Map › Portugal › Algarve - Lagos/Alvor › Praia de Monte Clérigo

Algarve · Aljezur · Faro

Praia de Monte Clérigo

also known as Monte Clerigo, Monte Clérigo, Praia do Monte Clerigo, Praia do Monte Clérigo

advanced onlymedium crowds

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 Bordeira 16 km · Praia do Amado 20 km · Meia Praia 31 km · Ria de Alvor (Alvor Lagoon) 32 km · Praia de Porto de Mós 32 km · Praia do Martinhal 37 km · Praia da Rocha 38 km · Praia do Tonel 38 km · Praia Grande de Pêra 53 km · Praia dos Salgados 55 km · straight-line distance

Seasonno season namedthe months riders and schools name How windyno knot figure publishedsynoptic Launchmediumaccess rules on record, below Waterocean19°C in summer · 8 things riders flag LevelIntermediate to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools4named at this spot From the airport80 minFaro Airport (FAO)

When it fills in

No onset time is published for this spot.

Praia de Monte Clerigo is a surf beach that gets kited now and then. It sits on the exposed west coast near Aljezur, inside the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast natural park: spacious sand, rock formations toward the southern end, tide pools at low water.

It works when the wind direction is right, giving side-shore wind and medium waves, and nobody has published which directions those are. Summer water sits around 17-21 C. Currents change often and there is undertow just off the beach, which along with the surf makes it a poor beginner kite choice.

No kite season, typical knots, kite sizes or formal launch corridor is confirmed. Surfers, bodyboarders and families fill the sand from July into September, so an out-of-season day or a local briefing is how you ride it.

The wind

Direction

cross-shore

Character

synoptic

Spot-specific kite wind reliability is unconfirmed. It reportedly works only with the right wind direction, giving side-shore wind and medium waves.

No kite season is confirmed. Monte Clerigo is a surf and bodyboard beach first.

Strength

No knot figure is published for this spot.

Direction to shore

Unknown for kitesurfing. The beach faces north to north-west, and the only kite guidance available is side-shore wind on the right direction.

Dominant direction

side-shore wind when the direction is right; exact kite directions are unconfirmed.

Forecast

Month by month

Jan67
Feb58
Mar71
Apr69
May70
Jun80
Jul81
Aug77
Sep64
Oct62
Nov56
Dec52

per cent of the month at force 4 or more

13Jan16°
14Feb16°
14Mar16°
14Apr17°
14May17°
14Jun19°
14Jul18°
14Aug18°
13Sep18°
13Oct20°
12Nov18°
12Dec17°

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

Month	Force 4+	Knots	From	Air	Water
Jan	67%	13.3 kt	NNE	13.8°C	16.1°C
Feb	58%	13.8 kt	N	14.2°C	15.9°C
Mar	71%	14 kt	N	14.6°C	15.6°C
Apr	69%	13.7 kt	N	16.3°C	16.5°C
May	70%	13.6 kt	NNW	18.1°C	16.9°C
Jun	80%	13.8 kt	NNW	19.8°C	19.2°C
Jul	81%	13.9 kt	N	20.8°C	18.2°C
Aug	77%	14.1 kt	N	20.8°C	17.5°C
Sep	64%	12.7 kt	N	20.3°C	18.3°C
Oct	62%	12.9 kt	N	20°C	19.6°C
Nov	56%	12.1 kt	SE	17.1°C	17.9°C
Dec	52%	11.7 kt	SE	14.7°C	17°C

modelled

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

Modelled from weather reanalysis on a 10–25 km grid (2022-2024), not a ground station: reliable for trade and synoptic winds, understates thermal sea breezes and valley winds. 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.

ERA5 reanalysis grid point (modelled) · Open-Meteo historical weather API — ECMWF ERA5/ERA5-Land reanalysis, not a ground station · 2022-2024

The water

Type

ocean

Standing depth

Only the tidal rock pools at low water. No standing-depth kite area is confirmed.

Tides

Low tide exposes rock pools and shallow pools; no kite-specific tide window is published.

Temperature

19°C summer · 15.7°C winter

Wetsuit

Warmest water is 20-23 C around mid-August, suiting a 2 mm long-sleeve shorty or 3/2 spring suit if windy; lowest seasonal water is 15-16 C around early March, suiting a 4/3 or 3/2 plus boots.

Currents

Currents change frequently, with undertow reported just off the beach.

16–20°C water

Exposed west-coast Atlantic beach in the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast natural park, used mainly for surfing and bodyboarding. Spacious sand, rock formations, tide pools, and more swell than the sheltered south-coast beaches.

Your level

not for beginners hereintermediateadvanced

Intermediate to advanced only. The beach is exposed, wavy and current-affected, and the spot-specific kite evidence is thin. Surf schools teach surfing here; that is no evidence of kite suitability.

The scene

What riders come here for

wavessurf-style kiting when conditions align

A family and surf beach rather than a kite scene. Probably the liveliest beach on the Costa Vicentina, and still a little-known kite spot.

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: medium

access rules on record

Somewhere else

Praia da Bordeira, 16 km

Praia da Bordeira Praia do Amado Meia Praia

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

Rescue

Lifeguards cover the bathing season and the beach holds a Blue Flag. No kite rescue service is confirmed.

Launch

Sandy beach near the village of Monte Clerigo, with road access, car park, ramps and stairs. Rock formations are present toward the southern end.

Space

medium

Rules & access

2026: the bathing season runs 1 June to 30 September and the Blue Flag season 1 July to 30 September. The national maritime beach notice prohibits kitesurf, windsurf, surf and other activities that can endanger bathers inside areas reserved for bathers. No kite-specific municipal rule or launch corridor is confirmed.

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

Rider tips

Treat it as a wave spot and read the surf size as carefully as the wind direction.
Launch away from surfers, swimmers and the rock formations at the southern end.
Lifeguards on the beach are not kite rescue. Plan your own way back in.
Bring a proper wetsuit; the west coast runs colder than the eastern Algarve.
Get a local briefing first, because nobody has written down which wind directions work here.

Getting there

Airport

Faro Airport (FAO)

Route

About 10 km from Aljezur on easy paved road, and about 113-115 km from Faro Airport, roughly 1 h 20 min by car or transfer. Public transport is slower and usually means going via Lagos or Aljezur plus a local connection.

Transfer

80 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Small village/holiday homes at Monte Clerigo, plus guesthouses and surf accommodation in Aljezur, Vale da Telha and Arrifana.

No-wind days

Surf lessons, bodyboarding, tide pools at low tide, Costa Vicentina walks, Arrifana, Amoreira, Aljezur old town and beach restaurants.

Photos

Praia de Monte Clérigo - Portugal (34985684261) — Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

Is Monte Clérigo suitable for beginners?

No, it should be treated as intermediate to advanced only because kite-specific evidence is thin and the beach is exposed, wavy and current-affected.

What is the wind like?

It only works with the right wind direction, producing side-shore wind and medium waves; typical wind speed was not documented.

Are there rules or restricted zones?

The 2026 bathing season runs 1 June to 30 September, and national rules ban kitesurf in areas reserved for bathers during that time.

What hazards should riders know about?

Currents change frequently, there is undertow close to the beach, and rocks and rock pools sit toward the southern end.

Last updated: August 2026