Cabanas de Tavira / Algarve / Portugal

Cabanas de Tavira is a former fishing village located in Portugal's popular Algarve region. It has become popular with tourists due to its gorgeous beach Praia de Cabanas which is located on an island just offshore which is also part of the Rio Formosa national park. It is also popular with kitesurfers of all abilities.

The river entrance to the ocean at Tavira is small and sandy with not much water when the tide is low.  Although it's a great spot to pracice, the bottom can hurt your feet with the vegetation that is growing there. You may prefer to cross to the island and Cabanas, either by water taxi or by crossing the channel by foot. Here you will get some better waves.

The winds blow mainly from the east or west and are strongest from March to October. The wind direction is mainly south west from March to October at a speed of around 12-16 knots. The rest of the year is either east or south west with speeds of around 10-14 knots. ENE and WSW are sideshore winds. The water quality is clean and flat to choppy at the river entrance with some good shallow sports for beginners. The ocean side has better waves although they can be quite infrequent. Summers are warm and only a pair of shorts is needed. Come the winter months and you need a full wetsuit.

There is plenty of parking and accommodation to be had here. There are also several small bars at which to grab a bite to eat. Cabanas de Tavira has some very good fish restaurants.

There are no real safety issues here but watch out for any shipping traffic and respect other surfers.