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Algarve · Vila Real de Santo António / Vila Nova de Cacela · Faro · Manta Rota

Praia da Manta Rota

also known as Manta Rota

beginner-friendlymedium crowds

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

On this page

Wind
- Month by month
Forecast
Water
Level
The scene
Launch
- Rescue
Hazards
Rules & access
Schools
Tips
Getting there
Photos
FAQ

Nearby Praia da Alagoa 2 km · Fábrica / Cacela Velha 3 km · Ilha de Cabanas 11 km · Isla Canela 13 km · Isla Cristina 18 km · Fuseta Lagoon 23 km · El Rompido 36 km · Praia da Rocha Baixinha 56 km · straight-line distance

SeasonMar to Octthe months riders and schools name How windy12-22mixed Launchlargeaccess rules on record, below Waterocean22.5°C in summer · 4 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools3named at this spot From the airport55 minFaro Airport (FAO)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Praia da Manta Rota is on the eastern Algarve, between Tavira and Monte Gordo, and it is the easy-going end of the coast. Big open beach, dunes behind it, shallow warm water, and nothing in the way when you launch.

Two winds work: the SW thermal in summer and the E/ESE/SE Levante, generally 12-22 kt, with March through October the stretch people ride. The surface is chop most days and picks up small to medium waves in winter or on a hard Levante.

The same shallow, gentle water makes this a family beach: from 1 June to 30 September it is bathing season, the middle of the sand belongs to swimmers, and you need to walk before you rig. Average summer sea temperature is 22-23 C, so boardshorts in July, a shorty in spring and autumn, a wetsuit in winter.

It is a good beginner beach out of season and a poor one in August. Rescue arrangements, current behaviour and local kite sizes are all unconfirmed here.

The wind

locals call it Levante

Direction

cross-onE

Kite sizes

7891011121314

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

mixed

Typical strength

12-22

Works on SW thermal wind and on E/SE Levante. No measured long-term average exists for the spot.

Best season March to October, though wind turns up all year. Manta Rota is the fallback when the wind swings east, and it also catches the summer SW thermal.

Thermal or synoptic

thermal and Levante

The quiver, in words

No local report of sizes. Working back from the 12-22 kt the spot is credited with, a 75-85 kg rider covers most of that on a 12 m and a 9 m; indicative, not measured here.

Direction to shore

Side-on to side-shore for E/ESE/SE/SW on this south-facing bay; the exact angle changes as you move along the beach.

Dominant direction

E, ESE, SE, SW

Forecast

Month by month

Jan24
Feb33
Mar, riders' month24
Apr, riders' month23
May, riders' month42
Jun, riders' month40
Jul, riders' month21
Aug, riders' month13
Sep, riders' month22
Oct, riders' month31
Nov18
Dec19

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

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

24%Jan17°
33%Feb16°
24%Mar16°
23%Apr18°
42%May18°
40%Jun20°
21%Jul21°
13%Aug21°
22%Sep20°
31%Oct20°
18%Nov19°
19%Dec17°

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

Month	Windy days	Force 4+	12 kn or more	Knots	From	Peaks at	Air	Water	Readings
Jan	24%	39%	32%	10.8 kt	N	12:00	12.7°C	16.5°C	62
Feb	33%	49%	37%	11.4 kt	ENE	12:00	13.6°C	15.9°C	57
Mar	24%	42%	32%	11.2 kt	SW	15:00	14.9°C	16.3°C	62
Apr	23%	45%	32%	10.8 kt	SW	15:00	17.8°C	17.9°C	60
May	42%	68%	58%	12.7 kt	SW	15:00	21°C	18.2°C	62
Jun	40%	57%	52%	12.1 kt	SW	17:00	23.6°C	20.3°C	60
Jul	21%	58%	37%	11.3 kt	SW	15:00	26.9°C	20.8°C	62
Aug	13%	47%	29%	10.5 kt	SW	16:00	26.7°C	20.9°C	62
Sep	22%	47%	40%	10.6 kt	SW	15:00	22.5°C	19.6°C	60
Oct	31%	48%	45%	11.5 kt	WSW	16:00	20.6°C	20.1°C	62
Nov	18%	37%	30%	10.2 kt	NNE	11:00	16.6°C	18.6°C	60
Dec	19%	34%	26%	9.8 kt	NE	11:00	13.2°C	17.2°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

ocean

Standing depth

A long stretch of shallow sea at Manta Rota; the water stays warm and shallow well out from the sand.

