Los Lances

The beach divides into two clearly distinct areas. Los Lances Sur, on the town side, is closed to kiting in high season (July-August) to make room for swimmers: it then becomes the preserve of windsurfers and wingfoilers, who enjoy the same wind in a less crowded area. Los Lances Norte, from the Río Jara onwards, is the official kite zone, marked out and supervised. The bottom is sandy, with no rocks; the sea has a short chop in levante and stays flatter in poniente.

Technically, Los Lances is a beginner and intermediate spot par excellence. The levante comes in side-onshore, slightly shadowed by the point of Tarifa, which gives 5 to 8 knots less than at Valdevaqueros, often an advantage when it is blowing 35 outside. The poniente is cleaner here and side-shore, ideal for first sessions on your own. Watch out for the current from the Jara river on a falling tide: it pushes out to sea and has already caught out more than one beginner.

In the evening, this is where all of Tarifa gathers. The chiringuitos line up one sunset after another, riders rinse their gear at the shower, and locals play footvolley on the sand. It is probably the most "social" beach on the Cádiz coast.