Map › Chile › Puclaro Reservoir

Coquimbo, Chile · Valle del Elqui · Provincia de Elqui · Gualliguaica

Puclaro Reservoir

also known as Embalse Puclaro, Puclaro, Embalse Puclaro Intendente Renan Fuentealba

flat waterbeginner-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

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

SeasonJan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Sep, Oct, Nov, Decthe months riders and schools name How windy20-35 ktthermal LaunchMedium. The launch moves with the reservoir level; walk it for rocks before rigging.access rules on record, below Waterfreshwater reservoir; flat to choppy water, with small steep chop/waves in the middle when windy7 things riders flag LevelBeginner to advancedwith a caveat, in the Level section Schools5named at this spot From the airport45 minLa Florida Airport (LSC)

On the clock

10:00 · 12:00 · 13:00 · 19:00

Dead in the morning. The thermal comes in around midday, with 10:00, 12:00 and 13:00 all quoted for the fill-in depending on the day, and it runs on until about 19:00 or sunset.

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.

Puclaro Reservoir is a dam lake in the Elqui Valley, Chile, east of La Serena and 15 minutes by car from Vicuna, and the wind is the reason to drive up.

It is a thermal squeezed by the valley into a Venturi: it fills in somewhere between 10:00 and 13:00 depending on the day, blows 20-35 kt through the afternoon in high season and holds until sunset.

December-March is the strong period, September/October to April or May the wider season, and April to September still blows but gustier, 15-25 kt, with fewer kiteable hours; bring 5-9 m kites.

The water is fresh, clear and cold mountain meltwater, so a 4/3 with booties is the safe call even when a shorty looks tempting; it is flat near the Gualliguaica shore and stands up to steep chop of about 1.6 m in the middle. Nobody has published summer or winter water temperatures.

The launches are pebble and rock as much as sand, and they move with the reservoir level, which is why the schools at Gualliguaica earn their keep: ask them where the rocks are today. Side-shore wind here means a dropped board drifts a long time before it touches shore.

Motors are banned on the reservoir because it is drinking water, sail sports are allowed (2026), and the company is other kiters, windsurfers and, in January-February, swimmers.

The wind

locals call it Elqui Valley thermal / Venturi wind

Direction

cross-on

Kite sizes

567891011

metres · typical quiver highlighted

Character

thermal

fills in: Dead in the morning. The thermal comes in around midday, with 10:00, 12:00 and 13:00 all quoted for the fill-in depending on the day, and it runs on until about 19:00 or sunset.

Typical strength

20-35 kt in high season; 15-25 kt in lower/off season

very reliable thermal wind, strengthened by the Elqui Valley Venturi effect; morning/shore wind can be gusty

September or October to April or May, with December to March the strong stretch. Some counts start it in August and end it in May. It blows outside that window too, but April to September has fewer kiteable hours and a gustier 15-25 kt.

The daily window in season runs from around midday to about 19:00.

Also on record

The quiver, in words

For a 75-85 kg rider: 7 m and under on the big afternoons, 8-9 m the rest of the time. Anything larger is a shoulder-season kite here.

Direction to shore

Side-shore to side-on; side-onshore most days.

Forecast

Month by month

riding season from the spot record · no wind series here is trusted enough to name a season

Jan, riders' month0
Feb, riders' month0
Mar, riders' month0
Apr, riders' month0
May0
Jun0
Jul0
Aug0
Sep, riders' month0
Oct, riders' month0
Nov, riders' month0
Dec, riders' month0

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

Ringed months are the ones riders and schools name: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, Sep, Oct, Nov, Dec.

The model is wrong here

The model reads 0% 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	0%	0%	0%	6.9 kt	W	15:00	20.7°C	62
Feb	0%	0%	0%	6.8 kt	W	15:00	20.8°C	57
Mar	0%	0%	0%	6.3 kt	W	15:00	20.2°C	62
Apr	0%	0%	0%	5.4 kt	WSW	15:00	17.7°C	60
May	0%	0%	0%	4.9 kt	WSW	14:00	16.3°C	62
Jun	0%	0%	0%	4.6 kt	WSW	14:00	14.2°C	60
Jul	0%	0%	0%	4.4 kt	WSW	14:00	13.9°C	62
Aug	0%	0%	0%	5.3 kt	WSW	14:00	13.9°C	62
Sep	0%	0%	0%	5.5 kt	WSW	15:00	15.4°C	60
Oct	0%	0%	0%	6.2 kt	WSW	14:00	16.4°C	62
Nov	0%	0%	0%	6.7 kt	WSW	15:00	17.9°C	60
Dec	0%	0%	0%	6.8 kt	WSW	15:00	19.4°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

freshwater reservoir; flat to choppy water, with small steep chop/waves in the middle when windy

Standing depth

There is shallow water near the shore; how far out you can stand is unconfirmed.

