Lanzarote — Famara
Modeled spotLanzarote — Famara is a kitesurf spot with waves, shallow bottom, with no significant tide, in Spain. Ideal between 15 and 30 knots, March to October.
Discover Lanzarote — Famara
Picture a wild two-kilometre beach at the foot of a 600-metre cliff, golden sand running down to the open Atlantic, the trade wind pouring straight off the north and the island of La Graciosa sitting right across the strait. Kiting is allowed at Famara, but it's zoned: you ride the north-east end of the beach, not just anywhere.
Forget the flat lagoon: here it's the raw Atlantic. A vast golden beach unrolls at the foot of the Risco de Famara, the 600-metre-plus cliff that funnels and accelerates the north-east trade until it catches you out. The swell raises real beach-break peaks, and the roughly two-metre tide makes the beach breathe: fifty metres of flat sand at low water, almost all of it swallowed at high tide. Across the strait, the island of La Graciosa floats like a mirage. Caleta keeps its surf-village soul, laid-back and windy. Famara is beautiful, powerful, demanding: a spot that asks for respect as much as it gives you space.
Level and best time
Don't trust the postcard: Famara is a genuine ocean spot, waves and chop, not a flat lagoon. The north-east trade is accelerated by the cliff and can overpower a tame forecast, the shorebreak hits hard and the rip currents are real. This is intermediate-to-advanced terrain; beginners are only taught on the soft southern sand at low tide, under a school's supervision.
source : kiteguide.com ↗The trade wind is most reliable from May to September, with near-daily wind of 12 to 35 knots (averaging around 20 knots, kites 6 to 12 m) and a core season of June-July-August. Golden rule: always ride low to mid tide, because at high tide the kite zone leaves nothing but rocks.
source : locations.thekitespot.com ↗Arrival guide
Playa de Famara sits on the north-west coast of Lanzarote, at the village of Caleta de Famara, beneath the huge Risco de Famara cliff. The kite zone is at the north-east end of the beach: that's where you head, away from the surf and swimming area of the western bay.
source : hellocanaryislands.com ↗On the kite side you'll find Lanzarote Kite, Volcano Kite and Red Star Surf & Kite for lessons and gear. Bear in mind that Famara is first and foremost a surf town: most of the schools on the spot are surf and windsurf schools. Bars and restaurants are clustered in Caleta de Famara, a short walk from the beach.
source : locations.thekitespot.com ↗If Famara feels too rough, Costa Teguise on the east coast offers a flat bay, ideal for learning and progressing in calmer water. From the beach you look straight across the strait to the island of La Graciosa. At low tide, Famara uncovers a vast flat tidal sand bank that completely changes the face of the spot.
source : hellocanaryislands.com ↗Safety
At Famara, kiting is allowed but zoned: according to local rules, you ride the north-east end of the beach, and kiting is prohibited in the western bay in summer, where surfers and swimmers gather. Stay between low and mid tide: at high tide the kite zone leaves only exposed rocks at the north end. Add powerful rip currents and a wind made gusty by the cliff that can overpower a quiet forecast — head out covered and size your kite down with a margin.
source : se.kiteforum.com ↗