8 Days, Multiple Departures
The kitesurfing beach and its sandy lagoons in Paje are of world-class quality with consistent warm winds and tropical waters. The water temperature in Zanzibar never drops under 24 degrees and, often in summer, can reach up to 30 degrees inside the lagoon. The kitesurfing spot in Paje is ideal for beginners and offers a perfect training ground for kite surfers of all levels.
During low tide, you will find great flat-water lagoons. Over mid and high-tide wave spots out on the reef can be reached through kitesurfing and amazing down winders planned. If you are practicing kitesurfing on your own and are booked with our center for beach assistance and gear storage, we will be able to give you an introduction to the kitesurfing spot in Paje and show you the do’s and don'ts.
Best Location
Our center is located in Paje, right at the best kitesurfing spot in Zanzibar.
Perfect Conditions
Paje offers great conditions for kitesurfers of all levels. The conditions are especially ideal for first-timers due to the flat waters and knee-deep waters.
Dreamy Backdrop
The waters couldn’t have more shades of blue. The palm tree-riddled coastline makes it a kite surfers paradise.
Constant Winds
When it blows, it blows. We get really consistent winds in season offering ideal conditions for your riding.
Tides
The huge tides in Paje on the East Coast of Zanzibar affect the kitesurfing spots and kitesurfing conditions. During low tide you get best teaching and learning conditions with shallow flat-water lagoons. Pushing and high tides are better for downwinders and more advanced riders, as well as wave kitesurfing on the outer reefs of Paje.
We offer top-class customer service and courses for Kite Surfing, Wave surfing, and Stand Up Paddle boarding as well as a friendly, welcoming atmosphere that represents the “Surfer” lifestyle. The team is made up of professional water men/women from Tanzania and all around the world with specialized skills and several languages to cater to a diverse clientele.
If you have a short time frame we recommend to opt for a surf trip. You won’t be a good surfer after a short course but you will be able to have a ton of fun without breaking the bank. Another alternative for shorter time frame is Stand Up Paddle Boarding.
Kitesurfing can not be learned in a day but you are able to find out if it is a sport you would like to continue in a few hours speed / crash course. Just let us know your time frame at time of booking and we can advise for the best option also depending on conditions and your budget.
The main Kitesurfing Season is from mid December to mid March and again from June to mid September.
The main surf season is from the start of December until the middle of March and again from June to the end of October.
We sometimes offer lessons outside of the main seasons for example Kitesurfing is offered from beginning of June to end of October (condition permitting) and from mid December to mid March. Wave Surfing Lessons are offered from Beginning of December to end of March and from June to the middle of November.
Our Center in Paje is open from mid December to mid March and from June 1st to October 31st. In the off season we accept bookings via WhatsApp, Mail or Instagram only.
The center in Jambiani has shorter seasons and we open there from mid December to mid March and from mid June to mid September.
We include hotel transfers on all wave surfing trips from any hotel in Jambiani, Paje or Bwejuu. If you are staying in a different location on the island, we are happy to help you arrange a driver at reasonable cost.
For all other activities (kiting and SUP) we don’t include transportation and you can meet us at our center in Paje for the scheduled appointment.
Prebooked Spots are paid via a secure online Credit Card Link.
On the spot we accept payments in cash in USD, TSH, € as well as payments via credit card (Visa, Master & Amex).
Please note that a 5% banking fee will be added to your bill when paying via card.
Depending on the time of year we can get very busy and booked up quickly. For example over Christmas and New Years Spots are often booked up weeks in advance. The earlier you sign up the better to make sure to get spots on your desired dates.
Not where we kite & surf.
If you go diving and are lucky you can spot some small reef sharks. But the scary big ones haven’t been seen around.
The gear used during surf & kite lessons has a basic insurance since you will be with our instructor. When renting SUPs, kitesurfing gear or fiberglass surf boards we do not include insurance and recommend to buy a worldwide gear rental insurance to cover you in any case. We recommend the VDWS Safety Tool.
We offer Surf Trips on a daily basis almost all year around (except of the months of April, May & last half of November) if conditions allow. Our official surf season starts from 15th of December until 15th of March and then again from 1st of June to 31st of October. Throughout the season the conditions are great for beginners on a daily basis. For more intermediate / advanced surfers we get the most consistent swells in January and February as well as from June – September with bigger waves.
