Zanzibar is a good place to visit all year round. Even in the rainy season the island is a great place. It’s not raining 24-7, the island is quiet and great for diving for example. Check the activitites you can do outside of kitesurfing here. 

For kitesurfing the best time of year is all year round except from April and November. The reef protects the inside waters, so the lagoon inside the reef is flat, shallow knee-deep water, perfect for beginners and experts. 
Check when the Kite Centre is opened

Wind

The best months for beginners are from mid-June until mid-October and the end of December until mid-March. The wind is always side onshore. From June until October the Kusi blows from the south-east, in December the Kaskasi blows from the north-east.

The best months for experts are from mid-June until mid-September and the end of December until the end of February.  While the above listed time-frames are the norm, variations do occur. Therefore we do recommend you to check the wind history on the island. 

The average wind speed is around 16 knots, usually increasing towards the end of the day in the late afternoon and early evening. The most commonly used kite sizes are 12, 10 and 9 meters, with some occasional 7 meter kiting, depending on your body weight and the wind speed.
More information about the kite conditions

The conditions for kitesurfing are usually perfect during the season. Which is from June 10th until October 10th and December 10th until March 10th. The reef protects the inside waters, so the lagoon inside the reef is flat, with shallow knee-deep water, perfect for beginners and experts alike.

Wind

The best months for beginners are from mid-June until mid-October and the end of December until mid-March. The wind is always side onshore. From June until October the Kusi blows from the south-east, in December the Kaskasi blows from the north-east.

The best months for experts are from mid-June until mid-September and the end of December until the end of February.  While the above listed time-frames are the norm, variations do occur. Therefore we do recommend you to check the wind history on the island. 

The average wind speed is around 16 knots, usually increasing towards the end of the day in the late afternoon and early evening. The most commonly used kite sizes are 12, 10 and 9 meters, with some occasional 7 meter kiting, depending on your body weight and the wind speed.

Temperature 

The water temperature is always over 24 degrees so your wetsuit can stay at home, unless you are easily prone to coldness which can occasionally happen in Africa’s winter months (June-September).  At most you would need a 2mm shorty. 

Lagoon

In the lagoon, in front of the Kite Centre, you will find a perfect kite heaven, with shallow water for beginners and flat water for freestyle / freeride experts. Sandy bottom everywhere, the lagoon is split up into 2 parts, separated by a seaweed farming area, very easy to see and to pass to the other part. 
Booties / shoes can be brought, but are not used a lot, except for learning how to fly kites, and for body dragging in the lagoon. Then they can be handy for protection against the odd sea urchin that escapes from the nearby farming operation.  For the most part the sea floors are sandy and soft. 

Reef / waves

The reef for surfing waves is 1.5 kilometers off-shore with perfect breaks… Launch and surf out to the waves with a minimum of three people for safety considerations, or take a surf trip-downwinder with wave master Ruben. When the tide is halfway to full tide it’s time to explore the amazing waves which can be very good. The waves on a normal day are around 1-1,5 metres up to 3,5 metres. 

Bring mostly protection for the sun, sun-creme, a lycra shirt, a cap, sun-glasses. It’s also good to take surf-shoes if you are a beginner. Worried you might forget something? There’s no need, because you can also buy all these things in our kiteshop. 

The most used sizes are 9 &12 m, in combination with a 135 board for a 75 kg person.
In the evening some days it can be stronger, just over 20 knots. With these winds it can be nice to have a 7m, also if you are using a waveboard.
But there are also days with lighter wind, so it can’t hurt to bring a light wind board or kite (15+), or a hydrofoil board in which case you will have a great time. 

The reef is approximately 1-2 km away from the beach, depending on the spot. If you go further to the North the reef is closer. In Paje it’s 1,8 km.

Between the beach and the reef the water is shallow. Because the tide changes, the water is changing from empty up to 2,5 meter deep, depending on the moon position. Full moon causes very low and very high water. 

On the reef, which lies 1,5 kilometres outside of Paje Beach you find amazing waves, with perfect reef breaks for endless sessions. 
If you go Southward the reef is going out even further. To the North the reef is getting closer. Therefore we do most downwinders on the Northside of the Kite Centre.
The size of the waves depends a bit on period and winds. Average is 1,5 meter (5 foot) but can get up to a solid 3 meter (10 foot). 

