Looking for winter kiteboarding vacation ideas

h2olm · Since 07 Jun 2006 124 Posts Stoked

Unfortunately, there are not many charters (if any) that go to Margarita anymore. You can take one from Canada, but you will need to add in the cost of the flight from PDX to Canada (ususaly Toronto or Montreal). As with anything else, it all comes down to how much money you want to spend. But the best locations wind wise in December would probably be (in no particular order) Brazil, Vietnam, Baja.

Spike · Since 13 May 2007 1414 Posts Alameda Spelling Expert

what kind of accommodations are available in ventana? Staying in a house with other kiters would be the most fun in my opinion. Is the weather good enough for just a tent? are there showers to use in the area if you don't have a house?

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1872 Posts XTreme Poster

There are several folks in HR that may want to rent, or know of someone who does rent a private home. For commercial places, Casa Verde is really a cool spot to stay right in the heart of kiterville. They rent casitas for 100ish/night, or tents for more like 30/night. Regardless, you get a kitchen, showers etc. You can also stay in the campground for about 8/night. Yoyo's is another spot to check out. Several folks camp out in the public arroyo just north of the campground. Not sure what they do for bathroom and shower?

If you want more peace, and less dudeliness you can also camp out by the big arroyo just north of El Sargento. This is where a lot of people start their downwinders from. It's about 5 miles north of La Ventana proper.

There are lots of Hood River folks there in the winter, so my guess is you may get some PM's with rental information, or at least good leads.

Spike · Since 13 May 2007 1414 Posts Alameda Spelling Expert

thanks for the info Eric, sounds like La Ventana would be my best bet, though I was hoping to end up in a more exotic place (Caribbean) but it doesn't seem to blow very strong there (with the apparent exception of Costa Rica). I'll have to have a look at Australia as well, though I'm not sure it would be worth the money...
If anybody is interested in setting something up for La Ventana I'm looking to be there from early December till early January (3-4 weeks).

Can I comfortably get away without a wetsuit there? I am tired of putting on a wetsuit everywhere I go kiteboarding

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1872 Posts XTreme Poster

We went to Bonaire last xmas for 3 weeks. It blew 12m Bow every day. Go to beach, rig a 12, kite all day, eat dinner, wake up, go to beach, rig a 12, ...

You will need a wetsuit for LV

Spike · Since 13 May 2007 1414 Posts Alameda Spelling Expert

Now this looks promising, wind turbines are always a good sign!

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Bonaire&ie=UTF8&ll=12.171718,-68.851168&spn=0.007037,0.008379&t=h&z=17

magicmaker · Since 29 Oct 2006 895 Posts da Hood Opinionated

i'm thinking costa rica, isla margarita , possibly the ABC's (aruba, bonaire, curacao) or brazil. if asia is your destination, then vietnam for sure.

LV is pretty sweet, but there is literally only a handful of girls down there. if you go to LV take a girl with you and a full suit or at least a shorty; el norte gets pretty damned cold in december & january.

here is a copy of the vacation guide, lots of ideas there: http://www.nwkite.com/forums/t-3044.html

Bettyboarder · Tue Apr 22, 08 9:38 am

Another idea I just thought of was Lima, Peru. Not sure how $$ it would be but you could talk to Jose and Katia they are really nice bet they could hook you up with a fun trip.

http://www.perukite.com/index.php?page=about

biggins · Since 19 Jun 2006 31 Posts

hmm, interesting that no one has mentioned anywhere in Asia.

Vietnam is nice and windy in December. Safe and cheap.

Boracay, same, and it does have the party scene if that's what you're in to, cheap rum etc. and no need for a rental car since you can walk the whole island.

thailand is nice, but the wind is not always great.

taiwan is nice, but a bit more pricey.

Hong Kong is really interesting.

the island of Macau.

And finally, super safe, but a bit more pricey is the southern islands of Japan...i.e. Okinawa. You can camp on many beaches cheaply and sometimes for free, rental vans are super cheap if done monthly and you could sleep in the van for free anywhere. Almost everyone speaks English as there is a large contigent of American military on the island. wind is good from Nov-March. turquois water. and rarely many people on the beach except a few kiters on the weekends...otherwise you pretty much have a whole lagoon to yourself.

Go somewhere different, try something new...life's not just about kiting.

j

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1872 Posts XTreme Poster

Bonaire is sweet, but FLAT water. The wind is off-shore, and you may only kite at two spots. You can forget waves there, as the period is so small that they feel more like the worst moguls you ever tried.

So, great flat water, but it is flat with a F. If you break down a rescue is 10-20 bucks, as next stop is Caracas. Don't need a wetsuit, just sun protection.

We rented the Solbach's (Sky Solbach's parents Mike and Carol) house--sleeps 12!

pjc · Since 06 Mar 2005 649 Posts Addicted

i want to bonaire a couple of years ago, and got one day out of 9 for wind.

i don't think it's in the same league as baja for wind, but there are kiters on the island and it can go off.

if you like to scuba or snorkel you won't get bored in bonaire. For a kiter coming from PacNW i would bet you will spend less and kite more going to baja. (Price out air tix to both places it wasn't cheap when i went...)

Nak · Tue Apr 22, 08 10:48 am

Spike, If you don't have a passport start the application process soon. It can take quite a while to get one these days... Better to have it early than too late...

eric · Since 13 Jan 2006 1872 Posts XTreme Poster

I agree. Bonaire was a killer family vacation: diving, sailing, kiting, warm...

But, for wind and terrain, I much prefer LV.