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Jan 03, 2019
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THE TOP 7 KITESURFING DESTINATIONS IN THE WORLD.

Cabarete, Dominican Republic
Cumbuco, Brazil
Tarifa, Spain
La Ventana, Mexico
Maui, Hawaii
Mancora, Peru
Sumbawa, Indonesia

THE WORLD’S BEST PLACES FOR KITEBOARDING.

Even though Swell is a ‘surf’ camp, that doesn’t mean all we do is surf. About 25% of our clients either combine their surf holiday with a kite-surfing course, or they just focus on kiteboarding and don’t surf at all. Another group of our clients don’t come to Swell at all for any kind of lessons, but come to Cabarete for a kiteboarding holiday and choose to stay Swell because it’s the most social place to stay for active solo travellers.

One of the recurring questions we get from our clients who are ‘hooked’ on kitesurfing is ‘which other kitesurf destinations are worthwhile going to?’ So, here is a list of place which are our personal favourites for kiteboarding.

-1- CABARETE, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Location: Caribbean; on the north coast of the Dominican Republic

What makes it so good: Ok, maybe we are a teeny bit biased since we are here, but it’s actually more to do with the fact that we traveled to 100’s of surf and kitesurf destinations around the world, before we chose Cabarete to base ourselves and build Swell surf camp. Basically, Swell is in the best kitesurf destination in the World, in our view.

It’s great because it has side-on tradewinds (which are safer if you drop your kite in the water), has large, open, sandy beaches and warm air & water temperatures. You will find flat water kiting, long down-winders and also plenty of waves to ride. Consistent winds most of the year round make this an ideal kite-surf destination for kitesurfers of all levels. Plenty of quality kitesurf schools are to be found in Cabarete, and with easy access in and out of the warm water, make this an ideal place to learn to kite.

How to get there: Direct flights from North America to Puerto Plata international airport and a 25 minute taxi ride later and you are in the action sport capital of the Caribbean; Cabarete.

Conditions: Flat water in the lagoon, waves on the reefs and everything in between means there’s something for everyone.

Best time to go: Best winds in Cabarete are between April and August. February and March can also be good, windy months. Average wind strength of 16 to 20 knots, side-onshore

Best for: Riders of all levels: from complete beginners to experts. Ideal for an active holiday, combine kitesurfing with surfing and adventure trips.

Tip: Do a downwinder from La Boca to Cabarete.
More info:
Windforecast link (opens a new window)
More info on Kitesurfing in the Dominican Republic
Cabarete kitesurf guide

Prices range for a kitesurf holiday: $

-2- CUMBUCO, BRAZIL

Location: South America, North of Fortaleza
What makes it so good: Between September and December there are steady, strong winds. Wide open beaches and a large kitesurfing community

How to get there: Fly into Fortaleza, take a 1 hour taxi ride to Cumbuco

Best time to go: Between September and December

Best for: Intermediate kitesurfers who love doing downwinders, or experts that like to practise their freestyle moves on the lagoon just north of Cumbuco

Tip: Visit Jericoacoara north of Cumbuco, a charming wind and kitesurf community, surrounded by sand dunes
More info:
Windforecast link (opens new window)

Prices range for a kitesurf holiday: $

-3- TARIFA SPAIN

Location: Europe, Southern tip of Spain

Tarifa as a kitesurf destination — Tarifa kitesurf destination

What makes it so good: When there is wind there is lots of wind, so bring your small kites only

How to get there: Drive within Europe or fly into Jerez airport, from there it’s 1,5 hours to Tarifa

Best time to go: June, July , August, although it will be very very busy

Best for: Experienced kitesurfers only, as it’s crowded and busy. Tarifa is not a good place to learn to kite.

Tip: Plenty of nice cultural places to visit nearby

More info:
Windforecast link (opens new window)

Prices range for a kitesurf holiday: $$

-4- LA VENTANA, MEXICO

Location: North America, Mexico on the Baja peninsula

What makes it so good: Good conditions for kiters of all levels who are looking for crystal clear, ‘flat’ water to cruise in.

How to get there: Fly into Cabo San Lucas international airport, a taxi from the airport to La Ventana is about 3 hours

Best time to go on a kite holiday: Between November and March

Best for: Beginners and intermediate kiters

Tip: Enjoy the fine Mexican food and go whale watching

More info:
Windforecast link (opens new window)

Prices range for a kitesurf holiday: $

-5- MAUI , HAWAII

Location: Pacific islands of Hawaii, North Shore Maui

What makes it so good: Great conditions for advanced kitesurfers who want to ride the waves.

How to get there: Fly into Honolulu take an island hopper to Maui and then hire a car or take a taxi to Kitebeach

Best time to go: Between April and October

Best for: Advanced riders

More info:
Wind forecast link (opens new window)

Prices range for a kitesurf holiday: $$$

-6- MANCORA, PERU

Location: South America, North of Peru, just south of Ecuador

What makes it so good: Ok wind (can be gusty and is off-shore), but it great waves for advanced kitesurfers who want to ride some of the world’s longest waves

How to get there: Fly into Lima, then take another plane to Piura, then a 3 hour taxi ride to get to Mancora

Best time to go: Between September and December

Best for: Advanced to expert kiters. Mancora is suitable for beginners as well, but the wave spots are for very experienced riders, only as the wind is side-offshore and can be very gusty.

Tip: Eat the local ceviche, go and surf at Chicama the worlds longest left

More info:
Wind forecast link (opens new window)

Prices range for a kitesurf holiday: $

-7- SUMBAWA, INDONESIA

Location: Asia, on the north coast of Sumbawa

What makes it so good: High quality waves for kite wave-riders

How to get there: Fly into Bali, then another flight to Sumbawa and then a few hours in a taxi

Best time to go: Between September and November

Best for: Expert kitesurfers; hardcore waves, side-offshore wind means there is not much room for error, the reef is also very shallow and very sharp

Tip: Bring spare kite equipment, since there are no kite shops here and chances are some of you kite equipment may get eaten by the waves.

More info:Windforecast link (opens new window)

Prices range for a kitesurf holiday: $

OUR LIST OF WORLDS BEST KITESURFING DESTINATIONS

These are some of our personal favorite kitesurf destinations we have visited over the years. There are of course many more stunning kitesurf spots to be found. Worth a mention are: The Philippines, Mauritius, The Canary Islands, and if you don’t mind the cold, the Netherlands. Before going on a kite surf holiday anywhere, make sure you look up the local wind statistics, certain spots can be consistently world class in certain months and then be without wind over 10 knots at other times of the year.

Websites such as Windguru give accurate forecasts and also provide wind archives per day, week and month of the year in their archives.

Planning on a kitesurfing trip to Cabarete and have any questions? Shoot us an email, we have been living and kitesurfing here for over 10 years so can tell you all about the ins and outs of kitesurfing in Cabarete.

WANT TO TO KITESURFING?

Swell works with the best Cabarete kitesurf school and we have created an all-inclusive learn to kitesurf package. We hope to welcome you in our place in the Caribbean soon.

CABARETE KITESURFING VIDEO