Ifaty

Atsimo-Andrefana · North of Toliara (Tuléar) · Toliary-II · Ifaty; larger services in Toliara

also known as Ambolomailaka, Mangily-Ifaty

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

lagoonbeginner-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

Jun–Sep

Months riders and schools name

How windy

12-30 knots

Character: thermal

Room to launch

access rules on record, below

Water

lagoon

29 °C in summerThe riding area is a clear reef-protected lagoon with flat water inside

Hazards

Reported by riders

Level

Beginner to advanced

With a caveat: see Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Crowds

low crowds · busy Jun Jul Aug Sep

Schools

named at this spot

From the airport

31 min

Tulear Airport (TLE)

When it fills in

Mornings are usually quiet. The thermal kicks in around midday and builds through the afternoon, at times to 30 knots, so the session is an afternoon one and the wind angle swings more cross-onshore as it comes round.

Ifaty has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance

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

Anakao
Salary Bayno page yet
Toliara / Tulearno page yet
Sakalava Bay
Emerald Sea / Babaomby
Nosy Be

The spot

Location and lagoon

Ifaty sits north of Toliara on Madagascar's southwest coast, along the Ifaty/Mangily/Ambolomailaka strip. The coral reef takes the swell about 5 km out, so the lagoon inside is flat, and that flat water is where the lessons, the freeride and the freestyle happen.

Reef and offshore

The reef itself makes medium waves for anyone willing to ride that far offshore, which is a commitment rather than a warm-up.

Wind and season

Wind is thermal, from S through SW, and the window everyone agrees on is June to September. It stays rideable to December at 12-30 knots; from January to May the rainy-season cloud takes the heat out of the thermal and you get 8-25 knots.

Launch and rescue

The launch is a medium sandy beach with food, parking and a toilet, and you can go in more or less anywhere along the strip. No public rescue and no dated 2026 rules turned up, so the only cover on the water is the kite centre's own.

The wind

Direction

cross-oncross-offwind blows away from land — rescue cover matters here

Direction to shore

Side-onshore at the beach launch. Further out toward the reef it runs cross-off and reportedly at times offshore, which is what makes the 5 km of lagoon between the sand and the break the deciding factor in going out there.

Dominant direction

S, SSW, SW and WSW

Kite sizes

567891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider: 9-10 m covers the standard June-September afternoon, 7-8 m once it builds toward 30 knots, and 12 m earns its place in the lighter, cloudier January-May stretch. Indicative, built from rider-reported 10.5 m and 8 m days rather than a school quiver list.

Character

thermal

When it fills in: see above ↑

Typical strength

12-30 knots from June to December; 8-25 knots from January to May when thermal wind can be slowed by rainy-season clouds.

Regular side-on thermal at the Hotel de la Plage / Madagascar Sport Concept launch, and not overpowering. The windy season is June-September.

The tight, defensible window is June-September. Riding carries on through December at 12-30 knots. January-May is wetter and cloudier, with thermal wind at 8-25 knots.

Forecast

Live forecast

Windguru Windfinder Windy

Month by month

Jan39
Feb9
Mar29
Apr40
May37
Jun, riders' month45
Jul, riders' month37
Aug, riders' month52
Sep, riders' month45
Oct55
Nov48
Dec47

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep.

39%Jan30°
9%Feb31°
29%Mar30°
40%Apr28°
37%May26°
45%Jun25°
37%Jul24°
52%Aug24°
45%Sep25°
55%Oct27°
48%Nov28°
47%Dec29°

windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · water °C below · season highlighted

Modelled from the operational forecast archive at 1.5–7 km (2023-2024), daylight hours only, not a ground station: it resolves thermal, lake and valley winds far better than coarse reanalysis but still tends to understate a strong local thermal.

Every figure, month by monthWindy days · Force 4+ · 12 kn or more · Knots · Wind from · Peaks at · Air · Water · Readings

