MapColombiaCabo de la VelaCabo de la VelaCabo de la Vela

Cabo de la Vela

La Guajira · Cabo de la Vela; nearest main transport hub is Riohacha via Uribia

also known as Jepirra

Part of Cabo de la Vela →

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

flat waterbeginner-friendlyoffshoremedium 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

Dec–Sep

Months riders and schools name

How windy

20-35 kt

Character: trade · offshore

Room to launch

huge

access rules on record, below

Water

flat

26–28 °C in summerLarge flat-water bay with sand bottom

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

medium crowds · busy Dec Jan Feb Mar

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

Riohacha / Almirante Padilla Airport is the nearest practical airport

Transfer times under Getting there

When it fills in

Wind is reported from morning: SE and gusty in the morning, shifting around midday to stronger, steadier NE. Very early morning or late afternoon is preferred for consistency.

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

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

Mayapo
Punta Gallinas
Camaronesno page yet
Riohachano page yet

The spot

Location and access

Cabo de la Vela sits on Wayuu territory on Colombia's La Guajira peninsula, and you reach it through Riohacha and Uribia over desert track, not down a resort corridor.

Riding and wind season

The riding is a broad bay that is flat and shallow close to shore, which is why the spot has a name for freestyle and for learning to handle strong wind. The catch is the angle: the flow is predominantly offshore, so learners need school supervision and independent riders need to be sure about staying upwind and self-rescuing. The windy season is long: December to September. October and November drop off, and the rain turns the desert road into a gamble.

Logistics and respect

Accommodation is rustic, the water and the electricity are limited, payment is cash, and you are a guest on community land, so respect Wayuu boundaries and the people who live inside them. Treat it as an expedition-style kite trip: small kites, spares, sun cover, and transport arranged before you leave Riohacha or Uribia.

The wind

locals call it Caribbean / northeast trade winds

Direction

offshoreNE after middaywind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Dominant direction

NE after midday; SE in the mornings, reportedly, before it swings NE.

Kite sizes

4567891011

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

Logged sizes for the bay are 9 m and under — 6-or-smaller, 7, 8 and 9.For a 75-85 kg rider a 7 m is the everyday kite through the December-August trades, a 9 m covers the gustier SE mornings and the lighter October-November shoulder, and a 5-6 m earns its place on the strongest NE afternoons.A quiver bigger than 9 m is dead weight here.

Character

trade

When it fills in: see above ↑

Average strength

25-35

Typical strength

20-35 kt in the main windy season, most often reported as 25-35 kt, with 20-30 kt given as the average elsewhere.

Strong trades and kiteable wind on most days, but the offshore flow crosses land first and comes through gusty. Right of way near the school beach is loosely observed.

The strong-wind season is December to September. October-November is the rainier, lighter stretch and the one that makes the desert roads difficult. Shorter windows get quoted too: December-July, or December-June/July, and earlier records carried only December-April.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

12 ktJan26°
13 ktFeb25°
13 ktMar26°
12 ktApr26°
12 ktMay27°
13 ktJun27°
13 ktJul27°
11 ktAug28°
9 ktSep28°
8 ktOct28°
10 ktNov28°
11 ktDec26°

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

Modelled monthly averages. Highlighted: the months riders and schools name (Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep).

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (~1980-2016 satellite-era reanalysis (not a physical station)), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds.

Every figure, month by monthKnots · Wind from · Air · Water

Month	Knots	Wind from	Air	Water
Jan	12.1 kt	E	26.1 °C	25.6 °C
Feb	12.7 kt	E	26.1 °C	25 °C
Mar	12.6 kt	E	26.7 °C	25.6 °C
Apr	12.2 kt	E	27.2 °C	26.1 °C
May	11.8 kt	E	27.8 °C	27.2 °C
Jun	13.1 kt	E	27.8 °C	27.2 °C
Jul	13.3 kt	E	27.8 °C	27.2 °C
Aug	11.4 kt	E	28.3 °C	27.8 °C
Sep	9.4 kt	E	28.3 °C	28.3 °C
Oct	8.4 kt	E	27.8 °C	28.3 °C
Nov	9.6 kt	E	27.8 °C	27.8 °C
Dec	11.4 kt	E	27.2 °C	26.1 °C

How this is modelledmodelled · ~1980-2016 satellite-era reanalysis (not a physical station)

A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.

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

Uribia, La Guajira · WeatherSpark (modeled climatology, MERRA-2 reanalysis) · ~1980-2016 satellite-era reanalysis (not a physical station)

The water

Type

flat

Standing depth

Shallow and calm right in front of the village and the school beach. Rider-logged depth across the riding area is 1-2 m, so you are chest-deep to just out of your depth once you leave the shoreline: enough to fall on repeatedly, not enough to walk home from.The part to keep your feet out of is the large seagrass bank directly in front of the spot, a nursery for rays, sea urchins and barracuda. With a tide range of only about 0.3 m, none of it moves much through the day.

Tides

Small semidiurnal tide; typical daily range around 0.3 m, springs roughly 0.5 m and neaps roughly 0.1 m.

Temperature

26–28 °C summer · 24–25 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 25–28 °C

Wetsuit

No wetsuit normally needed; rash vest or thin top useful for sun and wind chill.

