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Kitesurfing - kite boarding in Tarifa Costa de la Luz
Kite surfing in Tarifa is the most popular sport in Tarifa
Within the last years kitesurfing in Tarifa has grown to an incredible level making Tarifa Europe's number one kitesurfing spot.
In the summer you can see many hundred of colorful kites in the skies of Tarifa every day. In the low season it is a lot less crowded on the water and on the beach, that's why we always recommend to come to Tarifa outside of July and August when the climate and the conditions are just as good.
The length of the bay guarantees a good distribution of people over many kilometers, so there's enough space for everybody. The beach in Tarifa is especially wide providing comfort in starting and landing the kite.
There's many other great kitesurf spots nearby Tarifa, like the beaches of Conil, El Palmar or Caños de Meca.
At the Playa de Los Lances in Tarifa, close by the hotel Dos Mares, signs are marking the separation of a zone for kitesurfing schools and a zone for more experienced kitesurfers. At the end of the bay, where the large sand dune is, there are more separated areas, one for kitesurfers only and for windsurfers only. This fact makes your days on the water hassle-free, as long as you adhire to the rules.
Spots for kite boarding in Tarifa and Andalusia
Kite boarding with western wind (Poniente)
The western wind Poniente arrives side-onshore and brings 4-6 Bft. depending on the time of the year. Small to medium size waves come with the Poniente providing perfect conditions for beginners and advanced riders.For Poniente kites between 12 and 16m² are recommendable.
Kite-Spot: Dos Mares, Tarifa
The beach between Rio Jara and Hotel Dos Mares runs along a huge parking lot . Here you find plenty of space to start and land the kite as the beach is 300m wide.
The beach is split into zones for kitesurfing, windsurfing and teaching, a factor that avoids confrontations here.
Gotarifa.com recommends to avoid kitesurfing here in the months of July and August in order to fully enjoy this great spot.
| Distance |
3km from Tarifa |
| Driving time |
5min fromTarifa |
| Beach lenght |
2km (split into zones for teaching, windsurfing and kitesurfing) |
| Beach width |
300m |
| Best season |
September until June |
| Services | 2 beach bars with chill out music |
| Installations | no showers, but toilets in the bars |
| Directions | From Tarifa take the N340 in direction Cádiz -> 500m after the Camping Rio Jara turn left towards the beach. |
| Valuation |
* * * * * |
Kite-Spot: Valedevaqueros, Tarifa
Many days you'll see this spot working great while Dos Mares is still unkitable. The wind builds up earlier here and blows more constantly.
The beach is wide and speparated into zones for kitesurfing and windsurfing. It makes a lot of sense to respect these zones, so everybody gets along peacefully.
| Distance | 7km from Tarifa |
| Driving time |
10min from Tarifa |
| Beach length |
3km (split into kitesurf zone and windsurf zone) |
| Beach width |
250m |
| Best season |
all year |
| Services | 4 beach bars, 3 kitesurf stations, public parking |
| Installations | no showers, but toilets in the bars |
| Directions | From Tarifa take the N340 in direction Cádiz -> after 7km turn left at the sign "Playa Valdevaqueros" |
| Valuation |
* * * * |
Kite-Spot: Los Lances, Tarifa (city beach)
Officially, it's not allowed to kitesurf here, because the beach is reserved for the swimmers. Out of the high season months (July - September) kitesurfing is tolerated here anyways.
The best idea is to look out for where the locals are and only kitesurf at spots where other kitesurfers are.
When the tides are very high sometimes, Playa Los Lances can be interesting for beginners. The rising waterline floods large parts of the beach and forms this lagoon of 20cm depth, providing the best conditions to learn quickly. The lagoon usually holds the water for a couple of days.
| Distance |
- |
| Driving time |
- |
| Beach length |
4km |
| Beach width |
250m |
| Best season |
all year (except for July and August when this is a swimmers only zone) |
| Services | 4 beach bars, breakfast cafes, restaurants |
| Installations | Showers on the beach, public toilets |
| Directions | Playa Los Lances begins at the Isla la Paloma and extends until the river Rio Jara. |
| Valuation |
* * * * |
The most comfortable solution is to book one of the holiday apartments in the first line of the beach.
Here some recommendations for accommodation right on the Playa Los Lances:
Kitesurf holidays in Tarifa
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Kitesurf holidays in Tarifa |
Kitesurf holidays in Tarifa |
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| Apartment Tortuga I (4 Pers.) on the beach from 60,00 €. |
Apartment Tortuga II (4 Pers.) best sea views from 62,50 €. |
Lodging Las Cañas II (6-8 Pers.) by the beach from 124,00 €. |
Kitesurfing with eastern wind (Levante)
While windsurfers love the strong Levante, kitesurfers used to avoid this wind in the early days of the sport.Mostly, Levante reaches bewteen 6 and 9 Bft. and its direction is side-offshore from the left. Levante demands a very high level of kitesurfing skills.
