The ultimate guide with the best spots in South America 2020

Do you know that in South America there are some of the best kite spots on the planet? Yes, you heard that. In the Caribbean part, the trade winds offer the best conditions for kitesurfing in South America!

But only in the Caribbean area are there incredible kite spots. There are many other destinations in South America with kite spots that you will fall in love with.

Would you like to discover which are the best kite spots in South America? Yes right? so don’t miss this great article about the best kite destinations in South America

Pinamar, Argentina

On the northeast coast of Argentina, this small complex has become one of the most popular places in Argentina for kitesurfers. It is particularly popular during January and February when it can get quite busy. The wide sandy beaches provide an excellent environment, with regular winds blowing towards the coast, while its location is only a few hours from Buenos Aires, making it accessible to both international and local visitors. The season in Pinamar runs from September through March, which is when the weather is at its best, and for those looking to learn the sport, there is also a kite school offering lessons for those new to kite surfing.

 Another great kite destination in Argentica is Cuesta del Viento, in San Juan. It is one of the best locations in South America for kitesurfing and windsurfing. Lovers of these sports from all over the world travel to these latitudes where the wind is constant. Due to the characteristics of the place, the KiteFest is held here, an international sporting event that features TOP WORLD CLASS figures together with the best athletes in South America.

Manta, Ecuador

Located on the west coast of Ecuador, Manta is the fifth largest city in the country and is located on the Santa Marianita beach. Here kitesurfing has found a good home, with big waves and regular wind conditions combined with warm water temperatures. The kitesurfing season in Manta is from May to January, when the temperatures during the day are comfortable and the seas are pleasant. Manta is a great place for beginners to learn, as well as offering excellent conditions for the most experienced kitesurfers. Manta also offers many other activities such as kayaking and hiking for those days when the conditions are not correct. If you’re looking for more than one party, head to nearby Montañita, which is the most popular coastal city in Ecuador for tourists looking for nightlife. Be careful with so many parties, you don´t wanna end up with a hangover when kiting! 🙂 

Arica, Chile

Altough Arica is not so famos kite spot in South America like Cumbuco in Brazil, let me tell you that it is worthy a visit if you are a kitesurfing lover. Located just at the northern tip of Chile’s west coast, this city offers a host of beaches that have long been popular with surfers, and there are now a growing number of kitesurfers there as well. The two main beaches that attract the kitesurfing community are Chinchorro and La Capilla, which are open beaches that offer excellent conditions. Another benefit is that Arica’s kitesurfing conditions remain stable for much of the year, as the city has a dry and temperate desert climate, which means that it is one of the driest cities in the world in terms of rain. Arica is also close to the beautiful Atacama Desert region, which is one of the most popular places in South America and a great place to relax after a vigorous kitesurf vacation.

Mancora and Pacasmayo , Peru

 Mancora and Pacasmayo already have international fame as wave kite areas and are considered the best in the world for kite. For its part, Paracas is established as an incredible worldwide kiter area for flat water and as the best teaching spot in America.

 The place where kitesurfing is most practiced in Peru is the Paracas Bay, a magical and ideal place for the development of all sports where the sea and the wind intervene. Paracas is even one of the best settings for freestyle practice. El Playón and Zárate are two beaches in the reserve where you can kite.

 In the north the ideal places depend on the time of year. Pacasmayo, in Trujillo, is a premium stage in the world. On Tres Cruces and Lobitos beaches, the strong and even wind makes it possible to practice this sport almost all year round, while El Golf (Talara) has even winds with ‘beach break’ type waves.

In Máncora the best season for kitesurfing is from April to November thanks to winds that can reach 30 knots or more. Here there are two points for kitesurfing: the traditional surf point is for those who want to perform maneuvers with the waves; and La Laguna, 2 kilometers from this point, which offers a beautiful landscape and is ideal for those who want to jump on a flat water surface.

Brazil, the meca of Kitesurfing in South America

Cumbuco (Brazil)

Cumbuco is in the best area to practice kite in Brazil and we can say that it is one of the best kite spots in the world. For 10 months a year 10 hours a day the trade wind from the African continent blows with an average force of 20/25 knots. This does not mean that the remaining two months have no wind, only that the wind decreases its intensity by blowing with an intensity of 11 to 14 knots, and it does not blow every day as in the 10 months of high season, that is, Cumbuco continues Being a kite paradise even in its low season.

