateboarders, in-line skaters, BMX bicycles, and even one contraption that appeared to be an all-terrain skateboard.
In addition to the cement and concrete skating area, the skatepark also contains a dirt track for bicycles to race along. This track contains a starting ramp and high banked turns.
For the non-skater, Complejo Deportivo Skate Park has bleacher seating for people to watch. In the summer (December to March), be sure to bring sun screen as the solar radiation is quite strong in this part of the world. During the winter (July to September), the Miraflores area is awash in fog, but the UV rays can still affect you.
This skatepark has an extremely relaxed atmosphere. All the participants are kind and respectful to each other regardless of their skill level. During the times my children skateboarded there, I never saw any pushing, shoving, or any other behavior meant to intimidate to the newbies, which my kids were.
Complejo Deportivo Skate Park appears to be in good condition. The cement ground is free of holes and is remarkably smooth. The places where there is metal (i.e., rails, ledges) are also smooth and do not have any sharp protrusions. The concrete edges of the stairs, ramps, and pipes definitely show signs of repeated usage as they are chipped and ragged. However, this is probably the only complaint I have about the park.
While there is a sign outside the park requesting that skaters wear proper protective gear (i.e., helmet, pads, etc.), the wearing of such items is not mandatory. In fact, of the times my children have gone to this park, they were the only ones wearing helmets.
With over a dozen places to perform tricks, a non-competitive atmosphere, and a stunning setting (especially around sunset), the Complejo Deportivo Skate Park in Lima, Peru, is a great place to skate south of the Equator in the City of Kings.
