02 · Kitesurfing and wing foiling in Cabarete – The afternoons belong to the wind
Kite, wing and foil in Cabarete bay from two o’clock, and a few good reasons to turn inland on a flat day.
Kitesurfing and wing foiling in Cabarete bay
Cabarete bay is a half-moon of sand with a reef across its mouth. Inside the reef the water is flat and waist-to-chest deep; outside it the trade wind stacks up small waves. That geography is why the bay has been one of the world’s kite spots for three decades, and why wing foiling took to it so quickly: you learn on the inside, then go play on the outside.
The wind is a thermal trade wind. It is light or absent in the morning, fills in around midday, and blows side-onshore from the east at its strongest between two and five. In summer that is a daily appointment; in winter it still shows up most afternoons, a little lighter and a little later.
Kite Beach and Bozo Beach
Schools and rental on the sand from midday. Flat inside, waves outside. The classic Cabarete afternoon.
The easiest way onto the water
Learn on the flat inside the reef; the trade wind is steady enough that most people are riding on foil within a week.
Mornings, before the wind
Glassy dawn paddles along the reef; Cabarete Reef is better for foiling or SUP than for surfing.
Things to do when the ocean goes quiet
The 27 waterfalls of Damajagua
Jump, slide and swim down a limestone river gorge an hour west of town. Go early, go with the official guides, expect to get cold.
The Cordillera Septentrional
The green wall behind the coast. Short ridge walks from the villages above Cabarete; longer days need a local guide and an early start.
Encuentro to Cabarete by board
When the wind is up, kiters and wingers run the coast with the wind at their back and a taxi back. Ask at the schools.
Golf, zip lines and all-inclusive excursions exist on this coast. We have not done them, so we do not rate them.
Kitesurfing in Cabarete: questions we get asked
When is the wind best for kitesurfing in Cabarete?
The thermal trade wind is light in the morning, fills in around midday and blows side-onshore from the east, strongest between two and five in the afternoon. May to September brings the strongest, most reliable wind of the year; in winter it still blows most afternoons, a little lighter and a little later.
Is Cabarete good for learning to kitesurf or wing foil?
Yes. Inside the reef, Cabarete bay is flat and waist-to-chest deep, and the trade wind is steady, so most people learning to wing foil are riding on foil within a week. Kite and wing lessons run all year.
Where do kitesurfers launch in Cabarete?
At Kite Beach and Bozo Beach, where the schools and rental centres set up on the sand from midday. You get flat water inside the reef and small waves outside it.
Can you surf in the morning and kite in the afternoon?
That is the classic Cabarete day: surf at Encuentro before the wind arrives around eleven, eat, then kite or wing in the bay from two o’clock. See the surf spots for the morning.
What can you do in Cabarete on a flat day?
Jump, slide and swim down the 27 waterfalls of Damajagua, an hour west; walk the ridges of the Cordillera Septentrional behind the coast; or, when the wind is up, run downwind from Encuentro to Cabarete with a taxi back.
Is Cabarete good for SUP or foiling without wind?
In the morning, yes. Before the wind the water is glassy for paddles along the reef, and Cabarete Reef is better for foiling or SUP than for surfing.