Windsurfing and Kitesurfing in Tarifa Let yourself be carried away by the capital of the wind!
One of the best spots for practicing windsurfing and kitesurfing is undoubtedly Tarifa, in the province of Cádiz! like the capital of the wind! This Andalusian town, full of charm and tourist attractions, is full of sports, cultural and relaxation activities that any adventurer eager to live the best experiences and moments of fun will fall in love with, especially if they are looking for the ideal place to do windsurfing and kitesurfing on beautiful paradisiacal beaches with privileged winds!
In fact, Tarifa is the southernmost city of the European continent, located between the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Sea in the Strait of Gibraltar, also called “L a MWind Machine” A key element for practicing these sports! 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 read on and discover the experience of visiting Tarifa, an ideal place to practice kite and windsurfing!
If you are passionate about adventure sports, including kitesurfing and windsurfing, then Tarifa is perhaps one of the best spots in Spain that you can visit for it. And it is that the wind in Tarifa 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 Do you want to practice any of these wind sports.
How is the wind in Tarifa?
In Tarifa the month with the most wind is July, and it can be classified into two, which are the most preponderant: the west, which approaches from the west, and the east, which comes from the this. The West is a cool wind that blows with a force between 2 and 5 Beaufort that brings with it small waves, and is the most recommended for practicing kitesurfing, especially during the winter months, when it predominates. . For its part, the Levante is a stronger, warmer and more intense wind that travels between 5 and 6 Beaufort, mostly suitable for practicing windsurfing, especially between the months of May to October. Specifically in Cádiz, the Levante is the one 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, Tarifa has become a highly visited spot in recent years, bringing together windsurfing and kitesurfing lovers from all over Spain and the world. , and developing its tourist attractions around both sports.
KITESURFING VS WINDSURFING
Tarifa is especially known for its winds and the adventure sports that need it to be practiced, that is why you will see the town full of sails and commentary flying over its beautiful beaches. But the question does not stop arising… Kitesurfing or windsurfing?
The most common thing a few years ago was to see people practicing surfing, windsurfing and sailing, as well as other water sports, but not the kites that now seem to predominate when we visit this town. Everything changed around the year 2000 with the popularization of kitesurfing, which brought with it a new generation of kiteboarders ready to mess around and eager to enjoy the best winds for the sport.
Essentially, kitesurfing (kiteboarding or flysurfing) is a risky and adventure sports discipline that combines windsurfing, wakeboarding and paragliding, the movement of which consists of using a high-speed kite. traction pulling sportsman on a board. kitesurfing is especially different from windsurfing because its practice does not require as much specialized equipment or strong winds, but rather deals with surfing with a well-balanced and stabilized wind. This could offer greater freedom to the athlete, but also a greater opportunity for lack of control.
It is known that to practice kitesurfing a specific physical preparation is not 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 windsurfing, which has been around for almost four decades, and for which you will need to have a minimum physical and mental background, 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 provided with a sail is in charge 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 is that windsurfing lovers don't see the grace of kitesurfing and vice versa, but there is no doubt that both sports have known how to coexist incredibly in Tarifa, known as a mecca for both kitesurfing and windsurfing alike, being blessed with its two ideal seas for them, as the people of Tarifa say: “The mare that gave birth to the East and the mare that gave birth to the West”.
WINDSURFING AND KITESURFING IN TARIFA
Visiting Tarifa in summer or any time of the year will be incredible for practicing windsurfing and kitesurfing! It must be taken into account that this municipality lives from kite and windsurfing, and it will not be strange to see how everything -or almost everything- in it is focused on these two sports (especially kitesurfing, which is more fashionable) from the accommodation and shops, to the decoration of bars and restaurants, and even schools. And it is that most of the people who visit Tarifa, especially between the months of May to September, are related to windsurfing and kitesurfing in one way or another. manner.
If you already specialize in one or both sports, you will find in Tarifa the ideal place to practice sports. If you are a beginner and dare to venture into your recreational practice, you can find joint schools that specialize in providing windsurfing and kitesurfing courses in Tarifa for all levels , private or in groups, for children, youth and adults.
If you are looking to learn and become a professional, it 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 local beaches.
