Calling all Kiteboard Travellers!
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SmallWaveSteve
- Posts: 250
- Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:48 am
Calling all Kiteboard Travellers!
Part of my negotiation for my current job involved me getting a months or two off this winter, which I plan to use to kite and travel (I'd like to go somewhere where I can see some new culture and some sights, hence my skipping La Ventana)
I've been looking at my options for places to go and have narrowed it down to:
Isla Margarita (Venezuela)
Pros:
Hop and skip from the mainland- I could hit other south-american destinations.
Can start & end trip there and have a secure place to leave my gear in between.
Cons:
No Brazil - Visa requirements/cost/headache aren't worth it (I don't think) for the amount of time I'd have there.
Margarita Island is fairly touristy (resort-island)
Mui Ne (Vietnam)
Pros:
Cheaper than South America once you get over there
Close to Thailand/Cambodia for travel options
Cons:
Beaches aren't as nice
Busier / more crowded on the water?
Not sure if I'd have somewhere secure to store gear.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences?
I'm looking for places in the 20-60 dollar a day range
I'd classify myself as a begintermediate kiter? Just figuring out the jumping & tricks thing (upwind and all that jazz are fine) so I don't need huge surf or anything.
I've been looking at my options for places to go and have narrowed it down to:
Isla Margarita (Venezuela)
Pros:
Hop and skip from the mainland- I could hit other south-american destinations.
Can start & end trip there and have a secure place to leave my gear in between.
Cons:
No Brazil - Visa requirements/cost/headache aren't worth it (I don't think) for the amount of time I'd have there.
Margarita Island is fairly touristy (resort-island)
Mui Ne (Vietnam)
Pros:
Cheaper than South America once you get over there
Close to Thailand/Cambodia for travel options
Cons:
Beaches aren't as nice
Busier / more crowded on the water?
Not sure if I'd have somewhere secure to store gear.
Thoughts? Suggestions? Experiences?
I'm looking for places in the 20-60 dollar a day range
I'd classify myself as a begintermediate kiter? Just figuring out the jumping & tricks thing (upwind and all that jazz are fine) so I don't need huge surf or anything.
Last edited by SmallWaveSteve on Fri Sep 06, 2013 12:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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juandesooka
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If I remember right, you surf too? So that's also a consideration maybe, places you can surf when the wind isn't working, or better yet, surf in the am then kite in the pm. Mmm.
I am relatively new to kiting too, but have surfed lots of places around the world. So kind of guessing on the kite part of it.
Places I'd like to go back to (or go for first time) ... mostly surf influenced:
Bali: great surf, amazing cultural experience, cheap, and have seen lots of good kite footage too (don't know how consistent though).
New Zealand: the surprise of our trip, a place I wanted to move to. Love the kiwis and the surf/wind potential is incredible. Exposed to a lot of swell directions, but small enough that you can drive to where you want the right wind conditions.
Australia: east and south coasts are fun, but maybe crowded. West oz sounds incredible.
Chile and Peru: great surf and also windy places, especially Chile.
Rarotonga: surf was not fantastic, partly because it was always so damn windy (!). Fantastic lagoons. Interesting culture, maybe like hawaii 100 years ago. Water on chillier side though, compared to Bali. Expensive flights.
Quite a list developing....I hope to have Freedom 649 soon...maybe this Sat, somebody has to win!
I am relatively new to kiting too, but have surfed lots of places around the world. So kind of guessing on the kite part of it.
Places I'd like to go back to (or go for first time) ... mostly surf influenced:
Bali: great surf, amazing cultural experience, cheap, and have seen lots of good kite footage too (don't know how consistent though).
New Zealand: the surprise of our trip, a place I wanted to move to. Love the kiwis and the surf/wind potential is incredible. Exposed to a lot of swell directions, but small enough that you can drive to where you want the right wind conditions.
Australia: east and south coasts are fun, but maybe crowded. West oz sounds incredible.
Chile and Peru: great surf and also windy places, especially Chile.
Rarotonga: surf was not fantastic, partly because it was always so damn windy (!). Fantastic lagoons. Interesting culture, maybe like hawaii 100 years ago. Water on chillier side though, compared to Bali. Expensive flights.
Quite a list developing....I hope to have Freedom 649 soon...maybe this Sat, somebody has to win!
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abetanzo
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I'd second on New Zealand but flights are over $2K...once there though you can easily live off $20-40/day! the beaches are mostly empty and the country is amazing for travelling. I lived there for over 2 years!
many different people from around the world travel there and the Maori culture is amazing! super funny dudes: look up the Bro Town cartoon.. its like south park but with maoris!
many different people from around the world travel there and the Maori culture is amazing! super funny dudes: look up the Bro Town cartoon.. its like south park but with maoris!