In short, it is very difficult to see a windless day in Cumbuco. It is true that these conditions are repeated along 400 kilometers of coastline, but Cumbuco offers the convenience of being located just 30 kilometers from the city of Fortaleza, the fifth largest city. important in Brazil, with an international airport, hotels, restaurants, shopping centers, hospitals, etc. …

So Cumbuco offers, in addition to its unbeatable wind and beach conditions, the possibility of living in a quiet fishing village just 30 minutes from a large city. Another characteristic that makes this Village a paradise is that the average temperature throughout the year is 27 degrees. There is not a single day of the year that the thermometer drops below 26 degrees. From January to December, the climate of this tropical zone is of eternal summer and not even the rainy period that comprises the months of March and April bring down the thermometers. Its wide and very long beaches of fine sand, without rocks, with hot water allow practice kite in exceptional conditions.

But also Cumbuco has a fantastic beach of approximately 15 kilometers in length without bathers, without maritime obstacles. In addition, at each end of the beach there are two extensive lagoons where you can enjoy perfectly flat water for practicing freestyle kite and also for apprentices who need calm waters for their progress.

 The Cumbuco village  stretches along the beach. The center of the town is about 1 km long. However, the beach has an extension of 15 kilometers where innumerable pousadas, hotels, private houses are located.

The village  only occupies a small part of the extensive beach, so Cumbuco offers unspoilt beaches, without crowds, and kiters have many kilometers to enjoy without crowds.

 The village has an elongated shape, it stretches along the coast but it is shallow as it is delimited by the sea in front and by the extensive Cumbuco dunes at its back. These very large dunes are ideal for practicing quad bike or enduro rides, buggies, sandboarding, horseback riding, enjoying magnificent sunsets.

Cumbuco has its central axis in the town square. Around it, shops, restaurants, bars are formed and in the square there are daily soccer matches, capoeira schools two days a week, popular festivals. The square is the meeting place for the inhabitants and tourists of the town during the afternoons and evenings throughout the year.

Cumbuco is without a doubt one of the best beaches in the world for kitesurfing. More than 300 days of hot wind and temperatures ranging from 26 to 30 degrees for every day without exception. Flat water or waves depending on the place you choose. Deserted beaches, immense with fine white sand. Two large lakes 10 meters away from the sea, one of fresh water and the other of salt water, one at each end of the town of Cumbuco with the ability to reach them through a wind direction of 12 and 15 km, respectively. The lagoons are a paradise for freestyle lovers and also apprentices who need flat water to progress easily.

 Every year more and more people come to South America to kite in Cumbuco. Cumbuco is for South America what Tarifa is for Europe.  Cumbuco is the number once kite destination in South America in terms of tourism!

Colombia, a kitesurfing paradise in South America!

Cartagena de Indias (Colombia)

 The cloudy color of the ocean in Cartagena is not exactly what one expects when one arrives in the Caribbean, but sailing with warm water in the middle of winter and until sunset more than compensates for this initial disappointment.

The best place to sail is in Bocagrande, in front of the Mokaná school, because there are three spots in one. First 50 meters of flat water, protected by a pier and then a one meter wave zone, good for jumping and surfing backside. Between the waves it is flat and you can do freestyle. You can go to the other side of the pier close to the candle spot, where it is also good for surfing. The bottom is sandy, so you can risk a lot.

 During the winter the trade winds manifest from 19 to 24 knots, practically every day from 13 or 14 hours, so that in the morning you can tour the colonial city – one of the most beautiful and well preserved on the continent – and sightseeing in a fantastic city that offers everything. Especially recommended are the Rosario islands, which, just one hour by boat, are a good example of the Caribbean that we all have in mind: turquoise and transparent waters. In the oceanarium on the small island of San Martín de Pajarales there is the possibility of swimming with dolphins for a laughable price.

 Puerto Velero (Colombia)

 30 km from Barranquilla is this spot that works the same winter months as Cartagena, with the difference that here the wind is a little stronger – for half a meter less sailing – and it comes in early in the morning.

 If you sail in the city in Cartagena, here you are in the middle of nowhere. It is a wild, fascinating and magical place. Northeast from 20 to 30 knots, with two spots differentiated by a barb of land no more than 200 meters wide. Upwind, waves of 1.5 to 2 meters; and to leeward, flat water and off shore wind.

 In Puerto Velero, electricity and water have not yet arrived, although there is a project to develop the entire area at a tourist level

Cabo de la Vela (Colombia)

 This is one of the most beautiful and unique enclaves in Colombia and according to many one of the best spots in the country to navigate but getting here is not easy or comfortable. Located 180 km from Ríohacha, Cabo de la Vela is a remote village of indigenous wayuu fishermen in the middle of the desert. It can be reached by bus and then off-road vehicles that are dedicated to transporting passengers. The wind here is stronger than in the rest of the Colombian Caribbean coast. Cabo de la Vela is probably the most unspoiled kite spot in South America