Bilene

Gaza Province · Bilene-Macia · Praia do Bilene

also known as Praia do Bilene, Bilene Lagoa, Lagoa Uembje, Uembje Lagoon

Part of Bilene →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

beginner-friendlylow crowds

On this page

The spot
Wind
Forecast
Month by month
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Riding essentials

Season

Sep–Mar

Months riders and schools name

How windy

15-25 kt

Character: mixed

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

mixed

28 °C in summer

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds · busy Dec Jan

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

180 min

Maputo International Airport (MPM)

When it fills in

The lagoon wind is thermal, so it builds rather than switches on. Mornings are usually light enough that SUP is the standard filler, the breeze fills through late morning and the strongest hours are the afternoon. No station data pins an exact onset hour.

Bilene has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it, and none other in Bilene. straight-line distance

Backup spotsWhere riders go when the wind doesn't work here.

Maputo Kite Beach
Lagoa Uembjealso a name for this spot
Xai-Xaino page yet
Ponta do Ouro
Ponta Malongane
Tofo Beachno page yet

The spot

Bilene is a lagoon spot: Lagoa Uembje, a big shallow coastal lagoon behind the dunes at Praia do Bilene in Gaza Province. You launch straight in front of Bilene Kite Center into warm water you can stand in, which is why the lessons happen here and why the flat-water space runs out long after your legs do.

Season and wind

The season is September to March, 15-25 kt on the windy days, though the exact best months and the average strength are argued over.

What to ride

Beginners get the school zone and a radio in the helmet; stronger riders get long runs, downwinders, the speed water near the lagoon mouth and, on the right day, ocean waves.

Spot variations

The catch is that the sub-spots do not behave alike: the teaching lagoon has no tide and no current, while the separate Secret Spot only works on a high tide with a South wind, and turning up on the wrong tide means sitting on the sand.

Access and timing

Getting here is easy by Mozambique standards, roughly 3 hours on tar from Maputo airport, with beds a short walk from the launch. Come inside that September to March window, because the sailed days fall off sharply outside it.

The wind

Direction

cross-on

Direction to shore

cross-on

Dominant direction

NE and SE are the usual directions. The main lagoon is best with North wind and the Secret Spot with South wind; N, NE and SW are also listed as best directions.

Kite sizes

7891011121314151617

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Across the 15-25 kt windy season a 75-85 kg rider lives on a 9 or 10 m for the afternoons and a 12 m for the softer days at either end of the season. If you land on the lower reported band of 11-19 kt, the 12 m becomes the everyday kite and a 14 is worth having. School gear is Eleveight and covers the standard sizes.

Character

mixed

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

No climatological average; airport weather statistics for Bilene are unavailable. In season, 15-25 kt daily is reported.

Typical strength

15-25 kt on windy-season days; usual strength is also given as 11-19 kt.

Generally stable/steady in the learning area; the main central lagoon can be gusty and choppy in North wind.

The school runs September-March and counts about 90% sailed days inside that window against about 60% outside it. September-March is the season in every version of it. January-March plus September-December get named as the months that blow, and August-December turns up as the best period as well, which leaves April and August unsettled.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

9 ktJan27°
9 ktFeb27°
8 ktMar27°
8 ktApr26°
8 ktMay25°
8 ktJun23°
8 ktJul22°
9 ktAug22°
10 ktSep22°
10 ktOct23°
9 ktNov24°
9 ktDec26°

avg knots per month · water °C below · season highlighted

Monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Jan, Feb, Mar, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec).

Measured at Xai-Xai, ~44 km from the spot (reanalysis-based climate estimate (MERRA-2 era, ~1980-2016)).