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thankgodiatepastafobreaky
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I would skip Mui Ne. The whole time I was there I wished I was in La Ventana. You will have a very interesting cultural experience but the development upwind with all the rip rap put on the natural beach has turned the water everywhere into a giant interference pattern of waves. This is not good for strapless kitesurfing especially. The Russians have also discovered it and Mr Lee (the OR and Canadian hangout) estimates that they make up %70 of the visitors. Not to be racist but to generalize the majority of them seem to feel they are above everyone else, and they have driven up the beach front rates to $50 to $75 a day!! This is the yearly wage of some of the people living in the nearby countryside.
However a road trip from all the east coastal kite spots in Thailand is very fun and fun 10M conditions, and then Cambodia for Angor Wat and then on to Mui Ne is a fun experience. Just don't go over and go to Mui Ne only. Fly into Bankok and out of Saigon. and then there is the Philippines with Boracay is very close to there as well and that's where people fly when they are skunked in Mui Ne. Mui Ne will cost you $40/day if you are on the non-beach side of the road and don't eat out at the expensive restaurants. There is one hell of a night life and shopping there.
review of Mr. Lee School. He is a GREAT guy!
http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserRevie ... vince.html
Thailand on the east side of the country has some beautiful kite spots. Chumpon is still undiscovered and a big beach, Hua Hin is a big city with large hotels along the beach but still very fun kiting, and Koa Phanagan has some nice kiting in shallow turquoise chilled out beaches just around the corner from the world famous Full Moon parties.
However a road trip from all the east coastal kite spots in Thailand is very fun and fun 10M conditions, and then Cambodia for Angor Wat and then on to Mui Ne is a fun experience. Just don't go over and go to Mui Ne only. Fly into Bankok and out of Saigon. and then there is the Philippines with Boracay is very close to there as well and that's where people fly when they are skunked in Mui Ne. Mui Ne will cost you $40/day if you are on the non-beach side of the road and don't eat out at the expensive restaurants. There is one hell of a night life and shopping there.
review of Mr. Lee School. He is a GREAT guy!
http://www.tripadvisor.ca/ShowUserRevie ... vince.html
Thailand on the east side of the country has some beautiful kite spots. Chumpon is still undiscovered and a big beach, Hua Hin is a big city with large hotels along the beach but still very fun kiting, and Koa Phanagan has some nice kiting in shallow turquoise chilled out beaches just around the corner from the world famous Full Moon parties.
curses - foiled again!
Spent time in Boracay last December. Extremely warm and shallow which is great for learning. It can get very busy on water with 200+ kites. Some wave action outside the reef but only for experts.
The island itself is completely geared towards tourists. You won't find an authentic Philippine experience there. Generally western prices.
The island itself is completely geared towards tourists. You won't find an authentic Philippine experience there. Generally western prices.
Damn Pasta, dogging Mui Ne. Well, that's ok. I agree with some of it. It is quite busy but you can surf the "other side" in the waves without many people.
I stay for extremely cheap there. If you check the smaller guest houses its common to find $15 a day still and even $10 if you hunt. I paid $6 2 years ago for a box and a fan. $25 a day is easy to find and yes there are lots of more expensive places to go. Food can be quite cheap around $5-10 a day depending on your taste. Vietnamese food places are even cheaper at $2-5 a day.
Mui Ne is not for everyone but it had great wind the last 2 years. I rode 110 days out of 127 last season. A dozen of those days was on a 16m but mostly my 9m got used.
Great nightlife but gets old after awhile, yes lots of Russians, and quite busy on the main beach. There are not many Canadians or even north americans around. Lots of folks from Europe. It could be a tough place to arrive alone at and your connections to people wont likely be long term. For that, La Ventana is better.
There are lots of places to ride that hardly anyone ever kites at but you will need a motorbike at least to get you there. Easy to rent or buy for cheap. There are several "special spots" that most people never hear about or only hear about. Pm me if you go.
Storing your gear is not a problem at any kiteschool you launch from. Some charge a small fee to launch from but not all.
In the end, unless you must ride along the main beach shoreline where all the beginners are, there is tons of room, especially downwind near the end of the beach where the water is not effected by construction and the waves are better. There are fantastic downwinders to Phan Thiet and beyond, but Mui Ne is lacking flat water.
I'll be there from mid November till May.