With small boards and kites of the latest generation Levante can be still a lot of fun and a great challenge.
You should generally keep in mind:
- Levante blows side-offshore (crossing against the wind is a must)
- Levante more gusty than Poniente
- Levante builds up quickly and gets very stong
Kite-Spot: Conil de la Frontera, Costa de la Luz
In Conil de la Frontera it's only allowed to kitesurf at the left side of the lagoon (past the bridge). Strong Levante in Tarifa will always show 1-2 Bft. less in Conil.
The wind direction is sideshore either way. Waves can be a challenge in the winter time between October and May.
| Distance |
65km from Tarifa |
| Driving time |
45min from Tarifa |
| Length of beach |
5km |
| Width of beach | 250m |
| Best season |
all year |
| Services | Beach bars about 400m of the spot on the promenade, kite surfing school |
| Installations | Showers, public toilets at the promenade |
| Directions | From Tarifa take the N340 in direction Cádiz, Exit Conil de la Frontera Salida 26 |
| Valuation |
* * * * |
Kite-Spot: Sotogrande, Costa del Sol
On strong Levante days the kitesurf scene of Tarifa meets in Sotogrande to take advantage of the more moderate conditions here.
In the Mediterranean sea the water is usually calm and better for learning kitesurfing. That's why some kitesurf schools from Tarifa come here to teach their beginners.
| Distance |
52km of Tarifa |
| Driving time |
40min of Tarifa |
| Length of beach |
2km |
| Width of beach | 150m |
| Best season |
July until September |
| Services | beach bars, restaurants |
| Installations | Showers, public toilets |
| Directions | From Tarifa take the N340 in direction Málaga for 30km -> after Algeciras take the highway for 10km |
| Valuation |
* * * * |
Kite schools and kitesurf lessons in Tarifa - Andalusia
Over the last couple of years Tarifa has breeded a huge offer of kitesurfing shops that sell the latest material and also teach kitesurfing lessons.
Some kite schools work with helmets and microphones for communication and a zodiac for support in the water.
The level of equipment and know-how is extremely high in Tarifa.
Most kitesurf schools have a certificate of the International Kitesurfing Organisation (www.IKO.com). Optionally, others are certified by the VDWS (www.vdws.de), which would be a German organisation.
Here same kite shops / kiteschools we can recommend:
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Kitesurfshops in Tarifa |
kite surfing schooln in Tarifa |
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We'll be pleased to help getting into this sport and can arrange the best accommodation for you.
More informations: Offer for kitesurf lessons for beginners (Kite School Tarifa)
Tipps for beginners
The media likes to present kitesurfing as a sport that is easy to learn. In reality it is not that easy.
Kitesurf school like to promise to get in the water on your third day, but still you'll be far away from knowing how to kitesurf properly.
You'll need a couple of weeks for sure to learn the basic and reach a safe level for most conditions.
Own experiences in Tarifa
- Don't try to impress other people
- Take your time learning the basics
- Ask the locals about the spot and its peculiarities
- Test your quick release under real life conditions
- Process quicker by learning with a kite instructor and skip the frustration
- Think through emergency situations and how to react - in the water it'll be too late
Source: www.vwds.de
- Look for the right spot to practice on land and water with enough space to start and land the kite. The proper practice spot must: - be free of obstacles like trees, rocks, cars, houses etc. for at least three tiimes the length of your lines.
- Only go kitesurfing in conditions, which you can control. Don't overestimate your skills and choose the proper size of kite depending on the wind and your skills.
- Avoid gusty wind and look for sideshore direction.
- Check your board and kite on funcionality. Make sure the lines are not demaged and the kite is set up correctly. Check the saftey system.
- Always use a funcional quickrelease for all connections and a safety leash.
- Never go kiting without a wetsuit, helmet and floating support.
- Make sure that no others get injured or endangered by your kitesurfing.
- Obey the rules for environmental behaviour
- Store your board and kite safely on the beach and only let experienced people help you launch or land tghe kite.
- Never kite close to persons who are within the range of your kite.
- Never kite alone and don't ride out further than you can swim. Make sure somebody knows you're on the water for sending help in the worst case.
Tipps for advanced kitesurfers
Have a lot of time to practice ;-)
Here a kitesurf video of the Worldtour PKRA in Tarifa 2007 (www.kiteworldtour.com, www.kitesurfworldcup.de)