Key details
How many hours of lessons do I really need?
The honest answer: around 12 h to ride on your own, and the centre knows it, which is why its flagship group course is 12 h over four days (€479). With 9 h over three days (€389) most people control the kite and body drag, but stop just short of the board. The 3 h block (€139) tells you whether you like it, not how to ride. In a group you share a kite between two or three, so there's waiting time; a private lesson (€169 for 2 h, €449 for 6 h, €699 for 10 h) moves faster because the kite is yours the whole time, and it pays off if you have few days. If you already ride, an improver lesson with your own gear is €75 an hour, or €99 with the centre's premium gear.
Rental: only if you already ride, and better by the week
The centre won't rent to anyone who can't launch and return on their own, and rightly so. If you ride, the full Duotone set (kite, bar, board, wetsuit, vest and helmet) is €120 a day, but the curve drops fast: €265 for three days, €490 a week and €750 for two weeks, meaning a week works out at €70 a day. If you bring your kite and only need a board, it's €60 a day; if you bring the board and want kite and bar, €100. The flexible rate (+20%) lets you use the days when it blows, and given how the wind changes, on longer stays it usually pays off more than betting on consecutive days.
When kitesurfing is NOT worth it on this trip
If you're here for four days or fewer, a kite course will eat your whole trip and one calm day may leave you halfway: in that case, try the 3 h to see if you get hooked, or look at wingfoil, which takes fewer hours to learn, or eFoil, which needs no wind. If you're travelling with someone who won't be kiting, bear in mind that lesson times aren't fixed until the day before, which complicates planning the rest of the day. And if what you want is 'a quick go', kitesurfing isn't that: the first session is kite on land and body drag, not board. Where it does pay off: a week or more in El Médano, with the intention of coming back another year to carry on.
Included
- Instructor with Bb Talkin radio: you hear them from the water
- Activity insurance
- All the gear, including wetsuit, vest and helmet
- Kite change according to the day's wind
Not included
- Getting to El Médano
- Gear, in improver lessons with your own equipment
- Food and drinks
Cancellation & conditions
Up to 48 h before, you cancel at no cost. If there's no wind on the booked day, the session is moved to another day of your trip; that's why we ask you not to book it for the end of your stay. If there's no room left, we review it with the centre case by case.
Naventia Trips as local curator
Naventia Trips acts as a local intermediary and experience curator. Activities are operated by selected professional providers. Final availability, schedules and conditions are confirmed before booking.
Frequently asked questions
Is it worth learning kitesurfing on a one-week holiday?
Yes, if you give four of the seven days to the 12 h course and accept that the wind sets the timetable. With fewer than four days, the 3 h taster or wingfoil is a better bet.
Group or private?
Group if you have four days and want to pay less (€479 for 12 h). Private if you have two or three days and need to make every minute count (€449 for 6 h): without sharing a kite, those 6 h are worth a good few more in a group.
What if there's no wind on the day of my lesson?
It's moved to another day of your trip at no cost. In El Médano totally calm days are rare, but they happen; that's why it's best to book the course for the start of your stay and leave room at the end.
Is it dangerous? Do I need to be fit?
With an instructor, radio and proper gear, the risk is under control; what it demands is persistence and coping with frustration in the first few days. You don't need to be an athlete, but you do need to swim and have no back or shoulder problems.
What minimum age or weight do they ask for?
The centre doesn't publish a figure: in kitesurfing weight is what matters, because it decides the kite size. Tell us the age and approximate weight and we check before confirming anything.
Why is the price the same as on the centre's website?
Because it is. We charge what Duotone publishes on its website and nothing more; our part is telling you which format suits you, fitting it into the rest of your trip and being on the other end of WhatsApp if something goes wrong.
Kitesurf or wingfoil to start with?
Wingfoil if you have few days: it takes fewer hours to learn and the group course is held at Granadilla harbour, on flat water. Kite if you're after power, jumps and a huge community in El Médano, and can give it four days.
Where do I stay to kite without a car?
In El Médano itself: the centre is on the beach promenade and everything is within walking distance. From Los Cristianos or Costa Adeje it's 20-25 minutes by car each time, and with times that shift with the wind, that gets tiring.
How is the booking confirmed?
Naventia Trips checks availability, provider conditions and the traveller's level before confirming the experience.
Can you tell me what else to do on those days?
Yes, and it is what we get asked most. Tell us which days you have free and where you are staying, and we will say what pairs well with this excursion and what should not go on the same day.