The wind that brings people to Cape Town is the South-Easter called the “Cape Doctor” that usually runs parallel or just cross-on to the beach. It is a thermal wind generated by the difference between the temperature of the sea (cold) and the land (warm to hot in Summer). The SE really starts when Summer starts, which is September. That said, many lodges are closed then and only open in October or November. You can message us to ask about our availability here.
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Our favourite times are the start of November through to about 9th/10th of December and the month of February into early March. KOTA (King of the Air) is usually held in the second half of November through to early December and is a vibe.

Cape Town starts to get busy when the South African schools close for the Summer and offices and factories close also and everyone takes about a months’ holiday (9-10 December to 9-10 January). It gets even busier after Christmas when those who have stayed in Europe for festivities arrive.  Peak European travel to Cape Town is December 26th to the end of January. Some people have to take holiday after Christmas or during January but if you are flexible consider coming before or afterwards.

November, December and January all have a roughly equal amount of wind -- i.e. lots. It starts to slowly tail off in February into March but unlike NE Brasil there is no “off” day when the wind simply shuts down. Rather it is slowly declining percentages of really windy days.

February is a great month as many of the tourists have gone home so there is more space on the water and easier parking etc. March is also lovely but you will have more “off” days. It is great for those with a relaxed timetable who are happy to do some lighter wind activities e.g. wing-foiling or take the opportunity to play tennis / run / cycle / climb Table Mountain on the less windy days. Chill vibes.

You can find monthly wind statistics on Windfinder (link below). Note that the average and maximum winds are more than shown since the statistics are the average over each 24 hours whereas in reality it mainly gets windy after lunch through to early evening and that is when people mostly kite.

‍ ‍https://www.windfinder.com/windstatistics/kitebeach‍ ‍

The main areas to stay in for a kite-focused holiday are Sunset Beach, Tableview, Blouberg beachfront, Big Bay and Langebaan.

You can stay elsewhere e.g. Sea Point, Camps Bay but then you will have to drive to and from the kitebeaches which can take anything from 25 minutes (best case) to 45m or or more if you try it in rush hour.

Here is a neighbourhood summary:

Sunset Beach: This is the closest to town (i.e. the city centre). Nice beach but the wind can be cross-off and therefore gusty (look at Google Maps / Winddy to see why) … the bay curves around slightly there. Generally a safe neighbourhood but there are annoying thefts from cars at the car parking lots occasionally so be cautious about what you leave in your car if parked there for kiting. There is a small Woolworths supermarket for provisions.

TableView: inland from the beach there are some budget kite lodges but, being inland, you will always have to drive to the beach – it is too far to walk. The ones inland also generally don’t have supermarket or restaurant options in walking distance so you have to drive or get an Uber.

Blouberg beachfront: the great thing about staying here is that you are right on ‘kitebeach’. You can generally walk to the beach and all the time you have these amazing views and pumping wind in your face which makes everyone smile (except +1s who hate the wind!). There is a small convenience store at Marine Circle and plenty of bars but you will have to drive to go to a proper supermarket.

Big Bay: This is an upmarket neighbourhood about 2 – 3 kilometres downwind of main kitebeach (depending on where you measure from). It is quieter and calmer than Blouberg beachfront and has good security. We are located there. You can walk from our lodge to the beach. The wind is slightly less than at main beach (about 5 knots less so maybe 25 knots if it is 30 knots at main each). It can be gusty right on the beach where you launch but once you are 50 metres out it is generally fine. There are a couple of flat spots as well which you don’t get at main beach. There are two supermarkets and many restaurants / breakfast places in walking distance. You don’t need a car if you stay in Big Bay but it is still good to have one to get the variety of kiting not just in Big Bay but also main beach. To drive from Big Bay to kitebeach takes about 5 minutes and we often do downwinders from main beach back to Big Bay and get out in front of the house.