As we explained previously, both sports practices have been a key transformation axis for Tarifa in terms of tourism, which is why it has become a key attraction with multiple and excellent options to embark on an adventure of windsurfing and kitesurfing, both inclusive! Always remember that windsurfing is more demanding than kitesurfing, so you will need more time to learn and master it, as well as equipment and materials.
THE BEST BEACHES IN TARIFA
Tarifa has a vast expanse of beaches ideal for conventional tourism and also adventure tourism. But if surfing with the wind is your thing, these are the 5 best beaches for kitesurfing and windsurfing in Tarifa that you can opt for:
- Los Valdevaqueros Beach
It is a comfortable beach about 4050m long, between Punta Paloma and Punta de la Peña, which continues to the end of the bay up to the dune found 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 beach in Tarifa 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 kitesurfing and windsurfing because it has all the facilities and amenities for doing so, although it is forbidden to practice both sports in the months of July and August. This cold-water beach can be found along the Tarifa promenade, and it starts right in the residential area of Los Lances avenue. It is a long beach of about 7250m in length, divided into two areas separated by the Jara River: Lances Sur (near the city) and Lances Norte (away from the town).
- Punta Paloma Beach
One of the most beautiful and attractive beaches in all of Tarifa! Famous 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 windsurfing and kitesurfing. . The views are especially phenomenal, as is the entire end-to-end environment.
- Dos Mares Beach
About 5km from Tarifa we find Playa Dos Mares, one of the coolest and most popular options for practicing both windsurfing and kitesurfing, although the area that is 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, and for this reason it is so ideal to access by car with all the sports equipment.
- Small Beach
Another incredible beach in Tarifa is Playa Chica, 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 water, although quite cold, and located in 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 Tarifa, it is still a town full of fun, tourist activities, water sports and opportunities for leisure and relaxation .
What to do in Tarifa?
The good visibility and water temperature in Tarifa (between 15 and 20 degrees in summer and winter approximately), as well as its extensive marine life, make it an ideal place for scuba diving, especially in the Isla de las Palomas Natural Park, where you can see rays, octopus, moray eels, sunfish and much more. However, it is an activity that will depend on the sea currents and the wind; with Poniente you will dive to the east of the Island and in Levante you will dive to the west.
In Tarifa you can also get incredible spots for surfing during the winter and with the west, especially in the Atlantic area at Playa Balneario and Playa Chica in the Mediterranean area, but also in Yerbabuena Beach, nestled in the Breña y Marismas del Barbate Natural Park, about 35km from Tarifa, where you have excellent waves for surfing.
Another quintessential sport that you can opt for in Tarifa is Kayak, which you can easily rent on local beaches, or Paddle Surf or Stand Up Paddle, which with the help of a paddle and a larger than traditional surf board you can navigate or ride the waves. In addition, due to its privileged location in the Strait of Gibraltar, Tarifa has become an excellent place for sailing, it is special because it is an ideal place to watch orcas and dolphins. Quite a spectacle of nature!
And due to the beauty of its old town, you will not regret strolling through the town with colleagues and family to enjoy its cultural events, restaurants, terraces and first-class cafes, go out at night, or spend a relaxing day in its multiple spas or shopping in the town. A whole experience from wherever you look at it!
How is the accommodation in Tarifa?
Tarifa, as a tourist hub in Spain, has a wide variety of accommodation options that you can opt for if you visit this town during your next vacation or on your next getaway, including traditional lodging and also alternative forms of accommodation.
You can get hotels to suit all budgets, or even rent apartments and shared flats to save overhead and also to opt for a little more space if you need to store your sports equipment when you visit Tarifa. Although the truth is that many 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 ready for it. . There are also hotels that include among their lodging options the opportunity to "camp", but in fully equipped tents, some of them luxurious, uniting the best of both worlds in a single experience.
As you can see, visiting Tarifa 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 kite and windsurfer meeting center presents 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 aware of Do not interrupt the passage of tourists or other fellow adventurers.
In addition, it is of great importance to always keep in mind that wind sports depend on it to be carried out, and this implies additional risks. But if you are very well informed, educated and prepared for action, Tarifa will undoubtedly be the ideal place to venture into the world of windsurfing and kitesurfing in Spain. Go for it!