Stephen
I stay for extremely cheap there. If you check the smaller guest houses its common to find $15 a day still and even $10 if you hunt. I paid $6 2 years ago for a box and a fan. $25 a day is easy to find and yes there are lots of more expensive places to go. Food can be quite cheap around $5-10 a day depending on your taste. Vietnamese food places are even cheaper at $2-5 a day.
Mui Ne is not for everyone but it had great wind the last 2 years. I rode 110 days out of 127 last season. A dozen of those days was on a 16m but mostly my 9m got used.
Great nightlife but gets old after awhile, yes lots of Russians, and quite busy on the main beach. There are not many Canadians or even north americans around. Lots of folks from Europe. It could be a tough place to arrive alone at and your connections to people wont likely be long term. For that, La Ventana is better.
There are lots of places to ride that hardly anyone ever kites at but you will need a motorbike at least to get you there. Easy to rent or buy for cheap. There are several "special spots" that most people never hear about or only hear about. Pm me if you go.
Storing your gear is not a problem at any kiteschool you launch from. Some charge a small fee to launch from but not all.
In the end, unless you must ride along the main beach shoreline where all the beginners are, there is tons of room, especially downwind near the end of the beach where the water is not effected by construction and the waves are better. There are fantastic downwinders to Phan Thiet and beyond, but Mui Ne is lacking flat water.
I'll be there from mid November till May.
Stephen
Damn Pasta, dogging Mui Ne. Well, that's ok. I agree with some of it. It is quite busy but you can surf the "other side" in the waves without many people.
I stay for extremely cheap there. If you check the smaller guest houses its common to find $15 a day still and even $10 if you hunt. I paid $6 2 years ago for a box and a fan. $25 a day is easy to find and yes there are lots of more expensive places to go. Food can be quite cheap around $5-10 a day depending on your taste. Vietnamese food places are even cheaper at $2-5 a day.
Mui Ne is not for everyone but it had great wind the last 2 years. I rode 110 days out of 127 last season. A dozen of those days was on a 16m but mostly my 9m got used.
Great nightlife but gets old after awhile, yes lots of Russians, and quite busy on the main beach. There are not many Canadians or even north americans around. Lots of folks from Europe. It could be a tough place to arrive alone at and your connections to people wont likely be long term. For that, La Ventana is better.
There are lots of places to ride that hardly anyone ever kites at but you will need a motorbike at least to get you there. Easy to rent or buy for cheap. There are several "special spots" that most people never hear about or only hear about. Pm me if you go.
Storing your gear is not a problem at any kiteschool you launch from. Some charge a small fee to launch from but not all.
In the end, unless you must ride along the main beach shoreline where all the beginners are, there is tons of room, especially downwind near the end of the beach where the water is not effected by construction and the waves are better. There are fantastic downwinders to Phan Thiet and beyond, but Mui Ne is lacking flat water.
I'll be there from mid November till May.
Stephen
Check out todays wind report!
I stay for extremely cheap there. If you check the smaller guest houses its common to find $15 a day still and even $10 if you hunt. I paid $6 2 years ago for a box and a fan. $25 a day is easy to find and yes there are lots of more expensive places to go. Food can be quite cheap around $5-10 a day depending on your taste. Vietnamese food places are even cheaper at $2-5 a day.
Mui Ne is not for everyone but it had great wind the last 2 years. I rode 110 days out of 127 last season. A dozen of those days was on a 16m but mostly my 9m got used.
Great nightlife but gets old after awhile, yes lots of Russians, and quite busy on the main beach. There are not many Canadians or even north americans around. Lots of folks from Europe. It could be a tough place to arrive alone at and your connections to people wont likely be long term. For that, La Ventana is better.
There are lots of places to ride that hardly anyone ever kites at but you will need a motorbike at least to get you there. Easy to rent or buy for cheap. There are several "special spots" that most people never hear about or only hear about. Pm me if you go.
Storing your gear is not a problem at any kiteschool you launch from. Some charge a small fee to launch from but not all.
In the end, unless you must ride along the main beach shoreline where all the beginners are, there is tons of room, especially downwind near the end of the beach where the water is not effected by construction and the waves are better. There are fantastic downwinders to Phan Thiet and beyond, but Mui Ne is lacking flat water.
I'll be there from mid November till May.
Stephen
Check out todays wind report!
