Lilaste, The White Dune, Koklites, Bērzciems, Kolka, Ventspils, Pāvilosta and Liepāja
Author: Renārs Bīrmanis0 COMMENTS
Latvia is famous for its beaches. Over 500 km long shoreline provides plenty of places for kiting and coming in touch with the Power of Nature. Fabulous beaches, covered with the finest sand in the world, and you can kite regardless of wind direction there. Typically to Riga Bay, water is easily accessible and you will always find a spot to kite alone. The west shore is famous for its waves. Liepaja, located on the west coast, is dubbed the city of winds, and there is a good reason for that. Latvia has 3 distinct headlands - Cape Kolka, Ovīši and Akmeņrags, where winds form beautiful flat waves rolling with big intervals. It's a great spot for some extra-long flights or a wild tricks.
**** Lilaste - the most popular beach close to Riga. Perfect wind conditions ranging from W to N. Easily accessible and has always some kiters around, who will lend a hand at launching and landing your kite.
**** The White Dune (Baltā kāpa) - located at Pabazi, and good for the reason alone that it's never crowded.
*** Koklites - the most hazardous kiting spot in Latvia. It has gained its popularity being the closest headland to the north of Riga, and for its steady S winds. The stone-covered coast is pretty wild and rugged with occasional underwater rocks, yet if you get deeper into the sea, you can catch some great waves there.
***** Bērzciems - The most popular spot in Latvia, when NE, E and SE winds are blowing. It's a lagoon, in fact, that can gather up to 100 kiteboarders all at once. It boasts having the first ever kite park in Latvia, featuring 2 trampolines and 14 m slide. It is perfect both for making your first steps in kiting and for polishing up some new tricks as well. It is also a home for Aloha.lv team. Unofficial events, photo sessions and just some good kiting takes place there for 8 summers already.
**** Kolka provides good kiting with almost any direction of wind, except SW. Just be cautious about being swept out into the sea.
*** Ventspils beach features a special kiting spot, furnished with a toll access lane that brings you close to the water. The spot works whenever SW, W and N winds blow. Big waves are typical for SW wind. Moreover, if anything happens, life savers are always there to help you.
**** Pāvilosta is called a kiters' paradise, although the officially fixed kiting spot (northwards from the Big Stone) is rocky and totally unsuitable for this purpose. Unofficially, however, it is possible to have a go in the area at the Northern pier, famous for the longest and most stunning waves you can find along the Latvian coastline (SW winds). It is also the only sandy beach around there. A disadvantage to be mentioned is dirty waters from the town's sewage system flowing into the sea. The area at the Southern pier offers entirely different kiting experience - the water is much cleaner and winds less gusty. Yet you have to beware of being swept onto the pier, and the waves are not so neat either. With N wind blowing, this part of the beach is more suitable for kiting - no stones and no people either.
*****Liepāja is famous for its steady wind. It boasts the widest beaches in the Baltics and the finest sand you can ever come across. Mostly prevailing SW winds make kiting possible there, although one can kite with winds ranging from S to N as well. As the east wind blows, kiting is possible on Liepaja Lake. There is something special about the area at the North Pier near the Forts, as time from time it features the most perfect waves in the whole Baltic Sea, suitable not only for skilled kiters but for surfers too. Yet it is for experts only, and you have to observe the local rules - wait for your turn and keep in mind that surfers, however unusual it may seem, have only a secondary role there. The Northern Pier, called Palm Beach by locals, is a home to kiters.
+ Numerous sandy bottom beaches
+ All wind directions and kite sizes are suitable
+ Easy to access kiting spots, and mostly well developed tourism infrastructure
+ Comparatively warm water, which is cleaner at the west shore than in the bay
+ Well-developed kiting culture and wide range of equipment for much cheaper prices than elsewhere in the world
- Due to fast-growing popularity, most favorite kiting spots become more and more crowded
- It is risky to leave your pricy gear unattended in a car in some unfamiliar places
- In places where the local municipalities have not allotted special kiting spots, watchers may be endangered
SHARE:
ABOUT US • CONTACTS • RSS • FOLLOW US: 
ENG LAT
© anothertravelguide.com 2015
Anothertravelguide.com is an internet resource for independent travellers. All addresses listed on anothertravelguide.com - hotels, restaurants, shops, etc. have been tested and evaluated by our authors. All opinions are subjective and anothertravelguide.com takes no responsibility if any of these locations don't live up to your personal expectations, taste or mood, or has undergone serious changes since visited by authors and experts of anothertravelguide.com.