Tumbes is a coastal region in northwestern Peru. Due to the region's location near the Equatorial line it has a warm climate, with beaches that are considered among the finest in Peru. Despite its small area, this region has been privileged with a great variety of ecosystems.

The name "Tumbes" originates from either Tumpis, a group of native peoples from the area, the word tumbos, a species of Passiflora that used to abound in the area, or the name of the Tumba cacique, whose son founded and populated the area.

The Tumbes Region is bordered by the Ecuadorian provinces of El Oro and Loja on the east; the Piura Region on the south; and by the Pacific Ocean on the north and west.

Morphologically, four zones can be defined in the region: the delta of the Tumbes and Zarumilla rivers; an alluvial plain north of the Tumbes River, with dry, low-depth ravines; ancient terraces that have been strongly eroded in the Máncora area; and the Amotape mountain range in the east and south, with its ending point at the El Barco Mountain. The delta of the Tumbes river is shallow and when the tide is low, little sandy keys show up, which get covered by mangrove vegetation.

Despite its reduced area (it is the second-smallest region in Peru), Tumbes has been privileged by nature with a great variety of ecosystems: mangroves, dry forests, the only coastal tropical forests in Peru, and a rich and warm sea. Around 50% of the region's territory is covered by three protected natural areas: the Manglares de Tumbes National Sanctuary (which is part of the Gulf of Guayaquil-Tumbes mangroves), the Cerros de Amotape National Park and the Tumbes Reserved Zon