One of the best spots for practicing windsurf and the kitesurf It is without a doubt Fee, in the province of Cadiz. It is not for nothing that they know it as the capital of the windThis Andalusian town, full of charms and tourist attractions, is packed with sports, cultural and relaxation activities that will delight any adventurer eager to live the best experiences and moments of fun, especially if they are looking for the ideal place to do windsurf and kitesurf on beautiful paradisiacal beaches with privileged winds!
In fact, Fee It is the southernmost city on the European continent, located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean in the Strait of Gibraltar, also called "Lto MWind machine” A key element for the practice of these sports disciplines! Are you ready to let yourself be carried away by the best of Andalusia? If you are a lover of the sea, the wind and adventure, then keep reading and discover the experience of visiting Fee, an ideal place to practice kite and windsurfing!
If you are passionate about adventure sports, including kitesurf and the windsurf, so Fee It is perhaps one of the best spots in Spain that you can visit for this. And it is that the wind in Tarifa It is especially interesting because it combines the best of the breeze from the east and the west, and it is precisely this that gives it the privilege of being one of the most recommended places to visit if you want to practice any of these. wind sports.
What is the wind like in Tarifa?
In Fee The windiest month is July, and it can be classified into two, which are the most predominant: the Poniente, which approaches from the west, and the Levante, which comes from the east. The Poniente is a fresh wind that blows with a force of between 2 and 5 Beaufort that brings with it small waves, and is the most recommended for practicing kitesurf, especially during the winter months, when it predominates. On the other hand, the Levante is a stronger, warmer and more intense wind that travels between 5 and 6 Beaufort, mostly suitable for practicing windsurf, especially between the months of May and October. Specifically in Cadiz, the Levante is the wind that blows the most, with an average of 165 days a year.
There is something for everyone! The truth is that they are natural winds that we can take advantage of especially to practice both sports in the best possible conditions. Thanks to this, Fee It has become a very visited spot in recent years, bringing together lovers of windsurf and the kitesurf from all over Spain and the world, and developing its tourist attractions around both sports.
KITESURFING VS WINDSURFING
Fee It is especially known for its winds and the adventure sports that require it for their practice, which is why you will see the town full of sails and comments flying over its beautiful beaches. But the question never stops coming up… Kitesurfing or windsurfing?
The most common thing a few years ago was to see people surfing, windsurf and sailing, as well as other water sports, but not the kites that now seem to even predominate in sight when we visit this town. Everything changed around the year 2000 with the popularization of kitesurf, which brought with it a new generation of kiteboarders ready for the task and eager to enjoy the best winds for the sport.
Essentially, the kitesurf (kiteboarding or flysurfing) is a risky and adventure sport discipline that combines windsurf, wakeboarding and paragliding, whose movement consists of the use of a traction kite that pulls the athlete on a board. kitesurf It is especially different from the windsurf because its practice does not require much specialized equipment, nor strong winds, but rather it involves surfing with a well-balanced and stabilized wind. This could offer greater freedom to the athlete, but also, greater opportunity for loss of control.
It is known that for the practice of kitesurf No specific physical preparation is necessary, but a lot of desire, technique and ability to control the board very well. This is one of the key differences with respect to windsurf, which has been around for almost four decades, and for which you will need to have a minimum physical and mental fitness, and much more technical knowledge. It is an adventure and risk sport that also requires a lot of patience to learn and master, because the windsurfing board equipped with a sail is in the hands of the windsurfer, who surfs the waves on it and takes advantage of the wind to maneuver.
Despite the similarities between them, both sports have their own technique and feel. In fact, the most common thing is that lovers windsurf don't see the grace in it kitesurf and vice versa, but there is no doubt that both sports have known how to coexist incredibly in Fee, known as a mecca of both kitesurf as of the windsurf equally, being blessed with its two ideal seas for them, as the Tarifeños themselves say: “The mother who gave birth to the Levant and the mother who gave birth to the West”.
WINDSURFING AND KITESURFING IN TARIFA
¡Visit Tarifa In summer or any time of the year it will be amazing for practicing windsurf and kitesurf! It should be noted that this municipality lives off kite and windsurfing, and it will not be unusual to see how everything - or almost everything - in it is focused on these two sports (especially kitesurfing, which is more fashionable) from the accommodations and shops, to the decoration of the bars and restaurants, and even the schools. And the majority of people who visit Fee, especially between the months of May to September, are related to windsurf and to kitesurf in some way or another.
If you already specialize in one or both sports you will find in Fee the ideal place for your sports practice. If you are a beginner and you dare to venture into recreational practice, you can find joint schools that specialize in providing courses windsurf and kitesurf in Fee for all levels, private or group, for children, young people and adults.
If you are looking to learn and become a professional, this is also an ideal place to do so because, in addition to courses and advice, you will find the option of daily classes, focused on your age and experience. In any case, they will provide you with all the necessary equipment to get started, depending on the academy you sign up for on one of the beaches in the town.
As we explained previously, both sports practices have been a key axis of transformation for Fee In terms of tourism, it has become a key attraction with multiple and excellent options to launch yourself into the adventure of windsurf and the kitesurf both inclusive! Always remember that the windsurf is more demanding than the kitesurf, so you will need more time to learn and master it, as well as equipment and materials.