Conditions

Large flat-water bay with sand bottom; some chop or small wind waves appear farther from shore, and weed/seagrass areas in front of the spot should be avoided or crossed carefully.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Schools teach beginners here, but the offshore wind and the strength of it deserve respect from anyone riding without one. Cabo works best for riders who can already go upwind, and Mayapo is the spot recommended for first progression before this one.

The scene

What riders come here for

freestyleflat waterfreerideadvancedwakestylestrong windremote travel

Remote, rustic Wayuu-community setting with schools clustered near the launch; quiet overall but with many kiters at the school spot during sessions and a loose safety culture.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

4 schools name 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

+57 311 406 8063 +57 321 876 7690

Rescue — full text1 min read

Rescue services and equipment

There is no public, municipal or shared rescue service. Schools cover their own students and sell supervision separately, at 30,000 COP (2026) for the optional watch, and they release rental gear only to riders who can ride upwind, control speed and direction and perform a basic self-rescue.

That gate is the local read on what offshore wind here demands.

Safety contacts

A 2016 report of a school rescue boat is not confirmed on any current school page. The practical safety net is a school's phone:

the Wayuu-run school in the village on +57 311 406 8063,
Cabo Kite Center on +57 321 876 7690.

Launch

Sandy beach launch in the bay near the schools and village, with direct sea access and expansive beach space.

Hazards riders report 12 reported

Wind

offshore wind requires upwind ability / self-rescue skill
Offshore wind: riders need upwind ability, self-rescue skills, and school/rescue support if learning.
Strong wind, often 25-35 kt, can be too much for large kites or early beginners.
Gusty periods, especially in the morning or near beach structures, are reported by local and rider sources.

Bottom

Seagrass/weed bank in front of the spot is reported as habitat for rays, sea urchins and other animals; avoid stepping in it and use booties if instructed by a school.

Other

remote desert location — avoid driving alone due to proximity to the Venezuela border
unreliable electricity
small cash economy, bring small bills
Jellyfish/aguamalas are mentioned by Eoletto; long lycra and pants are suggested when present.
October-November rains can make the desert road muddy or difficult to pass.
Remote desert logistics: limited water, limited electricity, no ATM/card reliability, and weak mobile signal reported by travel guides.
Navigation and safety norms may be loosely followed when many kiters are on the water.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: no municipal kite permit or ordinance is published for Cabo de la Vela.

The only marked rule on the ground is a sign directly in front of the spot reading 'Área de Kite', the stretch where riding is allowed provided it does not disturb bathers.

Beyond that, schools apply their own gate: 2026 rental policy releases gear only to riders who can ride upwind and self-rescue.

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

Bring small kites: 7 m and 9 m are the two that get used here, and nothing above 9 m is logged for the spot.
Early morning and late afternoon are the most consistent hours, but the morning SE is gusty and the NE that arrives around midday is both stronger and steadier.
Ride with a school or a guide unless you are fully comfortable in offshore wind, because there is no rescue service behind you.
2026 school rates: about 230,000 COP for a one-hour beginner lesson and 1,800,000 COP for a ten-hour beginner course, 400,000 COP a day or 1,600,000 COP a week for full gear rental, about 30,000 COP for optional supervision. Bring small bills, because cards and ATMs are not reliable.
Stay off the seagrass bank in front of the spot on foot, because rays, sea urchins and barracuda live in it, and wear long lycra and long pants when jellyfish are around.
Load drinking water, food supplies and kite spares in Uribia or Riohacha, ask before photographing Wayuu people, stay on the marked paths around the rancherias, and avoid October-November if wind and a passable road are the priority.

Getting there

Airport

Riohacha / Almirante Padilla Airport is the nearest practical airport; the usual routing is Riohacha, then Uribia, then Cabo de la Vela.

Route

Riohacha to Uribia by shared car, taxi or bus, then 4x4 or local transport over desert tracks into Cabo de la Vela. Arrange the last leg rather than improvising it, because the road is unpaved, sandy, poorly signed.

Transfer (minutes)

180-360 from Riohacha depending on source, waits, road and season

Cost level

low to medium once in La Guajira; 2026 costs are around 30,000 COP for shared Riohacha-Uribia transport, about 40,000-70,000 COP or 50,000 COP for Uribia-Cabo, about 170,000 COP for a direct Riohacha-Cabo 4x4, hammocks from about 40,000 COP and simple private rooms from about 70,000-200,000 COP.

Staying

Basic rancherias, hammocks/chinchorros, camping, hostels and simple private rooms; infrastructure is rustic with limited water, unreliable electricity and limited connectivity.

No-wind days

Pilon de Azucar, Playa Dorada, Ojo de Agua, Playa Arcoiris, El Faro sunsets, Salinas de Manaure, Wayuu cultural visits and onward trips to Punta Gallinas.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Cabo de la Vela?

The windy season runs December to September, with October-November rainier and less reliable.

Is Cabo de la Vela suitable for beginners?

Schools teach beginners here, but the offshore wind means independent riders should already be confident staying upwind and self-rescuing.

What is the wind like at Cabo de la Vela?

Northeast trade wind blows mostly offshore at 20-35 knots, often shifting from a gustier morning SE to a steadier NE around midday.

What hazards should riders know about?

Offshore wind, remote desert logistics with limited water and electricity, a seagrass bank with rays and sea urchins, and occasional jellyfish are reported.

Are there kite schools nearby?

Yes, including Paradise Kite School, Cabo Kite Center and Eoletto Kite Center.

The bigger pictureEverything about Cabo de la Vela

Last updated: August 2026