Tides

None; freshwater reservoir and tide independent. Water level changes with dam/storage level.

Wetsuit

Wetsuit year-round. Some ride a 2-3 mm from September-April; the safer call is a 4/3 mm plus booties, because this is cold mountain meltwater.

Currents

No marine currents; side-shore wind can leave a lost board or rider drifting a long time before reaching shore.

Clean, clear water. Flat in light wind, choppy when it blows, with chop or waves up to about 1.6 m in the middle of the reservoir.

Your level

beginnerintermediateadvanced

First lessons work here: flat water near shore and protected corners, which is why the schools sell Puclaro as a learning spot. A beginner without a school should think twice. The shore wind is gusty, the entry has rocks, and side-shore drift makes a self-rescue long.

The scene

What riders come here for

flat waterfreestylebeginnerfreeridebeginner lessonsbig airwindsurfing

The Elqui Valley's wind-sports village: several schools, visiting kiters, a small base at Gualliguaica. Swimmers and beach users show up in January-February; the nightlife, such as it is, runs December-February.

Launch and rules

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

With a school or a boat

5 schools name this spot

See who they are

On your own

Room to launch: Medium. The launch moves with the reservoir level; walk it for rocks before rigging.

access rules on record

Somewhere else

No neighbour on record

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

Rescue

The schools at Gualliguaica cover their own riders, and lessons run with a radio in the helmet so an instructor can talk you through a problem from shore. There is no public rescue boat or lifeguard on the reservoir. Side-shore wind on a lake this size makes a self-rescue a long one, so the schools are the whole safety net.

Launch

Main launch areas are around Gualliguaica on hard sand, pebble/earth and rocky reservoir beaches.

Space

Medium. The launch moves with the reservoir level; walk it for rocks before rigging.

Rules & access

2026: motorised craft are banned on Embalse Puclaro because the reservoir supplies drinking water to the coastal cities. Windsurf, kitesurf and kiteboard are permitted and run from the academies on the Gualliguaica side. The dam and its viewpoint area are open Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, and entry is free. There is no kite permit, no launch-zone bylaw and no public rescue regulation.

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

Rider tips

Book with Kitesurf Gualliguaica in the village for IKO lessons and rental kit; in December-February book ahead.
Ask the school which beach is in use at today's reservoir level before you rig; the launches move with the dam.
Wear booties. The entries are pebble and rock and the water is meltwater-cold.
Bring 5-9 m kites; the afternoon thermal runs 20-35 kt in high season.
Mornings are dead until 10:00-13:00, so do Vicuna or the dam viewpoint before lunch and ride after.
Hold onto your board. Side-shore wind carries a lost one a long way down the lake.
Entry to the dam is free, but the gate runs Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00. Come Monday and you are riding from the village side.
Forecasts under-read this valley. A model showing 4-8 kt has coincided with 25 kt on the water.

Getting there

Airport

La Serena / La Florida Airport (LSC)

Route

From La Serena take Route 41 / Ruta de las Estrellas east toward Vicuna; the Gualliguaica turnoff is about 52 km out and the dam is around km 50. Buses to Vicuna will drop you near the dam; taxi from there to Gualliguaica.

Transfer

45 min

Cost level

medium

Staying

Sleep at Gualliguaica if you want to walk to the water: Hotel Puclaro, the school cabins, the kite hostel. Vicuna is 15 minutes by car and has the restaurants.

No-wind days

Valle del Elqui sightseeing, Vicuna, trekking/walking from Gualliguaica along the old irrigation canal, cycling/mountain biking from Vicuna through nearby villages, the dam viewpoint and Elqui eolian harp, pisco/valley tourism and astronomy/stargazing.

Photos

titled 'Puclaro reservoir' directly — René Bongard / CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

titled 'Embalse Puclaro' (the reservoir), wide panorama — Rjcastillo / CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons

FAQ

When is the best time to kite Puclaro Reservoir?

The main season runs September/October to April or May, with December to March the strongest.

Is Puclaro Reservoir suitable for beginners?

Yes; local schools market it for first lessons thanks to flat, sheltered water, though independent beginners should still get local guidance because of gusty shore wind and rocky entries.

What is the wind like at Puclaro Reservoir?

An Elqui Valley thermal/Venturi wind builds from around midday, reaching 20-35 knots in high season and easing toward sunset.

Are there kite schools at Puclaro Reservoir?

Yes; Kitesurf Gualliguaica, Puclaro Kitesurfing, Kitesurf Circus and others operate in the Gualliguaica hub.

Are there rules at Puclaro Reservoir?

Motorized water activities are prohibited to protect the drinking-water supply, but sail-powered sports like kitesurfing and windsurfing are allowed.

Last updated: August 2026