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indsurfing and kite sailing in Margarita, Venezuela offers the most consistent, strongest, sideshore wind in the Caribbean. This is created by both the dry heat rising from the desert called thermals, and the trade winds approaching Margarita Island. The wind is light in the morning, and builds during the day making it perfect for beginner windsurfers and kite boarders to get out before noon.

Margarita is a Venezuelan island 25 miles from the mainland. Margarita is a 30 minute flight from Caracas in a full size jet. There are about 15 flights per day to the island. It is 330 square miles. Small fishing villages dot the coastline which is primarily sandy beach. The center of the island is mountainous and many small towns are nestled in the hills.

The island is quite diverse. The northeastern part of the island is very lush and tropical, while the southwestern area - including El Yaque - is very arid. The dry heat rising from the desert surrounding El Yaque creates a strong thermal pull for the trade winds approaching the island. The thermal pull creates winds in El Yaque of 25-30 knots for much of the year. The wind is strongest from December to May. June and November also have good wind but are not quite as strong or as consistent. The summer and fall months have good wind for beginners and intermediates. The summer and fall are also very popular for kitesurfers because the wind is not as strong and is less gusty. The winds are typically in the 10 to 20 knot range as opposed to the 20 to 30 knot range of the winter. The entire day is available for learning to kitesurf as opposed to only the morning during the winter months when the wind strength increases rapidly.

The Caribbean water is warm and shallow, typically waist deep for at least 200 yards from the beach. The wind is sideshore so you can never be blown out to sea. The kitesurf area upwind of the windsurfing area is shallow for a much greater distance offshore. Kitesurfers can learn with the security of standing in shallow water rather than battling in deep water.The wind is more consistent in Margarita than anywhere you'll find. It slowly builds through the morning, peaks in the afternoon and cranks until sunset. The water is flat close to shore, with swells outside. These conditions create a comfortable and unintimidating environment for beginners and intermediates in the mornings, while experts can bump and jump all afternoon. The climate is quite consistent since Margarita is only 11 degrees from the equator. Hours of daylight and temperature vary little. The air temperature is typically in the low to mid 80's in the winter and high 80's to mid 90's in the summer. Water temperature is in the low 80's. Daylight is from 6:30 a.m. until 6:30 p.m.

All windsurfing equipment is new, rigged and ready, waiting for you on the beach. In El Yaque you never need to deal with the rig and drive hassle. Who wants to spend their whole vacation putting gear on and off the car, driving, rigging, rerigging, derigging, rigging...?

There is no need to rent a car. The village is quite small and walkable. There are now ten hotels and even more restaurants offering a variety of food. Many guests are content to stay just in El Yaque. Taxi service is available to go to the city for shopping or dining. Rental cars can be delivered to you at Casa Viento, and I suggest only daily rentals.

Porlamar, a city of 250,000 people, offers incredible duty-free shopping. Whether you're looking for Italian suits or dresses, cookware, espresso machines, liquor, native handicrafts or T-shirts, everyone should be able to find something to bring home.

There are a large number of fine restaurants in Porlamar. Food is inexpensive. A nice seafood dinner with appetizer, beers and desert is usually under $15. There are a very large number of Italian restaurants. No trip to Margarita is complete without trips to Porlamar for dinner and shopping.