Read more about Strapless Kitesurfing in the waves on our blog. 

Kitesurfing is often seen as an extreme sport, but it’s really up to you whether you make it extreme or not. Compare it to riding a bike.. if you stroll down the street casually it’s no big deal. But if you have to make backflips in the meantime it gets pretty extreme. And that’s the beauty of Kitesurfing. After three lessons most likely, you will be able to ride independently. After that you can challenge yourself in what you want to learn further! Just make sure you stay within your ‘comfort zone’ and enjoy the ride.

Most accidents happen due to a starting kitesurfer who hasn’t had any lessons. We can give you Kitesurfing Lessons in a safe way because we use only new and top quality materials to ensure we can trust our materials fully. So if you ask us, Kitesurfing is not dangerous at all and its possible to do for everybody.

There is one main danger though, Kitesurfing is highly addictive..

We offer Advanced Kitesurfing Lessons and private lessons for those who are able to kitesurf independently and want to learn certain new tricks or who want to push their kitesurfing to the next level … 

We offer Intermediate Kitesurfing Lessons for those who want to progress on the beautiful waters of Zanzibar. 

We offer a Beginners Introduction Kitesurfing Lesson for those who want to have a taste of this amazing sport before continuing with the full course. This Intro Lesson is perfect to discover Kitesurfing …

We offer Hydrofoiling Lessons for those who are able to kitesurf independently and want to learn this new amazing sport. The biggest advantage is that you are able to ride with hardly any wind … 

Make a reservation for your kitesurfing holiday !

Have you made the decision to visit Zanzibar on your kitesurfing holiday? Excellent choice! The only thing you now need to do is make a reservation.
Book now! 

It can be busy at Kite Centre Zanzibar, so we kindly ask you to make a booking in advance to make sure there is space for you in the Kite Centre. Please book at least one week before the arrival date, preferably earlier. 
You can check our opening dates here. 

To secure your spot we ask you to make a 20% deposit payment.
The remaining can be paid at arrival in cash. We accept EUR, USD, or TSh. Please note that the only ATM’s are in Stonetown (1 hour drive). Card is mostly possible with a bankcharge of 5%. 

To be able to rent kitesurf gear you need to know how to stay upwind (come back at the same point where you started). Or have attended a full kiteboarding course from one of our instructors or a refresher course, so we know your skills. 

The only ATM’s are in Stone-town (1 hour drive), so make sure you bring cash! in USD, EURO or TSH. (Traveller checks are not accepted).

We do have a creditcard machine (+5%) Maestro / Visa, but due to typical island life this machine is not always working, so don’t rely on this!! 

The best is to book in advance, in order to guarantee availability see « make a booking » (of course, no wind …cash return).

Opening months

We are open from:
June 10 th until October 10 th
December 10 th until March 10 th

The other periods we are closed, because the trade-winds are going down, and these periods are know for the so called rain season, when the wind is getting light & unpredictable. However in these periods Zanzibar is still beautiful to visit. Check out all the other activities here that you can do on this amazing island besides kitesurfing.

Do you want to learn kitesurfing? Check out our options below! 

It’s my first time ever kitesurfing:
– Introduction, full beginner kitesurfing lessons, or beginner week-package
More information about the beginner lessons

I did a course before:
– Refreshing lesson, intermediate lesson to work on position
More information about the intermediate lessons

I want to stick a certain trick:
– Advanced lessons, learn tricks like handle passes and kiteloops
More information about the advanced and private lessons

I’d like Private Lessons:
If you want 1:1 lessons that possible for all stages, we do recommend for beginners to take a group lesson, you learn a lot by helping and watching others.
More information about private lessons

Whats up with Hydrofoiling?
– Hydrofoil course to try out this new sport
More information about hydrofoiling courses

BEST GEAR, BEST QUALITY

We offer the best gear which means the best quality, by using the latest premium kitesurf material from the best high quality brands in the business. 