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SmallWaveSteve
- Posts: 250
- Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:48 am
I've been doing some research, scouring maps, and chatting with travellers, and have come up with a tentative plan:
Kiteboard Little & Big Corn Island and the Pearl Cays in Nicaragua
Surf for a little bit in Popoyo, Nicaragua
Kiteboard in Bahia Salinas, Costa Rica
Surf the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
If anyone has suggestions on spots to check out or anything along there I'd appreciate it.
Kiteboard Little & Big Corn Island and the Pearl Cays in Nicaragua
Surf for a little bit in Popoyo, Nicaragua
Kiteboard in Bahia Salinas, Costa Rica
Surf the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica
If anyone has suggestions on spots to check out or anything along there I'd appreciate it.
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thankgodiatepastafobreaky
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- Joined: Tue Jul 13, 2004 5:55 pm
- Location: Gordon's
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High Elevation Lake Arenal in Costa Rica!
http://kitecostarica.net/wp-content/upl ... 95x300.jpg
and Nosara is the best surf spot. Not too developed and a park along the whole beach so you don't see houses. I found myself alone on beautiful waves sometimes!! You will never find that in Tamarindo. Santa Teresa/Malpais is the best scene with surfing and culture from around the world. Big night life and beautiful bikinis everywhere. My gf and I rented hammocks for 2 weeks there on the beach. Iguanas would walk around us all night. Don't forget a rash guard.
http://kitecostarica.net/wp-content/upl ... 95x300.jpg
and Nosara is the best surf spot. Not too developed and a park along the whole beach so you don't see houses. I found myself alone on beautiful waves sometimes!! You will never find that in Tamarindo. Santa Teresa/Malpais is the best scene with surfing and culture from around the world. Big night life and beautiful bikinis everywhere. My gf and I rented hammocks for 2 weeks there on the beach. Iguanas would walk around us all night. Don't forget a rash guard.
curses - foiled again!
Hey Steve,
If you are going to Bahia Salinas, bring your 5m and 7m kites.
There's three places to stay in Bahia Salinas: Cometa Copal, Kitehouse, and Blue Dream. Blue Dream is where I stayed and although I would have no problem staying there again, the next time that I go, I will stay with Cometa Copal. Reason being: close to beach, bigger rooms, fridge in room, and I believe a hot plate. At Blue Dream you have to buy everything from them.
If you want, we can meet up for coffee and I will go through more with you.
Todd
If you are going to Bahia Salinas, bring your 5m and 7m kites.
There's three places to stay in Bahia Salinas: Cometa Copal, Kitehouse, and Blue Dream. Blue Dream is where I stayed and although I would have no problem staying there again, the next time that I go, I will stay with Cometa Copal. Reason being: close to beach, bigger rooms, fridge in room, and I believe a hot plate. At Blue Dream you have to buy everything from them.
If you want, we can meet up for coffee and I will go through more with you.
Todd
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SmallWaveSteve
- Posts: 250
- Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:48 am
Thanks for the info Greg, I'll look into those areas. If it's a big park, I'm assuming you'd need a rental car to get to the surf breaks?
Todd - I'll have to take you up on that offer! I appreciate the info, and have been in touch with Bob @ Cometa Copal.
Has anyone tried (or heard anything about) the Caribbean side of Costa Rica for kiteboarding. I know its supposed to have some great surf, but it seems to me that all the trade winds would be onshore or side-on as well? (I haven't been able to find much online yet)
Todd - I'll have to take you up on that offer! I appreciate the info, and have been in touch with Bob @ Cometa Copal.
Has anyone tried (or heard anything about) the Caribbean side of Costa Rica for kiteboarding. I know its supposed to have some great surf, but it seems to me that all the trade winds would be onshore or side-on as well? (I haven't been able to find much online yet)
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SmallWaveSteve
- Posts: 250
- Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2011 8:48 am
Flights are booked!
I'm going to fly in to Managua, and try some kiteboarding, fly fishing, and maybe scuba diving on Little Corn & Big Corn Islands
Maybe kitesurf in Granada on the lake
Catch some surf in Popoyo
Kiteboard bahia salinas
Surf along the costa rican coast
Kite Lake arenal
Thats the plan at least, I have 40 days down there, so we'll see how it goes (the corn islands and bahia salinas are the only two places I'm totally set on going to)
I'm going to fly in to Managua, and try some kiteboarding, fly fishing, and maybe scuba diving on Little Corn & Big Corn Islands
Maybe kitesurf in Granada on the lake
Catch some surf in Popoyo
Kiteboard bahia salinas
Surf along the costa rican coast
Kite Lake arenal
Thats the plan at least, I have 40 days down there, so we'll see how it goes (the corn islands and bahia salinas are the only two places I'm totally set on going to)
