Cape Town – Kitesurfing with Table Mountain view

Cape Town can be named as one of the absolute top spots for kitesurfing from November to March. The wind is strong and constant. You can have all the comfort that you are used to if you like, have a big city with shopping and nightlife – and also the perfect kite spots. Lot’s of professional kiteboarders spend several month in Cape Town for training for the next season.

Kitesurf Spots Wind and Weather Webcams Other stuff Price-Level Accomodation Car Rental Schools Flight Information

On this page, you should find everything you need to plan your Cape Town Kitesurf Trip.

These peaces are especially put together for Kitesurfers. Recommended accomodation, car rental etc. are recommendations from other kiters who put together their holidays themselves and know how to get the cheapest stuff down there.

Main Kitesurf Spots in Cape Town

Big Bay

Big Bay is located in the north of Cape Town. You find lot of infrastructure around the spot. Supermarkets, Bars, Restaurants, Surf Shops, etc. There is enough parking place and the spot is also good for (wave) surfing mostly in the morning. It’s devided in two areas, left there is place for windsurfers and the kiters kite downwind to the right. In peak times it gets crowded, but there is enough place downwind to go. It’s choppy, sometimes medium waves come in. You have a small place with flat water a little bit downwind.

Table View

A bit south of Big Bay, towards Cape Town Center you find Table View kite beach. The beach is huge so there is enough place to pump up your kite without people crossing your lines. Lot of locals come here after work so it can get little bit crowded in the late afternoon, but as the beach is really big it’s no problem moving a bit when you feel uncomfortable or want to practice in a more calm area. The wind is cross on and the beach runs for about 7km. There are waves but they are usually waist high. And if they ever get big (which is rare) they are very friendly. There is a Best-Kiteshop directly at the beach and also a small cafe called carlucci’s where you get the probably most awesome sandwiches in Cape Town. This is also a tip for good breakfast.

Scarborough

Scarborough is a smaller spot in the south of Cape Town (see map). It’s not really getting crowded as it’s some time driving here by car from Cape Town (45min).  You should come here when the wind is not enough in Cape Town. Check the Wind-Forecast especially for this spot as it is possible to get ridable conditions when there is almost no wind at Table View or Big Bay. You have small waves coming in. It’s not a beginner spot.

Other spots

These are the 3 major places we recommend to kite in Cape town. The most of the people come here as the conditions are the best. Of course there are some other spots too where you can have a kite-session. To have a look on all possible places to kite we recommend checking out splocs.com

And what about sharks?

There are sharks in Cape Town Area. However, i have spoken to a local, and in the last 5 years he has been kiting there he has never seen one. And no kiter has been taken by one. There are hundreds of kiters there. Sharks are not a problem.

Wind and Weather

Best months are November to beginning of March, the main direction is SE to S. The wind can get pretty strong. Sometimes you can have up to 30-40 knots. So what you see in the windfinder chart ist just “average”. For a 75kg kiter the best kite range is probably to have 7-12m kites.

• Windfinder forecast for the next days »
• Windguru forecast for the next days »
• Windguru Wind Archive »

Cape Town Webcams

We found nothing useful by now. Do you know a good Cape Town Spot Webcam? Drop us a mail, please ;)

Other must-visit-stuff, Nightlife and good-to-know things

Of course you have to go up to the top of Table Mountain (don’t be afraid, there’s a cable car available ;) and visit the National Park and the Cape of good Hope (Photo!!!! ;) as well as the Winefarms. For some (wave)surfing check out Muizenberg (but check the shark-watcher signals). If you want to go out in the evening, the main party spots in the Table View / Big Bay area are near kitebeach. They are mainly bars where people dance next to them. To name a few: News Cafe, Cubana & Doodles.. If you want to have big party you have to try Trinity Club in the center. Oh, and don’t miss the Highway dead-end in the middle of the city. That’s a funny one ;)

What about the crime?

Crime is an issue in SA but out in Table View /Big Bay it’s not that bad. It’s nothing like what people make it out to be. Just be aware of where you are and don’t go into any bad areas. The best thing to do is to ask around when you get there. Find a local and ask where’s safe and where’s not (especially at night). There’s alot of petty crime so if you park your car then hide your wallet, phone and glasses. Don’t leave your bags lying around. Don’t leave stuff lying on the beach. Simple things like this.

There are areas in South Africa that are very dangerous but you have to physically drive to them. For example you shouldn’t really go to Townships. This is where the violent crime you hear about happens, it’s quite simple. Don’t go into them. And to get into one is not easy so it’s fine.

Price-Level

Expect to pay little less for food than in Western Europe or the US. Eating in restaurants is also a bit cheaper, but not much. If you want to live at low cost it’s possible to buy the main supplies for little money at the supermarket. Imported stuff is expensive, local stuff is cheap. That’s the rule, as at lot of places. Calculate with what you need at home, you will be on the safe side. Going out is cheaper, a big night out costs about R250-500. A taxi from Table view to the city is about R150-250. Ah, and the currency is South African Rand.

Accomodation in Cape Town for Kiteboarder

We recommend taking an appartement in Table View, Blouberg or Big Bay. This is where all the guys hang out during the day as there are kiteshops/kitebars/restaurants/kiteguesthouses around and from here you can reach the main spots in a few minutes by car (yes you will need a car in Cape Town).

GumTree
www.thegumtree.co.za
If you want to stay for a longer time, this is the place to go (here is the direct link to the area you might want to look). I once found an appartement myself through this site. It’s aimed at locals for locals so all the prices are pretty much local!

Makai Lodge
http://www.makailodge.net/
I stayed here once for 3 Weeks myself in 2010. Nice appartement, nice people. Located in Table View (not at the beach)

Car Rental Tips

These are the cheapest car rental companies in Cape Town i found:

Rent a Cheapie
http://www.rentacheapie.co.za/
Their cars being used alot by kiters and surfer.

Acker Car Rentals: Renting also old Mercedes Benz Cars!
http://www.ackercarrentals.co.za/
These are so cool. Sometimes you have the feeling they will have a breakdown every second but its probably the coolest kite-car you can get!  These ones are also used a lot by surfers.

Kiteboarding Schools in Cape Town

Don’t have anything on this yet. You know a school down there? Send us a mail, we’ll include it here: office@welovetokite.com

Flight Information

Check out http://www.cheapflights.com for best offers