Cartagena Coast, Colombia

About Cartagena Coast

Cartagena de Indias is the rare kitesurfing destination where the town is the reason to come. The walled colonial centre — balconies, bougainvillea, plazas that fill after dark — is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and the riding is fifteen to twenty-five minutes away from it.

The season runs December to April on Caribbean trade winds of 15 to 25 knots, blowing slightly onshore from the right. Temperatures hold around 30°C year-round and the water is warm enough that nobody owns a wetsuit. La Boquilla, the closest beach, is wide, obstacle-free and shallow — genuinely easy water to learn on. Manzanillo del Mar, further north, trades the crowds for stronger wind. El Laguito, inside the city itself, picks up more of a wave and suits riders with some hours behind them.

What makes Cartagena unusual is the shape of the day: a morning session on an empty Caribbean beach, an afternoon in a colonial city that would justify the flight on its own. Puerto Velero and Santa Verónica, both flat-water and wave destinations in their own right, are within an hour along the coast.

When to go

Best months: January, February, March, April, December.

Kite areas

3 distinct riding areas documented within this destination.

• El Laguito

  Best months: December, January, February, March, April.

• La Boquilla

  Best months: December, January, February, March, April.

• Manzanillo

  Best months: December, January, February, March, April.