THE BEST BEACHES IN TARIFA
Fee It has a vast expanse of beaches ideal for conventional tourism and also for adventure tourismBut if surfing with the wind is your thing, these are the 5 best beaches for kitesurfing and windsurfing in Tarifa that you can choose from:
- Valdevaqueros Beach
This is a comfortable beach of about 4050m in length, between Punta Paloma and Punta de la Peña, which continues to the end of the bay to the dune that is there. It is very popular among kite and windsurfers because its infrastructure, winds and environment are great for both disciplines, world renowned throughout Europe. It is perhaps the most popular beach in the world. Tarifa beach where you will find the most schools and beach bars for both activities.
- Los Lances Beach
It is one of the most popular beaches for practicing kitesurf and the windsurf because it has all the facilities and amenities for this, although it is prohibited to practice both sports in the months of July and August. This cold water beach is found along the seafront promenade of Fee, and it starts right in the residential area of Avenida Los Lances. It is a long beach of about 7250m in length, divided into two areas separated by the Jara River: Lances Sur (close to the city) and Lances Norte (far from the town).
- Punta Paloma Beach
One of the most beautiful and attractive beaches in all FeeFamous for its 35m high dune, Playa Punta Paloma is located about 10km from the town and offers an incredible and beautiful atmosphere, as well as an ideal sea for practicing windsurf and the kitesurfThe views are especially phenomenal, as is the entire environment from end to end.
- Two Seas Beach
About 5km from Tarifa we find Playa Dos Mares, one of the coolest and most popular options for practicing both windsurf as kitesurf, although the area closest to the Hotel Dos Mares is reserved exclusively for windsurfing. It has a very comfortable and spacious car park that leads directly to the beach, which is why it is so ideal for accessing by car with all your sports equipment.
- Playa Chica
Another amazing beach in Fee Playa Chica is located next to Las Palomas Island. Although it is not the largest beach in this town, it is really a very pleasant and comfortable space, with clear sand and crystal-clear, although rather cold, water, and located at the southernmost point of the European continent, being the last beach with Mediterranean waters. Although it is very popular for diving, in winter it is especially ideal for windsurfing, specifically.
SPORTS, FUN AND RELAXATION IN TARIFA
Although Kite and Windsurfing are the activities par excellence to do in Fee, this is still a town full of fun, tourist activities, water sports and opportunities for leisure and relaxation.
What to do in Tarifa?
Good visibility and water temperature in Fee (between 15 and 20 degrees in summer and winter approximately), as well as its extensive marine life, makes it an ideal place for scuba diving, especially in the Isla de las Palomas Natural Park, where you can see rays, octopuses, moray eels, moonfish and much more. However, it is an activity that will depend on the sea currents and the wind; with Poniente you dive to the east of the island and in Levante you will dive towards the west.
In Fee You can also find incredible spots for surfing during the winter and with the west wind, especially in the Atlantic area at Playa Balneario and Playa Chica in the Mediterranean area, although also at Playa Yerbabuena, nestled in the heart of the Breña and Marismas del Barbate Natural Park, about 35km away. Fee, where you have excellent waves for surfing.
Another sport par excellence that you can opt for in Fee It is the Kayak, which you can easily rent on the local beaches, or also the Paddle Surf or Stand Up Paddle, which with the help of a paddle and a board larger than the traditional surf board you can navigate or surf the waves. In addition, due to its privileged location in the Strait of Gibraltar, Fee It has become an excellent place for sailing, it is special because it is an ideal place to spot orcas and dolphins. A real spectacle of nature!
And because of the beauty of its old town, you won't regret strolling through the town with colleagues and family to enjoy its cultural events, restaurants, terraces and first-class cafes, going out at night, or spending a day relaxing in its many spas or shopping in the town. Quite an experience from any angle!
What is accommodation like in Tarifa?
FeeAs a tourist hub in Spain, it has a wide variety of accommodation options that you can choose from if you visit this town during your next vacation or on your next getaway, including traditional accommodation as well as alternative forms of accommodation.
You'll be able to find hotels to suit all budgets, or even rent shared apartments and flats to save on overheads and also to opt for some extra space if you need to store your sports equipment when visiting. Fee. Although the truth is that many people decide to camp in one of the campsites in Tarifa and its surroundings, very close to the beach and nature, since many towns in the area, such as Bolonia and Zahara de los Atunes, are set up for this. There are also hotels that include among their accommodation options the opportunity to "camp", but in fully equipped tents, some of them luxury, combining the best of both worlds in a single experience.
As you can see, visit Tarifa It is a great opportunity to enjoy a very complete vacation, full of adventure, fun, and relaxation! Although remember that it is important to keep in mind that this meeting center for kite and windsurfers has a series of regulations designed for the safety of all its visitors, which varies from beach to beach and from month to month, so we must be very careful not to interrupt the passage of tourists or other fellow adventurers.
Furthermore, it is of great importance to always keep in mind that wind sports depend on wind to be carried out, and this entails additional risks. But if you are very well informed, instructed and prepared for action, Fee It will undoubtedly be the ideal place to venture into the world of windsurf and the kitesurf in Spain. Let's go for it!
