Best December kite spot for ten days

farnorthstar · Since 16 Jun 2009 20 Posts Portland

Hi:
I am looking for a primo place to kite for ten days in December. Requirements are:

1) a kite school or a pretty active kite community (I don't want to be all alone!)
2) warm clear water so I don't have to wear a wet suit (sharks are no biggie)
3) consistent kiting everyday
4) not a lot of driving to and from kite places
5) warm and sunny:-)
6) not dangerous, i.e. I heard Brazil can be challenging in terms of robberies

Thanks ahead of time!

if anyone has heard about the following I would be curious:
Canary Islands, Peru, Aruba, Australia

DOPEFLY · Since 13 Oct 2007 97 Posts Maui

Brazil!

MasViento · Since 03 Mar 2009 235 Posts 97031 Stoked

You really cant beat Brazil for that time of year. Just got back from 15 days there. I was in Cumbuco for a couple of days and headed towards Jeri.
The wind here is so reliable some places that teach will guarantee there will be wind. Trust me ITS WINDY EVERYDAY. Starts like a fan around 10-11 AM blows all day and into the night some days.

Airport code is FOR.
Cumbuco is near Fortaleza so it attracts LOTS of tourists and locals. Stay away from the working girls in town. The famous lagoon here is crowded with a bunch of lunatics doing tricks they have no business doing. Stay in the ocean.
-If in Cumbuco stay with Quique at Furaifun: HTTP://WWW.POUSADACUMBUCO.COM/
He is right on beach, super friendly, and can help you organize most any type of kite trip.

-As you head up coast towards Jeri it gets less crowded and more windy.
You can rent a car but its pricey. I just hired drivers here and there which also was not cheap but totally more convenient.
The places I found that were good were AWESOME.

- In Guajiru (NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH Ilha De Guajiru which is NOT good , see below)

Hit this place : http://www.rede-resort.com.br/map.php

Its very well run only 22 rooms, owned by a young Brit. couple who take good care of their emplyees and the place. Food is excellent.
Hire a buggy and do fun 6km (Flexieras ), 12 km or 25 km (Mundau) downwind trips.
Or just kite right in front of the place all day long. There is a cove like beach just downwind of this place which has a nice afternoon wave break. On site kite school w/ compressor and gear lockers (free).

- Second stop is Icaraizinho (Icarai de Amontada) . Small fishing village. I didnt stay here but heard good things about this place.
http://villamango.com.br/

Small waves here also, kite right out front from bungalows.

- Then the jem of the trip is Prea. You will spend much time in a buggy on some of the best downwind adventures I have ever done.
stay at Villa Prea if you can.

http://www.vilaprea.com/

They have a very nice setup with excellent food and great staff. Kite school next door. Kite right in front or downwind trips (highly recommended). The staff will call you a buggy and they arrive in 10 min. Kite helper will pump kite and lay out lines. Its VERY windy in Prea and Jeri I ONLY used my 6m.
Gear locker right at sand for your stuff. Robby (US) and Freddy (French) run this place well.
You will spend a bit on buggy rides but in my opinion its worth it b/c if you stay in Jeri you have to rent a car or ride a local bus to Prea to kite everyday anyway. Go have lunch in Jeri after D/W trips or dinner after evening session. Drivers will wait for you to hang out and eat.

-Another place to stay in Prea is Rancho de Peixe. But the grounds at Villa Prea are nicer. They are only 500m away from each other. This place has a pool.
http://www.ranchodopeixe.com.br/

Jeri (Jericoacoara ) is a bustling town with many restaurants and shops. However there is NO ATM. So get cash in Reais BEFORE leaving Cumbuco. The nearest ATM is in Jijoca (20 min ride) and may or may not be working. Kite gear is WAY EXPENSIVE here in Brazil bring spares. They will however fix your kites from any mishaps for cheap.
Hit Tatajuba lagoon downwind trip, very fun. Also I would do the D/W ride around the big rock that makes up Jeri national park. It is a bit of a commitment going out far and around a point but scenery is epic. You round a huge point and wind becomes off shore for a while but it stays strong if you avoid getting too close to rock cliffs. You come out on other side near a popular windsurf launch that is good to go around. Beautiful views of Jeri and large sand dune people go to for sunset.

--Ilha de Guajiro (the inland sea) is a place that gets a lot of press and im not sure why. It has been developed by euros. The problems are that it is VERY tide dependent. Any thing less than a good high tide makes this spot too shallow to ride in safely. Its extremely rocky with sharp shells from the upwind river mouth, bad for kites, and feet. Huge mud (quicksand like) spots scattered on both sides of shore. I sank in one to my thighs (scary). Its difficult to kite out to ocean due to fishing nets upwind and huge sand dune you have to walk over with your kite in air. Avoid this place your not missing anything.

PM me if you have further questions.
Enjoy its windy there starting in Aug till January.
Ciao
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MasViento · Since 03 Mar 2009 235 Posts 97031 Stoked

As far as robberies, stay away from late crazy parties on downtown Cumbuco.
The town of Mundau is a little sketchy from what I hear. Jeri is relatively as safe as PDX in my opinion. Had no issues in entire trip and didnt hear of any other travelers with issues.
Here are a few more pics.
Sorry didnt mean to hijack your post to Brazil, but yes its that good there.
Enjoy
ea

nickdward · Since 11 Aug 2008 130 Posts Seattle Stoked

Jericoacora and Prea are must see places. FYI, you can get cash back with a credit or debit card at the local grocery market in Jeri with a 10% charge tacked on (assuming you can figure out how to ask for it in Portuguese).

Sounds like you didn't enjoy your stay at Ilha do Guajiru, but I thought it was awesome. I stayed with a Canadian fellow, David Ritberg, who owns the Windy Addiction pousada: http://www.windyaddiction.com/. He's a great guy and even donated vacation packages to KB4C.

You're right, you can only ride the lagoon out front during low tide...but this works out to be at least 6 hours of riding a day. David took me on some all time downwinders though, thru some fun waves on the ocean and some killer little mangrove lagoons.

When in Brazil, you should try to visit as many different places as possible because they're all unique. Keep in mind that the further North you go the windier it gets. On any given day it'll be 10m in Cumbuco and 6-8m in Ilha do Guajiru, Prea, Jeri, etc.

Ilha do Guajiru:

farnorthstar · Since 16 Jun 2009 20 Posts Portland

Gosh, thanks for the super helpful information! I am seriously considering Brazil. It looks awesome.

playacopal · Since 15 Sep 2008 30 Posts

how bout Costa Rica!!!! Bahia Salinas is windy in december(actually mid-Nov thru- April) we have a rockin kite school, , great people and super fun kiting. Our villa and cabinas are a walk to the kite beach!!!!
Check us out at www.puro-viento.com or email me
Lguardbl@gmail.com
thanx
Bob Selfridge
Cometa Copal Kitesurfing
Playa Copal, Bahia Salinas, Costa Rica