# Viedma - El Cóndor — Viedma, Argentina

El Cóndor is the kite beach of Viedma: a seaside resort on the Atlantic, 30 km from the city via Ruta Provincial 1, with more than 10 km of beach. You kite between the village and the mouth of the río Negro, in front of the Tercera Bajada, where the Municipality built the Refugio de la Zona Viento for kitesurf, windsurf and land sailing. You head down the Tercera Bajada to the beach, set up on the wide sand and ride up to about 300 m from the shore.

The most frequent wind is the sudoeste: it comes side-on from the right, gusty, and takes you towards the river mouth. The sur comes from the sea, slightly cross-on, and on some spring and summer afternoons the east and sudeste breeze arrives, blowing towards the beach: these are the most comfortable for heading out and returning. With norte or noroeste the wind is offshore and you don't go out. The best times are from September to April.

There are two tides per day and the beach changes width significantly: at low tide a rocky reef appears in front of the village. The water is cold all year round: use a full wetsuit. With strong wind, sand blows off the dunes. In summer there are bathers on the beaches with lifeguards (Cailotto and Central), to the sudoeste of the launch, and cars that drive down to the sand via the ramp. People have been riding kite in El Cóndor since 2006, when the El Cóndor Vuela meeting began, and during Easter the Festival del Viento is held, with kitesurf and land sailing.

Photos: "El Cóndor - Río Negro" by Roblespepe (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons; "Playabalnearioelcondor" by MrFran55 (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons; "Faro Río Negro" by AugustoCC (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

- **Sports:** Kitesurf, Windsurf
- **Difficulty:** Intermediate
- **Location:** Viedma, Argentina (-41.04165, -62.81105)
- **Favourable wind directions (where the wind blows from):** E (90°), SE (135°), S (180°), SW (225°)
- **Wind range (knots):** 12–30
- **Best months:** September, October, November, December, January, February, March, April

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

| Month | <7 kn | 7–13 kn | 13–20 kn | 20–35 kn | >35 kn |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 5 | 43 | 42 | 9 | 1 |
| February | 4 | 53 | 35 | 8 | 0 |
| March | 5 | 54 | 37 | 4 | 0 |
| April | 6 | 47 | 37 | 8 | 2 |
| May | 5 | 59 | 25 | 10 | 1 |
| June | 10 | 55 | 30 | 3 | 2 |
| July | 19 | 54 | 24 | 3 | 0 |
| August | 11 | 44 | 37 | 8 | 0 |
| September | 6 | 44 | 39 | 10 | 1 |
| October | 3 | 58 | 35 | 4 | 0 |
| November | 2 | 48 | 43 | 7 | 0 |
| December | 5 | 47 | 41 | 7 | 0 |

## Local winds

- **Sudoeste** — SW (225°), 12–35 kn. The most frequent wind in El Cóndor, all year round. It comes side-on from the right, along the beach, and arrives gusty.. It takes you towards the northeast, towards the mouth of the río Negro: do not go past the end of the beach, there is a current and sandbanks there.
- **Brisa del este y sudeste** — ESE (110°), 12–25 kn. The breeze that comes from the sea on some spring and summer afternoons. It blows towards the beach: with it, it is easy to head out and return.. It takes you towards the sudoeste, towards the village and the beaches with bathers: return to the Tercera Bajada before reaching Playa Cailotto.
- **Sur** — S (180°), 12–30 kn. Comes from the sea, slightly cross-on, with the southern fronts. It is the second most frequent wind and brings more waves.. Choppier and colder water: go out with someone else on the beach.
- **Norte y noroeste** — NNW (338°), 10–35 kn. Offshore wind: blows from the dunes towards the sea. You do not go out at this beach.. It takes you away from the coast and arrives gusty due to the dunes. Do not go out with norte or noroeste.

## Zones

- **Launch** — Launch zone
- **El Cóndor - Tercera Bajada** — Navigation zone
- **Parking** — Parking

## Points of interest

- **Tercera Bajada Launch**: Wide sand in front of the Refugio de la Zona Viento, between the village and the river mouth.
- **Tercera Bajada Parking**: At the end of the Tercera Bajada, above the ramp that goes down to the beach (OpenStreetMap).
- **Refugio de la Zona Viento**: Municipal shelter for kitesurf, windsurf and land sailing, in front of the riding area.
- **Mouth of the río Negro**: Tidal current and sandbanks (Banco Miguel): with sudoeste do not let yourself be carried here.
- **Playa Cailotto**: Beach with lifeguards in summer (14:00 to 20:00) and bathers: do not ride in front of it (OpenStreetMap).
- **Playa Cailotto toilets and shower**: Next to the Playa Cailotto parking area (OpenStreetMap).
- **Camping El Viejo y el Mar**: One of the campsites on the road, about 700 m from the Tercera Bajada (OpenStreetMap).
- **Frente al Mar**: Restaurant in the village, on the seafront (OpenStreetMap).
- **Faro Río Negro**: The oldest lighthouse in continental Patagonia, on the cliff to the sudoeste of the village.

## Hazards

- Mouth of the río Negro to the northeast: tidal current and sandbanks
- Norte or noroeste wind: blows from land and takes you out to sea
- Strong gusts and blowing sand from the dunes
- Cold water all year round: use a full wetsuit
- Two tides per day: the beach changes width significantly, and at low tide a rocky reef appears in front of the village
- Bathers at Playa Cailotto and Playa Central in summer

## Obstacles

- Cars and vans that drive down to the beach via the Tercera Bajada ramp
- Land sailing and kitebuggy on the sand at low tide
- Dunes behind the beach

## Facilities

- Restaurant
- Toilets
- Showers
- Parking

## Restrictions

- Playa pública y gratuita, sin horarios.

[See it on Ventus Surf (3D map, zones and live forecast)](https://ventus.surf/spots/viedma-el-condor-khWHS6jXd3isQyo7xRgT?lang=en)