Langebaan: This is a small resort town 1 hour 15 minutes drive up the coast. There are two spots there: Langebaan “main beach” and “Shark Bay”. Don’t be confused about the name Shark Bay … the sharks in the name are tiny sand sharks / dog fish. Main beach is often very windy (when Cape Town is not) but the sea state can be quite choppy. Shark Bay is lovely with incredible blue colours in the water and sand and is significantly warmer than anywhere else so you can get away with a 4-3 shortie or even 3-2 if you don’t feel the cold that much. It is great for learning / progressing but note that you need a permit to teach there and it can be busy near the shore with the licensed schools. Langebaan has a few accommodation options but the town itself is pretty quiet at night with just a couple of “locals pubs” or you make your own party. Note that as it is only a short drive from Cape Town and it usually doesn’t get windy until lunchtime anyway so there is no “need” to stay in Langebaan .. you can stay in Blouberg/Big Bay and simply set off mid morning, coming back later after either eating supper in Langebaan or setting off to come back in time for supper in Blouberg.

If you stay at Cape Town Kite Club you don’t “need” a rental car as we are 100 metres to the beach. We have many guests who stay each year without a rental car and simply kite in front of the house or jump in the club van when we do trips to the main kitebeach or downwinders. Some guests (particularly our Annex guests on a budget) ask us to put them in touch with other guests and they share a car to save costs. We are happy to assist with this.

However, if your budget will stretch to a car we recommend it as you can travel to main beach at a time of your choosing and you can also use it to go play gold or padel or drive to Table Mountain for a hike, that kind of thing.

Unless you are a windsurfer you don’t need anything bigger than a “Group B” hatchback like a VW Polo / Suzuki Swift / Hyundai i10/i20 and these are readily available to rent. At the car rental counter ask for one with split/fold (60/40) rear seats and if you get one (you should) you can put one side down and lie your board along the flat section.

The “big” international companies e.g. Avis/Budget, Hertz, Alamo/National, Enterprise, Europcar etc. often have very fair rates (for smaller cars) and our guests have also had good experiences with [local partners].

Uber operates in Cape Town and has largely taken over from the “old” taxi firms though a few still exist. If you are getting one from the airport go to P1 (Parkade 1) and hail on app from there. They come fast so no need to hail until you are at the pickup spot.

Make sure your driver pushes the button to end your journey when you get to the destination. Some unscrupulous drivers will let you get out but not end the journey so you continue to be charged beyond your destination.

We do not recommend that tourists get in the “township taxis” (i.e. the Toyota Quantum minibuses that go between the townships and middle class areas / downtown).

However the MyCiti buses are generally fine. You will need to get a MyCiti card (widely available) and charge it up. They will even let you get on at Hakgat in your wetsuit with kite gear to travel back upwind. Just be nice and get the sand off you first.

There are lots of downwinder options: From Sunset Beach to Big Bay or from Big Bay to Holbai. Or the “whole thing” (Sunset to Holbai). The Club does them often and we use the Club bus to drop you off upwind or collect you from Holbai. It is not an “on demand” service but when we go (which is quite often) we try to include everybody who is available. Unlike some other lodges we do not charge extra for downwinders – it is included in your room price.

Langebaan is small community about 1 hour 15 minutes’ drive up the coast. There is “main beach” (cold water, can be a bit offshore and choppy) and “shark bay” round ‘the corner which is flatter and warmer. The sharks are baby sharks (dogfish) so don’t be put off by the name. Langebaan is a good spot for learning but note there is only one licensed school there and otherwise teaching (including teaching friends) is not allowed there. It is regulated to keep it from getting too crazy with too many schools.

You can see our full spot guide here:.

The risk of being exposed to crime in Cape Town very much depends on where you go and the extent to which you take sensible precautions. If you learn about the areas (read on) and take simple precautions, you should be fine.

Generally speaking you should avoid the townships. There are too many to mention all of them but they include Dunoon, Khayelitsha, Nyanga, and Mitchells Plain. There are some escorted tours into the more chilled out townships e.g. Langa or bits of Kayalitsha. It is not really our vibe unless for an outreach activity that is genuinely helpful to the people living in the township.

Note that the mapping services e.g. Google and Apple don’t take township existence / township safety into account when plotting routes so don’t just put in a destination and follow it without checking the route and giving it a bit of thought or you might find yourself somewhere not really safe. There are driving instructions from the airport to our lodge here.

