# Tarifa - Camping Jara — Tarifa, Spain

Camping Jara is the stretch of Los Lances beach located in front of Camping Río Jara, between the Los Lances Norte kite zone and the river mouth, 4 km from Tarifa. A wide sandy beach, with the Río Jara lagoon and its wooden posts behind it, and the Strait and the Moroccan coast in front.

It is a Poniente spot: the west-southwest wind comes in side-onshore, more constant here than next to the large car park, with choppy sea and suitable for all levels outside of summer. It is the main spot for the low and mid-season. With Levante the wind comes from offshore, strong and gusty, without rescue: for experts only.

Hazards and rules: the mouth of the Río Jara (to the southeast) has a very strong current and must not be crossed; the lagoon and the river channel are a Natural Area and it is forbidden to ride inside the posts, with fines. From 15 June to 15 September this stretch is a swimming zone and kite is forbidden; the summer kite zones are in Los Lances Norte and Valdevaqueros.

Most people park in the Los Lances Norte car park (football pitch) and walk or ride to here; campers launch directly from the campsite, which has showers, a supermarket and a restaurant. Forecasts are checked with ARPEGE, ECMWF and ICON.

Photos: "Vista desde el observatorio de aves playa los Lances ,Tarifa. al fondo a la izquierda Punta Paloma" by Juan Vladimir Paraschuk (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons; "Board-start-practice-tarifa" by Graykite Tarifa (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

- **Sports:** Kitesurf, Windsurf, Wingfoil
- **Difficulty:** Intermediate
- **Location:** Tarifa, Spain (36.03838, -5.63334)
- **Favourable wind directions (where the wind blows from):** WSW (250°), W (270°), E (90°)
- **Wind range (knots):** 12–40
- **Best months:** January, February, March, April, May, October, November, December

## Wind by month (% of days per strength)

| Month | <7 kn | 7–13 kn | 13–20 kn | 20–35 kn | >35 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17 | 60 | 20 | 2 | 1 |
| February | 15 | 61 | 19 | 5 | 0 |
| March | 12 | 45 | 38 | 5 | 0 |
| April | 15 | 52 | 31 | 2 | 0 |
| May | 7 | 71 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| June | 16 | 66 | 15 | 3 | 0 |
| July | 15 | 61 | 24 | 0 | 0 |
| August | 21 | 62 | 17 | 0 | 0 |
| September | 19 | 55 | 26 | 0 | 0 |
| October | 13 | 65 | 22 | 0 | 0 |
| November | 20 | 62 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| December | 28 | 52 | 16 | 4 | 0 |

## Local winds

- **Poniente** — WSW (250°), 12–35 kn. West-southwest wind that comes in side-onshore: the wind for this stretch. More constant in front of the campsite than next to the large Los Lances Norte car park, with choppy sea.. Suitable for all levels outside of summer. Stay away from the river mouth and out of the lagoon.
- **Levante** — E (80°), 15–45 kn. East-northeast wind, strong and gusty, coming from offshore: it leaves the water flatter but pushes out to sea. For advanced level; there are rescue boats.. Offshore: only with experience, small gear and without going far from the shore, even if there are rescue boats. The stretch near Tarifa is dangerous with Levante.

## Zones

- **Launch** — Launch zone
- **Camping Jara** — Navigation zone
- **Los Lances lagoon (reserve, forbidden)** — Restricted zone
- **Río Jara channel (reserve)** — Restricted zone
- **Car park** — Parking

## Points of interest

- **Río Jara mouth**: Common mouth of the Río Jara and the Río de la Vega: very strong current, do not ride or cross it.
- **Los Lances lagoon (reserve)**: Natural Area: riding forbidden inside the lagoon, wooden posts and fines.
- **Río Jara channel**: The channel runs behind the beach to the mouth: natural reserve, current and variable depth.
- **Los Lances bird observatory**: Lagoon viewpoint on the Natural Area path; the cover photo is taken from here.
- **Camping Río Jara**: Campsite at the foot of the lagoon (N-340 km 81): showers, supermarket and restaurant; beach access via the path next to the river.
- **Pachamama**: Restaurant next to the campsite, on the N-340.
- **UZO Surfshop**: Surf and kite shop next to the campsite.
- **Kite Fun Tarifa**: Kite school on the N-340, 1 km southeast of the campsite.
- **Hostal El Levante**: Hostal on the N-340, 500 m from the campsite.
- **Los Lances Norte car park (football pitch)**: Where most people park; from here you walk or ride to Río Jara.

## Hazards

- Río Jara mouth: very strong current, do not cross
- Río Jara lagoon and channel: natural reserve with wooden posts, riding forbidden
- Offshore Levante and no rescue
- Swimming zone closed to kite from 15 June to 15 September
- Schools and students in low season

## Obstacles

- Wooden posts of the reserve in the lagoon

## Facilities

- School
- Parking
- Restaurant
- Showers
- Toilets

## Restrictions

- Del 15 de junio al 15 de septiembre está prohibido navegar en este tramo (zona de baño); en temporada baja y media se navega libremente

[See it on Ventus Surf (3D map, zones and live forecast)](https://ventus.surf/spots/tarifa-camping-jara-R2Izoersw2TK7v9k4WVS?lang=en)