| Country | Spain |
| Season | January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December |
| Skill | Advanced |
Tarifa is a very windy area at the most southern part of Spain. It is really close to the African continent and Morocco is only 1h away with the ferry. It’s said to have 300 windy days a year, so it’s windy almost every day. Also this area is home to Full Power Tarifa Big Air Competition and the GKA Big Air Tarifa World Championships. Therefore, professional kite boarding athletes are enjoying the unique conditions on a regular basis.
Poniente
Poniente is the typical wind from the west in Tarifa. With the onshore wind coming from the Atlantic Ocean Tarifa has a enjoyable temperature during summer time. It usually causes wavy conditions which are quite challenging for inexperienced kiters and at the same time a playground for every kiter who enjoys the 3rd dimension during kite surfing.
Levante
Levante is the more uncommon offshore wind coming from the east side. It brings warm temperatures and is associated with a flat water surface. Make sure to check the safety shuttle services and offers before entering the water.
Tarifa has a long beach line with spots all along it. However, there are spots which are more enjoyable than others. See the following spot descriptions to find your best fit.
Campo de Fútbol
Spot description
Campo de Fútbol as the name suggests is a spot right next to the football stadium of Tarifa. It offers a wide and spacious beach. It’s usually a bit more crowded compared to “Rio de la Jara” and “Beach and Waves”. It seems like a lot of locals use the possibility to enter the water close to the city center within walking distance.
The downside of this spot is the amount of sea weed in the water. Wich can get entangled in your harness, lines and kite if you drop it too low once. Getting rid of the sea weed takes way more time than “earning” it.
If you go even more south and closer to the city center this is where you can spot professionals and experienced kiters showing their top tricks close to an audience of passangers.
Arrival
The spot is really close to the city center so it’s possibly even in walking distance. However parking is for free as well. From the car it takes only a few minutes to drop your gear into the sand and start setting up for the session.
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Rio de la Jara
Spot description
Another spacious spot with a wide beach. The special part about this one is that during high tide a small lagoon behind the first beach bench appears. And it’s possible to kite in this lagoon.
Don’t confuse this tidal lagoon with the Rio de la Jara which is a breeding spot of a lot of animals. For this reason it is not allowed to kite in this slow river.
Arrival
To the spot it is about a 5 minute drive from the city center. Unless you are camping at the campsite of rio jara parking is further away and not quite official. A public parking area wich belongs to shops next to the main street, is a possibility to drop your car an sneak away towards the sea.
The way there is also not as easy since people who are not camping at the before mentioned campsite must not pass through their facility. The left option is a muddy path with occasional broken glass. So wearing shoes or slippers is recommended.
In 2023 another obstacle on the way to the spot was to cross the bridge. Because it was broken so we crossed the slow river with our entire gear.
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Beach and Waves
Spot description
Use the wide sandy beach area to set up your equipment and get you ready for a nice session. There is plenty of space to the left and the right even on busy days. This is also true for the experience on the water. If more space is needed just use the space given in both directions. Even emergency exits are not a big deal, since there are no obstacles on the beach and returning to the initial point of entry is easy by foot.
The difficulty of the session depends much on the type of wind as described above. The spot even has a compressor to inflate your kite for free. However pumping the kite with your own pump prevents the tube from bursting and is less likely to blow pollution into your tube. Additionally it’s a good warm up for the entire body.
Compared to other spots along the coast line you don’t need to worry about shells at the beach to rip your kite or your feet (Valdevaqueros) or crazy amount of sea weed getting entangled in your lines when you drop the kite (Campo de Futbol).
Arrival
The spot is about 10 minutes car ride from the scenic city center. On the way there you pass the “Campo de Futbol” as well as the “Rio de la Jara” spot. So you can already guess the optimal kite size and the amount of kiters on the water from your car.
Here comes the good news: there is a not too crowded free parking lot right beside the beach. It takes only a few minutes to carry the equipment to the beach to get ready for the upcoming session.
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Valdevaqueros
Spot description
Valdevaqueros is the high society, the who is who or meet and greet spot of Tarifa. It is probably the most crowded spot in Tarifa. This spot atracts people for many reasons. It is home to several kite schools, beach bars and restaurants with live music and DJs. Besides that Valdevaqueros is the home spot of the professional kite surfer Liam Whaley.
Compared to the other spots the beach line offers a bay which can serve as emergency exit option or alternative entrance depending on the condition. When using this spot watch out for sharp shells which can rip your kite or cut your feet.
Arrival
It is about a 15 minute car ride from the city center. You can park at two different parking lots wich both charge approximately 5€ per day. The positive thing is that you can park relatively close to the spot, restaurants and schools.
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Los Caños de Meca
Spot description
This spot is much further north west than the previously described spots. However it has its own vibe and is worth the travel. Compared to the spots closer to the narrow strait of Gibraltar the wind is usually a bit lighter. However the spot is less crowded and offers a beautiful bay close to a light house.
Arrival
From the city center of Tarifa it is about a 50 minutes ride by car. The nice thing about it you can combine it with a visit to Vejer de la Frontera which is a scenic city on a hill with the beautiful white casas for lunch or dinner.
Parking at close to the spot costs about 3€ per day and the spot is within 10 minutes of walking distance.
Right next to the spot is a cosy beach bar for drinks and food.
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