Map › Italy › Lake Garda › Ponte Caffaro
Lombardia · Lago d'Idro · Brescia
Ponte Caffaro
also known as Lago d'Idro, Idro
Nearby Pra de la Fam 18 km · Campione del Garda 19 km · Navene 20 km · Limone sul Garda 21 km · Malcesine 22 km · Torbole 28 km · Marone 35 km · Spiaggia Brema 39 km · straight-line distance
Ora
12:00 · 13:00
On the clock
10:00 · 19:00
The Ora fills from the first afternoon hours, around 12:00-13:00 on a sunny day, peaks through the afternoon and fades towards evening. The beach club opens at 10:00 and closes at 19:00, so there is nothing to gain by arriving at dawn.
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
locals call it Ora
Direction
Kite sizes
metres · typical quiver highlighted
Character
thermal
fills in: The Ora fills from the first afternoon hours, around 12:00-13:00 on a sunny day, peaks through the afternoon and fades towards evening. The beach club opens at 10:00 and closes at 19:00, so there is nothing to gain by arriving at dawn.
Typical strength
10-15 knots on a normal day, sometimes more; 10-19 knots is the band given for a stable thermal.
Also on record
15
The quiver, in words
For 75-85 kg: 12-15 m for the ordinary 10-15 knot Ora, 9-12 m when it reaches the high teens, 7-9 m on a strong spring or autumn day. Indicative from the wind range, with no measured local quiver.
Direction to shore
Onshore to the kite area.
Forecast
Month by month
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season
- Jan2
- Feb0
- Mar5
- Apr, riders' month5
- May, riders' month2
- Jun, riders' month0
- Jul, riders' month5
- Aug, riders' month0
- Sep, riders' month0
- Oct, riders' month0
- Nov0
- Dec2
windy days per month (3 h+ at 12 kn+)
Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct.
The model is wrong here
The model reads 5% of days at its best month, which does not sit with the season and the wind strength this record states. The figures are kept and drawn as hatching so no wind colour can be read off them, and the ringed months are the ones riders name.
| Month | Windy days | Force 4+ | 12 kn or more | Knots | From | Peaks at | Air | Readings |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2% | 3% | 2% | 5.5 kt | S | 15:00 | 4.2°C | 62 |
| Feb | 0% | 5% | 4% | 6.2 kt | S | 16:00 | 5.7°C | 57 |
| Mar | 5% | 18% | 13% | 8.8 kt | S | 15:00 | 7.2°C | 62 |
| Apr | 5% | 27% | 17% | 9.3 kt | S | 15:00 | 9.9°C | 60 |
| May | 2% | 6% | 3% | 7.5 kt | S | 14:00 | 15°C | 62 |
| Jun | 0% | 20% | 7% | 8.8 kt | S | 15:00 | 19.6°C | 60 |
| Jul | 5% | 23% | 10% | 9.4 kt | S | 15:00 | 22.3°C | 62 |
| Aug | 0% | 11% | 8% | 8.4 kt | S | 15:00 | 22°C | 62 |
| Sep | 0% | 7% | 2% | 6.9 kt | S | 15:00 | 16.8°C | 60 |
| Oct | 0% | 0% | 0% | 5.8 kt | S | 15:00 | 14.4°C | 62 |
| Nov | 0% | 5% | 5% | 5.9 kt | S | 15:00 | 7.4°C | 60 |
| Dec | 2% | 3% | 3% | 4.9 kt | S | 14:00 | 4.8°C | 62 |
riders' months
Riders and schools name these months. The model reads lower here, and both are shown rather than averaged.
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
lake
Standing depth
Shallow at the spot; exact depth not specified.
Tides
none
Temperature
Summer 21.8 average summer surface temperature, with around 24 also given for the lake in summer.
Winter 5.8 average winter surface temperature.
Wetsuit
Spring and autumn wetsuit; summer shorty or shorts; winter cold with no wind.
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
2 schools name this spot
On your own
Room to launch: wide lawn, variable with lake level
Somewhere else
Pra de la Fam, 18 km
Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.
Rescue
Launch
A beach club at Via Quadri I, Località Porto, with a wide lawn for pumping kites and laying lines, a beach marshal for launches and landings, and direct entry to the water. Sand and grass, hot showers, restaurant and toilets on site. The lake level moves through the season and can eat into or extend the rigging space.The base runs April to October, 10:00 to 19:00, with lesson meeting times late morning.
Space
wide lawn, variable with lake level
Rules & access
Access rules drift faster than anything else we hold — check locally, and propose an edit if this has changed.
Rider tips
- Rig before the thermal fills around 12:00-13:00; the lawn gets tight once everyone arrives at once.
- Check a live reading rather than the model alone, because the Ora depends on sun on the valley.
- Pack 12-17 m for light summer thermals and 7-9 m for a strong spring or autumn day.
- Buy the day membership at the beach club before you rig (2026).
- Look at the lake level when you park: it decides how much rigging space is left.
- For 75-85 kg, pack 12-15 m for the light summer thermal and 7-9 m for a strong spring or autumn day.
- The base runs 10:00 to 19:00, April to October; outside those hours there is no marshal on the beach.
Getting there
Airport
Milan Bergamo Orio al Serio or Verona. Verona is the nearest to Ponte Caffaro, Bergamo the usual recommendation for Lago d'Idro and Valle Sabbia.
Route
Come by car. It is the only practical way to carry gear to the lake, and public transport reaches the valley but is thin.
Transfer
About 3 h 37 min by bus from Milan Bergamo; driving time unconfirmed.
Cost level
medium
Staying
There is parking, van parking and camping beside the spot, plus rooms in and around Ponte Caffaro.
No-wind days
SUP, bike and canoe rental at the spot, lake swimming, and the mountain valleys around Valle Sabbia and Lago d'Idro.
Photos
FAQ
Is Ponte Caffaro suitable for beginners?
Yes, a local school calls Lake Idro the perfect place for first rides, with progression support and flat-to-chop freshwater.
What is the wind like?
The Ora thermal blows south to north, averaging about 15 knots and starting around noon to early afternoon on sunny days, with no wind in winter.
When is the best time?
April through October, with spring and autumn considered the most suitable periods and lighter winds in summer.
Is there a kite school?
Yes, Maselli Kite School operates from a beach club at Via Quadri I in Localita Porto, with a wide rigging lawn, beach marshal assistance and lift or assisted lift services.
What are the hazards?
Changing lake levels can reduce or increase rigging space, chop builds in stronger wind, and afternoon wind drop-offs can leave riders underpowered.
Last updated: August 2026