A weekend in Tarifa can go a long way. A ride on paddle surf on the Hara river or a kitesurf course at Los Lances beach. A nice dinner near the sea port or a trip to the open sea where you will see various types of dolphins and whales near the Moroccan coast.
If you like to practice sport in direct contact with nature and you know how to appreciate natural spaces like Punta Paloma or Estrecho Parque Natural, you should visit Tarifa at least once in your life.
Accommodation at the Kitecamp Tarifa
What seemed as a weekend in Tarifa full of rain, clouds and windy weather ended up surprising us from the first day. After a morning with a few rain drops, the sky ended up opening and from there everything went smoothly in the town of Tarifa.
When we arrived at noon we did not expect much, except for another camping site with bungalows and the occasional tent. But, to our surprise, when we got to the gate of Kitecamp, our expectations changed very positively. After Juanlu opened the door, we realized that this place was one of the most special places to stay in Tarifa. Log cabins and low houses with porch and deck chairs welcomed us. This was the perfect place to relax, enjoying the sound of the birds and nothing else.
When we met the owners, Javi and Alberto, we soon knew that the weekend would be loaded with fun and good vibes. It was like a big family, where they made you feel as one of them. On Saturday, after a long and intense day of sports, Javi, owner of Kitecamp, organized a barbecue for all the people who were staying in the cabins. At that moment we realized that this place was unique. We could not have chosen a better place to enjoy the weekend in Tarifa.
We met people from other places: Dutch people who came to practice kitesurf and a group of girls from Malaga who, after their first experience here, had decided to repeat this weekend. It does not come as a surprise that they stayed at the Kitecamp again after our weekend stay.
Paddle Surf SUP and Kitesurf with Kitecamp
On Saturday we woke up early with the idea of practising some sport with Alberto, owner of the school. When he arrived, he offered us various options such as mountain hiking, kitesurf or paddle surf. We decided on the paddle ride on the Jara river and a kite course. He started by explaining basic lessons within the camp on how to row and not lose balance.
After inflating the large boards and loading them into the van, we proceeded to leave for the place where we would enter the river. There was no more than 400 meters between the camping and said place. We spent a long time navigating the river in a group, where some fell into the water due to poor balance or the pranks pulled by some people of the group. In short, we had lots of laughs and a very pleasant time practising this sport. When we returned to the starting point we decided to get closer to the sea, since this river flows into Los Lances beach. Once there, we tried to catch some waves with the SUP boards.
It was getting kind of late but luckily the people of Tarifa do not have a set time to eat. So, we decided to go to a place near the campsite and eat a pretty good dish of the day. Once our batteries were full loaded, we went back to the campsite to get the material for the kitesurf course. We did it just across the road, at Los Lances beach.
When we got there we saw hundreds of kites flying, most in the part of the sand. They were schools and, like us, they were learning too. After a theoretical explanation from Alberto as a security measure, we set out to fly our kite. With his help everything was so much easier. On that same afternoon we already had great control with the kite. We were ready for a new class in the water!
Cetacean watching with Turmares through the Estrecho de Gibraltar
On Friday, after a foggy morning and a few rain drops, the sky opened at noon. The temperature was pleasant and the brightness perfect to go out to the open sea in search of the cetaceans. These fascinating animals soon appeared near us.
When it was time to leave for the open sea, we were a large group of people that set sail from the port in direction to Morocco. 20 minutes after setting sail from the port, one of the ship’s managers spotted a sperm whale in the distance. He warned us and, full of curiosity, we went to the prow to see it. It was visible on the surface for several minutes until it plunged back into the depths, and we lost sight of it. After a few minutes, we spotted in the distance a large number of striped dolphins that flocked to somewhere in the Atlantic. At first, we were unable to get close to them, as a large cargo ship was heading opposite to us. So we waited a bit. Finally, we were able to get closer. They were really beautiful and liked to play in front of us as if they wanted to show off.
After we had some fun with them, we started to get a little closer to Spanish land. And, suddenly, we saw another sperm whale. For this one we got the timing right! We had the opportunity to see it up close. It was a very large and calm animal, navigating the surface while breathing. After enjoying it for a few minutes, it submerged, revealing the entire tail. Then, we decided to return to the port of Tarifa.
Eating in Tarifa
People who live here say that this place is perfect. Not only because of the weather conditions that allow practising wind water sports; it is also a safe and quiet town with a good gastronomy. Lucky us, we were able to check it during our weekend in Tarifa. There are countless places where you can eat in Tarifa. And the best of all is that they are open anytime during the day. Since there are people continuously coming out of the water, you can find people eating both at noon and in the afternoon.
As for the typical dishes, there seems to be no typical dishes from Tarifa. But that does not mean that there is no fried pescaíto, fried baby cuttlefish or shrimps. Of course there are. However, since there is so much diversity in Tarifa, many of the restaurants are owned by people from outside of town. Therefore, there are very different places, with typical dishes from various countries. And this adds a lot of value to the gastronomy of Tarifa.
In addition to this, the value for money is great in some places. It does not matter if it is in the centre or on the road between Valdevaqueros and Tarifa, passing through Los Lances. The areas where more restaurants and bars are concentrated are near the roads that lead to Tarifa, the main venue, the Alameda, the centre and the promenade. Just in front of the seaport is where there is more variety. Also, these places are all close to each other.
This way, what was considered a somewhat grey weekend in Tarifa ended up surprising us pleasantly.
We challenge you to get lost in the streets of Tarifa and really get to know each of its magical places.
Want to join us?