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Air · Water

Month	Knots	Air	Water
Jan	8.6 kt	26.7 °C	26.7 °C
Feb	8.5 kt	26.7 °C	27.2 °C
Mar	8 kt	26.1 °C	27.2 °C
Apr	7.6 kt	24.4 °C	26.1 °C
May	7.5 kt	22.2 °C	25 °C
Jun	7.6 kt	20.6 °C	23.3 °C
Jul	8 kt	20 °C	22.2 °C
Aug	8.7 kt	21.1 °C	22.2 °C
Sep	9.6 kt	22.8 °C	22.2 °C
Oct	9.7 kt	24.4 °C	23.3 °C
Nov	9.3 kt	25.6 °C	24.4 °C
Dec	8.8 kt	26.7 °C	25.6 °C

How this was measuredmeasured · reanalysis-based climate estimate (MERRA-2 era, ~1980-2016)

A ground station recorded this, at the distance the page names.

A station this far away — often inland or at an airport — can understate accelerated local wind. The typical daily max is a column of the table above, month by month. Highlighted months are the riding season from the spot record.

Xai-Xai · Weather Spark · reanalysis-based climate estimate (MERRA-2 era, ~1980-2016)

The water

Type

mixed

Standing depth

The school zone is roughly a square kilometre of water about 1 m deep, so you can stand across the whole teaching area; beginner lessons run in under a metre. Depth there is stable rather than tidal.Away from it the picture changes: the boat-access Secret Spot has to be ridden on a high tide to be deep enough, and neither the lagoon mouth nor the ocean side is standing depth.

Tides

The teaching lagoon is effectively tide-free; depth in the school zone does not swing with the tide and there is no current and no wave in it.Tide only matters once you leave: the Secret Spot a ten-minute boat ride away needs a high tide or you will be sitting on the beach waiting for water, and the lagoon mouth and ocean access change character with the state of the tide.

Temperature

28 °C summer · 22 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 22–27 °C

Wetsuit

Lycra most of the year; shorty useful in winter and recommended for kiting in variable weather.

Currents

No current in the learning zone. What the water does at the lagoon mouth and on the ocean access is unconfirmed.

Conditions

A big coastal lagoon cut off from the Indian Ocean by dunes: flat in the sheltered parts, choppy elsewhere depending on the direction, with ocean waves and flat speed water within reach near the mouth.

Lagoa Uembje runs about 27 km long and 5-8 km wide, and the rideable course down it is about 15 km. The spot is logged as Bilene Lagoa at 25.2861 S, 33.2558 E.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Beginners stand up in the school zone and learn on a radio. Intermediates ride supervised, work transitions and upwind, and get long runs down the lagoon. Advanced riders come for freestyle, big air, strapless, foil coaching, the speed spots, the downwinders and the ocean waves, but take a guide the first time you ride the mouth or the outside.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestyleflat waterspeeddownwinderswing foilwarm water

Who it suitsbeginner

A low-key lagoon town: market, fish and seafood, a few beach bars and restaurants. The water stays empty most of the time, though Bilene fills with South African and Maputo weekenders around the big holidays.

Launch and rules

three ways on to the water, and what each one asks of you

With a school or a boat

1 school names this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: huge

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.

Rescue

No municipal or public sea rescue covers the lagoon.

What to expect

What exists is the kite centre's own cover: radios, helmets and impact vests on lessons, an instructor watching from the beach on supervised sessions, and organised boat drop-offs for downwinders and the Speed Spot. One of the centre's founders is an emergency nurse, which is the nearest thing to on-site medical competence at the beach.

Supervision is a paid service in 2026, about EUR 20 for two hours with your own gear and EUR 65 with school gear, and it is the cheapest way to have someone watching you on a first visit.

Launch

Main launch is from Bilene beach/Palmeiras complex directly onto the lagoon in front of Bilene Kite Center. The Speed Spot at the lagoon mouth is reached either by kiting upwind in about 20 minutes or by boat; the separate 'Secret Spot' is a 10-minute local boat ride away.

Hazards riders report 7 reported

Wind

The thermal can come in stronger than forecast, so the last kite you rigged for the morning may be too big by mid-afternoon.