Tides

The spot works on all tides. No tide-specific kite guidance has been published for it.

Temperature

22.5°C summer · 16°C winter

Wetsuit

Boardshorts in summer, a shorty in spring and autumn, a wetsuit in winter; average summer sea temperature is 22-23 C.

16–21°C water

Large sandy Atlantic beach on the eastern Algarve, on the Monte Gordo bay. Water runs calm to choppy with small to medium waves, biggest in winter or in Levante conditions. It is warm, quiet and shallow, with nothing that worries a bather, which is a comment on swimming rather than kite-specific safety advice.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

Beginner, intermediate and expert all ride here. The wide sandy beach and shallow water make it easy going, but summer swimmer traffic means beginners should keep out of the central bathing area.

The scene

What riders come here for

freeridesmall wavesmedium waveslight-wind cruising

Family beach with a summer resort feel. Quieter than the western Algarve spots, and still one of the beaches eastern Algarve visitors head for first in July and August.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

3 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: large

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Praia da Alagoa, 2 km

Praia da Alagoa Fábrica / Cacela Velha Ilha de Cabanas

Every spot within 40 km is on the map at the top of this page, with its distance under it.

Rescue

Lifeguards work the beach through the bathing season, 1 June to 30 September 2026, and nothing covers it outside those dates. No kite-specific rescue and no safety boat. The beach carries a 2026 Blue Flag with a manned lifeguard post, showers and toilets while the season runs. Emergency number 112.

Launch

Huge sandy beach with dunes and room to spare, no obstacles, and car access with a short walk.

Space

large

Rules & access

2026: Manta Rota's bathing season runs 1 June to 30 September under Portaria n. 204-A/2026/1, and lifeguards are on duty only inside those dates. The national maritime authority beach notice prohibits kitesurf, windsurf, surf and other activities that can endanger bathers inside areas reserved for bathers. Keep out of the middle of the swimmers on weekends and through the summer holidays. The beach falls to the Capitania do Porto de Vila Real de Santo Antonio, whose coastal jurisdiction starts at the meridian of the Cacela church (007 32' 7'' W) and runs east to the Guadiana; no captaincy notice setting kite zones, corridors or distances on this stretch was found for 2026.

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

Rider tips

Walk east or west out of the central bathing area before you rig; in July and August the middle of the beach is all swimmers.
Watch both forecasts, the SW thermal and the E/SE Levante; Manta Rota is the place to come when the wind swings east.
Expect a short walk from the car to the sand.
Pack a shorty for anything outside high summer and a full suit for the cold months; average summer sea temperature is 22-23 C.
If you are learning, pick a shoulder-season week. The wide shallow water only helps when the bathing crowd is not standing in it.
Out of season there is no lifeguard on this beach at all, so tell someone where you are riding.

Getting there

Airport

Faro Airport (FAO)

Route

Take the N125 between Tavira and Monte Gordo and follow the signs to Manta Rota. From Faro Airport it is roughly 50-61 km and about 50-58 minutes by car or taxi.

Transfer

55 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Beach apartments and resort accommodation in Manta Rota, Vila Nova de Cacela, Altura, Tavira and Monte Gordo.

No-wind days

Swim, eat in Manta Rota, Tavira, Monte Gordo or Cacela Velha, and go birdwatching on the Ria Formosa.

Photos

Praia da Manta Rota - Portugal (29494209092) — Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is it suitable for beginners?

Yes, beginner, intermediate and expert ability are all listed, with a wide sandy, shallow beach supporting easier riding away from the central bathing area.

When is the best time?

March to October is the best season, with SW thermal wind and E/ESE/SE Levante both working at a typical 12-22 knots.

Are there rules?

The 2026 bathing season runs 1 June to 30 September, and kiting is prohibited inside areas reserved for bathers, so riders should avoid the middle of swimmer zones on weekends and summer holidays.

What are the hazards?

Summer and weekend swimmers are the main issue, along with small-to-medium waves during winter or Levante conditions.

Last updated: August 2026