Average swells are between 1.1m – 1.5m in season. This means that our beginner spot will provide waist high waves on average and the intermediate / advanced spots on the outer reefs chest to head high waves. We can get bigger waves than that although conditions are generally most fun and cleanest with medium sized swells.
The surf trips are scheduled with the tides and conditions and times are changing daily. Please check with us at least one day in advance to find out about the schedule and availability for the next day (this way you won’t miss an early morning session as well)
Surfing on the island is very tide dependent, which means that we only get one window of good surf in the day. Tide timing depends on the spot we surf and other conditions such as wind strength and direction as well as tide phase. For those reasons we run only 1 surf trip per day and after the trip is finished the waves are as well and unfortunately there is no chance to keep practicing after a lesson and we will have to wait for the next day.
No. All surf spots in Zanzibar are out on the reef and only accessible by boat.
We provide all the gear including reef shoes as well as snacks on the boat. You should bring lots of sun lotion (make sure it is extra waterproof one), a towel and dry clothes for after the surf and that’s it. If you want to bring a camera make sure to have a waterproof bag to keep it in the boat.
We have a wide range of surf boards. For beginners we provide the beginner soft top boards. For intermediate and advanced surfers we have a good range of fiberglass and epoxy boards between 5’8 and 9′.
The amount of guides depends on group size and level of surfers. All lessons are group lessons and usually no more than 7 students per instructor. We are the only ones in the spot which means even in a bigger group you will be able to catch a lot of waves and progress nicely.
It is always difficult to give an accurate answer to this question, as the conditions depend on a lot of outside factors (tide & moon phase, wind strength, wind direction, spot choice of the day). Zanzibar is not listed on MagicSeaweed, but you can check out the swell forecast on Windguru or Windy to get a better idea of what the surf could be like over the next days.
Here’s a helpful guideline on how to read the forecast:
– Wave Hight: 0.6 – 1m Knee to Waist High / 1m – 1.5m Waist to Head High on the outside (waves on the beginner section are always around knee to waist high)
– Wind Strength: 15 knots and less: Glassy, Clean Conditions / 15-20 knots and more: A little bumpy / 20 knots and over: Bumpy with strong currents
Yes, we allow spectators on the trips for a small cost covering fee. However, this depends on the availability of the day and can only be confirmed last minute as spots are first of all reserved for our surfing guests.
The kite season is a bit shorter than the wave season and starts from 15th of December to 15th of March and then again from beginning of June to end of September. The best and most consistent months with highest chances of wind every day are January and February as well as June, July & August.
Kite sizes used most in Zanzibar are 10m – 14m kites. If you bring a size between 9-11m and one bigger size you should cover most days. Small kite sizes are hardly used on the island.
Well, this really depends on each and everyone's individual learning curve. The average person takes around 9-12 hours in a semi private group course or 4-6 hours in a private course to have the first success riding both directions. A few more hours can get you to a level of confident riding, doing transitions and being able to rent gear on your own.
Again, every student is different and some pick it up quicker and others may need a lot more hours. Our instructors will be able to adapt the course to your individual learning curve and go in the speed that is most productive to get you riding and independent as soon as possible.
If you had board sports experience such as wake boarding, snowboarding or surfing you will probably pick it up quicker when it comes to the board riding. Any experience with wind sports such as sailing or windsurfing will help you understand the kite a lot quicker. No experience at all is also not a bad thing, since you won’t have bad habits from related but different sports
Most of our instructors come from all over the world and change seasonally. First language on lessons is English, but if you need lessons in a different language ask us and we can have a look if we have an instructor available who speaks your mother tongue.
The tides have a big influence on kiting conditions. As an experienced kiter you can kite all day if there is wind. The water goes flatter on mid and low tide and choppy on the high tide. Best teaching conditions are over mid and low tide when the water is shallower. We will advise you on best schedule throughout your stay when booking lessons with us.
We use the latest Liquid Force & Lacuna Kite Equipment at our center and keep the gear in great condition and change it regularly to offer you the best quality possible.
Check out Windguru or Windy (Paje) for an idea on how the wind will be like. Generally the wind forecast is quite reliable for 1-3 days ahead.
If you see white and light blue in the forecast (10 knots and under) the wind is really light or non existent and chances for lessons low. Any green color means conditions of 10 – 19 knots, which means chances to kite are very good. Orange, red and purple colors indicate strong winds and happy kiters.