Waves and currents

The boat-access Secret Spot can be too shallow to ride outside a high tide, even though the school area itself has no tide problem.

Protected areas and rules

choppy/gusty conditions in the main lagoon depending on wind direction
Central lagoon can become gusty and choppy in some directions.
Lagoon-mouth and direct ocean-wave areas are more exposed than the protected teaching lagoon; use local guiding until the route, tide and rescue options are clear.
No public sea rescue on the lagoon: cover exists only through the kite centre, and only for people who booked it.

Other

Very hot and humid summer conditions are reported for November-January.

Rules & access

1 min read

Local regulations2026: no municipal, port or maritime rule specific to kitesurfing on Lagoa Uembje is published, and no permit, marked zone or seasonal ban is documented for Praia do Bilene.Kite center rulesIn practice the rules that bind you are the kite centre's own: lessons run with helmet, impact vest and a radio link to the instructor, and riders on paid supervision stay inside the school zone with an instructor watching from the beach.Entry to Mozambique2025: entry to Mozambique requires an Electronic Travel Authorisation obtained before departure for nationals of 29 listed countries, costing about USD 48 and checked by the airline at boarding; passports must be valid six months beyond arrival.Apply weeks ahead, and ask your accommodation for the confirmation letter the application needs.

Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.

Schools that ride here

Rider tips

Ride the main lagoon on a North wind, and ask at Bilene Kite Center which sub-spot suits the day before you rig: North, NE, SE, SW and South all get named as the good direction depending on which piece of water you mean.
Take the 10-minute boat to the Secret Spot on a South wind and a high tide for flatter freestyle water.
Take the school or a guide to the Speed Spot and the lagoon mouth on a first visit. Tide, depth and rescue out there are not written down anywhere reliable.
Pack lycra and sun cream first, then a shorty for winter, stormy days and long boat trips.
Book SUP for the windless mornings; the kite center rents it and the breeze arrives later anyway.
Book supervision on day one instead of riding unwatched. Two hours with your own gear is about EUR 20 in 2026, and it puts eyes on you from the beach, which is the only cover on this lagoon.
Sort the Electronic Travel Authorisation weeks before you fly. It is checked at the boarding gate, not on arrival.

Getting there

Airport

Maputo International Airport (MPM)

Route

Tar the whole way from Maputo to Praia do Bilene, about 130 km. Drive-time quotes range from 2-3 hours to 3 h 30 min, and around 3 hours is the figure most often given.

Transfer

180 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Bilene Kite Center, its BKC Houses and the Palmeiras complex are on or beside the spot. Indicative 2026 rates: BKC rooms 50-70 EUR/night, a whole house 100 EUR/night, a standard Palmeiras bungalow about 50 EUR/night, a deluxe bungalow about 120 EUR/night, San Martinho about 120 EUR/night, Sunset about 80 EUR/night.

No-wind days

SUP, kayaking, snorkelling, lagoon/ocean boat trips, turtle viewing, whale watching September-November, 4x4 dunes/ocean trips, Limpopo lighthouse excursion, Macia market, traditional cooking, forest walks, fishing, massage, safari or time in Maputo.

Photos

FAQ

Is Bilene suitable for beginners?

Yes, the school zone is a large shallow lagoon around 1 m deep with no tide or current, giving standing-depth lessons with radio-supported instruction.

When is the best time?

September to March is the windy season, with about 90% of days sailed compared with roughly 60% outside that period.

What is the wind like?

Typically 15-25 knots on windy-season days, best on a north wind in the main lagoon.

Is there a kite school?

Yes, Bilene Kite Center operates directly on the launch beach with lessons, wing foil, rentals, boat trips and radio-supervised safety.

Are there sub-spots to know about?

The boat-access Secret Spot rides best on a south wind at high tide, unlike the tide-independent main school lagoon.

The bigger pictureEverything about Bilene

Last updated: August 2026