Climate: From June to September (during the winter), Callao has an average temperature of 16°C; while from October-December, the temperature reaches 24°C. From January to March (during the summer) Callao has temperatures of 26.5°C to 27°C. The temperature drops again in autumn (21° - 22°C).
Access: The Real Felipe fort is on Av. Saenz Peña, in the constitutional province of Callao. After it was founded in 1537, Callao became one of the most important ports on the west coast of South America. Today, it is Peru's leading port.
Open: Daily from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
In 1747, Viceroy Conde de Superunda, tired of continual looting by some of the most famous corsairs of the era, ordered the construction of an impregnable fort in the port of Callao, near the city of Lima.
The fort was to be the bastion that would defend the Vice-regency of Peru from pirates and other invaders. It marked the creation of the Real Felipe fort, which has witnessed some of the most important events in Peruvian history.
The fort offers visitors the chance to roam its ramparts on a trip into a past filled with adventures and glory. The fort's solid walls, which have resisted storms and battles for centuries, have served as a refuge for Spanish viceroys, Independence leaders and Republican paladins.
The fort, which stretches for 1,580 meters along the coast of Callao, still features the cannons which the Spaniards once used to repell the attacks launched by pirates, and one can watch the martial changing of the guard of the Peruvian Legion, whose members still wear the original uniform.
With towers and lookout posts, deep dungeons and elegant salons, the old fort built in honor of King Philip V, now an imposing on-site museum, houses relics that bear testimony to the efforts and courage of the men who fought and died here.