We are connected with the FANATIC BOARDERS CENTER that stands for the highest quality and service. 
For our kites we work mainly with NORTH KITEBOARDING material and are North Dealer.
Next to that we are a test centre for BRUNOTTI boards. 
For harnesses helmets and kite jackets we use ION ESSENTIALS.

All this great equipment is for sale our Kite Shop.

When you are on zanzibar there are several things to do 

check KAYAKS options 

If you want to combine a kite trip with a safari on the mainland, contact in2safaris for more info.

Yes. To visit Zanzibar you need a visa, but you don’t have to arrange this beforehand! It’s easy to collect the visa upon your arrival on the airpot of Zanzibar or Dar es Salaam. The costs of the visa are $50,-.  

It works as follows, upon arrival on the airport you fill out a form with your details and where you are staying. Have you booked your accommodation yet on the kitespot at the Kahawa Suites? After this you go to the office where you pay the fee of $50,- (paying with creditcard is possible). After one final passport check and stamp you are welcome in Zanzibar! Karibu Sana!  

You can fly directly to Zanzibar (ZNZ). The Kite Centre is situated on Paje Beach and is accessible from the main town on the island, Stone Town. ZNZ is an island just off the Tanzanian coast. Dar Es Salaam is a big city on the mainland and also an option to fly to first. 

International airlines to DAR (Dar Es Salaam) or directly to ZNZ (Zanzibar) are:
• KLM (Amsterdam)
• Jetairfly (Brussels)
• Swiss (to Dar)
• Condor (Lufthansa)
• Emirates (to Dar)
• Ethiopian Air
• Turkish Air
• Fly dubai
• Oman Air

The flight from DAR to ZNZ is around 90$ oneway, you can check airlines like:
• Coastal Air
• Zan Air
• Precision Air
or take one of the ferries for around 35$ oneway

Getting to the Kite Centre

From Stone Town you can take a taxi (50$) to Kinazi Upepo, or take a Dalla Dalla local bus for a TSh3000 all the way to Paje.

Kite Centre Zanzibar is located on Paje Beach next to Kitete. From the round about go right and at the supermarket turn left and keep going left until you see the Kite Centre Zanzibar sign. Follow these, walkup to the beach and thats where we are! On the right side of the coffee/lunch place called « Mr. Kahawa ».

Zanzibar island is not that big. It’s around 90 km long and 50 wide.

There are three options to get around:

• Taxi, to Paje it’s around 50$ from Stonetown, this is per car.
• Dala dala, leaves from the market area, to Paje it’s 3000Tsh
• Rent a car or scooter (30$ a day, more days gets cheaper)

Getting to the Kite Centre

From Stone Town you can take a taxi (50$) to Kinazi Upepo, or take a Dalla Dalla local bus for a TSh3000 all the way to Paje.

Kite Centre Zanzibar is located on Paje Beach next to Kitete. From the round about go right and at the supermarket turn left and keep going left until you see the Kite Centre Zanzibar sign. Follow these, walkup to the beach and thats where we are! On the right side of the coffee/lunch place called “Mr. Kahawa”.

On the island there is very little Malaria, only in the dirty sub-urbs from Stonetown area.
Incase you go to the mainland, into the tropical forest, don’t hesitate to take your pills. Otherwise, don’t worry too much. We have been here on the coast for a long time now and we did not use any pills, because on the coast the malaria mosquitoes are not common. If however you are in doubt, always check with your practitioner at home before you go to Zanzibar. 

Mr. Kahawa

Restaurant and lunchroom with great atmosphere 

For real Soul Food, great atmosphere and the best views you can check out Mr. Kahawa. Our lunchroom situated right on the kitespot in Paje next to the Kite Centre. Mr Kahawa is not just a restaurant, it’s where everybody goes during the day to relax and meet up before or after a kitesession.

From espresso to lattes, our barista’s will get you happily caffeinated with our Tanzanian blend. Or try a fresh mint tea or one or our huge range of herbal and traditional teas. Raw and fresh juices, smoothies with the best tropical flavours.

The chefs are happy to make you a great sandwich, freshly baked panini’s, baguettes, wraps, salads and snacks. Check the menu here.

Quote from a happy guest: « Great vibe, perfect location. This is THE place for lunch in Paje. Try the octopus salad or mango chicken wrap »