Big Bay where we are is very safe. It is an upmarket neighbourhood and we and the neighbours pay for 24 hour / 365 day security. Number plates are read on the roads in and out and almost all the streets are covered by monitored CCTV. You will see the little yellow and red “Star Alarm” patrol cars. Very little happens in Big Bay without it being observed and responded to if necessary.

When parking up for kiting double check that your car is indeed locked (remote control jammers are a thing in Cape Town). Don’t leave your car open while walking out of sight to check the wind. It is generally OK to leave a second kite in your car while kiting but there are exceptions – Sunset Beach parking has occasional thefts as does the unmarked gravel parking spot opposite Rietvlei.

It is generally OK to leave empty kite bags on the beach and also pumps. They go missing occasionally but not often.

It is not a good idea to wear an obviously expensive watch or jewellery. People will notice and if your watch or ring is equal in value to many years of someone’s wages then it takes just one bad person for bad things can happen. Leave them at home would be our recommendation.

Just like at home there are pickpockets in crowds especially in downtown Cape Town. And just like at home they take their chances with drunk people.

Guests who follow the advice above are will be very unlucky if they have a problem with crime and security issues.

There are sharks in the waters off Cape Town however it is important to understand the ocean setup to assess the real risk. The Indian Ocean (warm water) and Atlantic (cold) meet at Cape Agulhas (the Southern tip of Africa) about 150 kms East of Cape Town city centre but of course the mixing is not perfect and the two oceans influence each other over a broader area than that.

The sharks generally prefer the warmer water and there are more of them on the Indian Ocean side but some do swim in the cold side (where we are) as well.

To our knowledge there has never been an attack on the cold (Atlantic) side and not just as regards kitesurfers – open water swimmers, surfers, bodyboarders as well as kiters – no one has been harmed. There is always a first time and we may have to rewrite this page one day but we worry more about bad drivers in Cape Town than we do about sharks.

We are very close to the beach (80 metres) so the ocean means it is not as hot as inland (and keeps the mosquitoes away). Expect 22 – 28 typically during the day (on a few days above 30C) and 15 – 17C overnight. It is good to bring a hoodie or similar if walking to nearby restaurants at night.ription

Sea temperatures are cold usually – 12C to 15C is typical. If you “feel the cold” then a 5/4 full wetsuit is advisable. If you don’t feel the cold (mainly the bigger guys) then some get away with a 4/3 long arms/short legs. Up the coast in Langebaan lagoon the water is warmer and so 4/3 long arm/short legs if usually fine. A lot depends on how much you feel the cold. But this is not Brasil!  Some days (if there are two or more days with no wind) the water layers and warms up nicely and reaches 17C – 18C and then it is nice to go surfing!

Our pool is heated whenever we have spare solar electricity and so is typically a very nice 26 – 29C. Enjoy.

As with everywhere this depends a bit on your weight and what type of kiting you do (twin tip, wave riding, foiling …). Also whether your target luggage weight limit allows you to bring two or three kites …

For a 85kg kiter doing freestyle bringing two kites a 7m and 10m would be a good choice (but on the strongest days you might wish you had a 6m and on the lightest days you might wish you had a 12m). Cape Town Kite Club rents kites and we often help people with the smaller or larger sizes. Details of our rentals can be found here.

If you are a wave rider or you weigh less than 85 kgs you probably want to bring smaller kites.

The wind in Cape Town is cold and dense so provides more “lift” like for like than wind in places like Egypt or Brasil. So the same wind in Brasil that you might think “I will take a 10m” maybe an 8m is enough in Cape Town.

There are tons of things to do in Cape Town if the wind does not blow. We have a VW Transporter and often take guests to do things like wakeboarding days at Blue Rock or visits to wine farms / vineyards for wine-tastings and similar. We don’t charge extra for this (or for downwinders) – it is all in your room price. We can also advise you on what is worth seeing and what is worth skipping and offer locals tips like making sure if you visit the penguins at Simon’s Town that you go at low tide. You may also be interested in our activities page.