Lago de Amatitlán has no other spot on this map within 40 km of it. straight-line distance
On the clock
03:00 · 15:00 · 18:00 · 20:00
There is no clean thermal cycle to wait for. From December to April the wind runs at much the same speed at 03:00 as at 15:00, with a small afternoon lift and its quietest hours around dusk, 18:00 to 20:00. From July to November what little there is peaks overnight and in the early morning and dies through the afternoon. Indicative, modelled rather than measured.
The marks are the clock times the record names, laid on a 24-hour day. The bar between the first and the last covers those hours; it is not a promise of wind.
The wind
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Typical strength
Light, and lighter than the listings suggest. The windiest stretch, December to March, averages about 6 knots with 5-8% of hours reaching 12 knots or more. May to October averages 3 knots and almost never touches 12. Indicative: these numbers are modelled on a coarse grid over the caldera, and no anemometer on the lake has been found.
The quiver, in words
Top of the quiver, always. A 75-85 kg rider will be on a 15 m or larger, or a foil, on nearly every day that is rideable at all, with a 12 m only for the December-to-March window when a northerly pushes through.The lake sits at 1,188 m, so the air is roughly 13% thinner than at sea level and a given wind speed carries less power than the same number on the coast. Indicative, sized off modelled wind rather than a local report.
Direction to shore
Depends entirely on which bank you launch from, and the launch here is not established. The lake is 11-12 km long east to west and 3 km across, so its long shores are the northern and southern banks: a SSW or SW wind is onshore on the northern bank near Amatitlan town and straight offshore off the southern side. Read off the lake's shape, not from a launch report.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan, riders' month15
- Feb, riders' month12
- Mar3
- Apr3
- May0
- Jun0
- Jul0
- Aug0
- Sep, riders' month0
- Oct, riders' month2
- Nov, riders' month5
- Dec, riders' month27
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.
- 15%Jan
- 12%Feb
- 3%Mar
- 3%Apr
- 0%May
- 0%Jun
- 0%Jul
- 0%Aug
- 0%Sep
- 2%Oct
- 5%Nov
- 27%Dec
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+) · season highlighted
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15% | 21% | 16% | 8.7 kt | N | 11:00 | 19.9°C | 62 |
| Feb | 12% | 30% | 25% | 9.5 kt | N | 15:00 | 20.3°C | 57 |
| Mar | 3% | 10% | 5% | 8.5 kt | SW | 15:00 | 21.1°C | 62 |
| Apr | 3% | 7% | 5% | 8 kt | SW | 13:00 | 21.2°C | 60 |
| May | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6.5 kt | SSW | 13:00 | 21.2°C | 62 |
| Jun | 0% | 2% | 2% | 5.5 kt | S | 12:00 | 20.1°C | 60 |
| Jul | 0% | 5% | 0% | 7.4 kt | N | 09:00 | 20.9°C | 62 |
| Aug | 0% | 0% | 0% | 6.6 kt | NNE | 10:00 | 20.5°C | 62 |
| Sep | 0% | 0% | 0% | 5.5 kt | N | 09:00 | 20°C | 60 |
| Oct | 2% | 11% | 5% | 7.4 kt | N | 10:00 | 20°C | 62 |
| Nov | 5% | 20% | 5% | 7.9 kt | NNE | 10:00 | 19.8°C | 60 |
| Dec | 27% | 42% | 31% | 10.1 kt | N | 11:00 | 20°C | 62 |
modelled
A weather model's cell over this place, not a station on it. Good for comparing places, weaker for one beach.
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. 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
flat
Standing depth
Nothing to stand in once you are off the beach shelf. The lake averages 18 m deep and reaches 33 m, and it fills a caldera, so the bottom drops away. How far the shallows run off the pebble beach itself is undocumented.
Tides
None. It is a freshwater lake.
Your level
The scene
What riders come here for
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
On your own
Room to launch: ok
Somewhere else
No neighbour on record
No other spot in the atlas sits within reach of this one.
Rescue
Launch
Pebble and sand beach with parking at the water, so no walk with the gear. Showers, toilets, food vendors and rooms are all close by.
Space
ok
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Expect a green lake with litter on the shore. The pollution is documented, and a swallowed mouthful is not a theory.
- kiteguate is the only confirmed operator here; contact them to check rescue cover and what the wind is doing before you drive out.
- Park on the pebble beach and rig where you stand, there is no walk to the water.
- Aim at January and February, or September to December, when the SSW wind shows up.
- Rinse the gear, and yourself, straight after the session.
Getting there
Airport
La Aurora International Airport (GUA), Guatemala City — roughly 15-20km away
Route
About 26 km south of Guatemala City and 15-20 km from La Aurora airport (GUA), down the CA-9. Car, bus or lake boat all work, and there is parking on the pebble beach at the water.
Photos
FAQ
Is Lago de Amatitlan good for beginners?
Yes, it is listed as suitable for all levels on a flat freshwater lake.
When is the best time to kite?
January-February and September-December, on SSW to SW wind.
How do you get there?
By car, bus or boat, with rooms, a shower, toilet and food available near the pebble-beach launch.
Is the water clean?
The lake water is reported as polluted.
Last updated: August 2026