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	Wind from	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	39%	58%	50%	13.2 kt	WSW	14:00	28.4 °C	30.3 °C	62
Feb	9%	32%	16%	9.9 kt	WSW	14:00	28 °C	30.6 °C	57
Mar	29%	50%	40%	11.9 kt	SSW	16:00	27.4 °C	29.6 °C	62
Apr	40%	62%	47%	12.8 kt	SSW	15:00	26.4 °C	27.5 °C	60
May	37%	53%	47%	12.2 kt	SSW	14:00	24.1 °C	26 °C	62
Jun	45%	62%	58%	12.8 kt	SSW	15:00	22.9 °C	25.1 °C	60
Jul	37%	58%	48%	12.2 kt	SSW	14:00	22 °C	24 °C	62
Aug	52%	73%	61%	14.4 kt	WSW	14:00	22.6 °C	24 °C	62
Sep	45%	85%	60%	14.1 kt	SSW	13:00	24.4 °C	25.3 °C	60
Oct	55%	90%	69%	15 kt	SSW	14:00	25.8 °C	26.6 °C	62
Nov	48%	88%	67%	14.1 kt	SSW	13:00	26.9 °C	28.1 °C	60
Dec	47%	76%	63%	13.7 kt	SSW	13:00	28.1 °C	29.3 °C	62

How this is modelledmodelled · 2023-2024

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

A windy day has at least three consecutive daylight hours at 12 knots or more. 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.

High-resolution weather model (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical forecast archive — best-match operational model (ICON-D2 / AROME / ICON-EU / GFS by region), not a ground station · 2023-2024

The water

Type

lagoon

Standing depth

Shallow, standable lagoon riding is reported. How much of the lagoon and at what depth is unconfirmed.

Tides

Tide independent. No local tide range is published.

Temperature

29 °C summer · 24 °C winter

Modelled monthly average: 24–31 °C

Wetsuit

Shorts/boardshorts most of the year; shorts or shorty in winter, with water running 22–26 °C from May to September.

Currents

Reportedly no current inside the lagoon. No independent measurement exists.

Conditions

The riding area is a clear reef-protected lagoon with flat water inside. Medium waves form on the reef about 5 km from shore, with otherwise flat lagoon water. The wider Ifaty-Mangily coast is a coral-reef beach and snorkeling/diving area.

Your level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

The flat lagoon is where you start, progress and ride freestyle. The reef waves are the advanced part, and they are a long way out.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat-water freeridebeginner lessonsfreestylereef wavesdownwinders

Who it suitsbeginners

A quiet beach village and resort strip rather than a kite hub. There is no beach crowd and no nightlife. Ifaty is better known for the reef, the diving and the spiny forest.

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: ok

Read the access rules

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

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

Rescue

The Madagascar Sport Concept / Hotel de la Plage centre covers its own lessons and rentals with two speed boats, a first-aid kit, binoculars, life vests, helmets and an instructor watching from the beach; bookings and questions go through hotelplagetulear@blueline.mg.

Nothing public exists beyond that, no lifeguard works the strip, and rental gear is handed out to confirmed riders only.

Launch

Sandy beach with a medium launch and landing area, car access and a short walk. You can get in almost anywhere along Ifaty.

Rules & access

1 min read

2026: no municipal, port or marine-protected-area rule covering kitesurfing at Ifaty/Mangily is on record. The only stated condition is the beach club's own: rental gear goes to confirmed kitesurfers, and anyone below that rides under instruction.

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

Get a briefing from the kite centre before you head out to the reef: the break is about 5 km offshore.
Pack a shorty or a wind top for May to September if you feel the cold. Water sits at 22-26 C then.
Plan around June to September. October to December often works, but the evidence for it is thinner.
Ask Madagascar Sport Concept at Hotel de la Plage what boat cover they run before you ride out alone.

Getting there

Airport

Toliara / Tulear Airport (TLE)

Route

Fly into Toliara/Tulear and drive north to Ifaty/Mangily: 25 km, about 31 minutes by car or taxi when the road behaves, and longer after rain. A taxi runs roughly EUR 6-8 (2026 estimate).

Transfer

31 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Beach hotels and bungalows along the Ifaty/Mangily coast. Hotel de la Plage is the one tied to the kite operation.

No-wind days

Snorkeling and diving on the coral reef, Vezo fishing-village visits, spiny forest/baobab excursions, beach time, Toliara city visits and south-west coast downwind/4x4 tours.

Photos

FAQ

When is the best time to kite at Ifaty?

June to September is the most consistently reported windy window, though usable thermal wind of 12-30 knots can extend through December.

Is Ifaty suitable for beginners?

Yes; the reef-protected lagoon is flat and current-free, and the local school spot is described as suitable for starting, progressing and freestyle.

What is the wind like at Ifaty?

Thermal wind blows from S, SSW, SW and WSW, side-on and not too strong in season, typically 12-30 knots from June to December.

Are there kite schools at Ifaty?

Yes; Madagascar Sport Concept operates through Hotel de la Plage, offering lessons and rental.

Last updated: August 2026