PLANNING YOUR TRIP
WHERE IS LA VENTANA
La Ventana is Situated near the southern tip of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula in Baja California.
WHEN IS BEST TIME TO KITE
November to March.
Ventana Bay is famous for consistent north winds (20-25kts) that blow during winter. A combination of El Nortes (northerly fronts) and local thermal winds make it possible to kite almost every day during the winter season. The steady side-shore winds, smooth medium-sized swells, wide sandy beaches, and huge area to kite make Ventana Bay perfect for people at all experience levels.
HOW TO GET TO LA VENTANA
- Fly to Los Cabos(Airport code: SJD), and about 2 hours drive by car. Los Cabos Airport website
- Fly to La Paz (Airport code : LAP), and about 45 min drive by car
Rental Car
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Here is important fact about Insurance, which adds up a lot on top of car rental quotes. In short, you need at least liability coverage from a Mexican insurance provider. And most of people choose to buy full coverage. Even if your U.S. car insurance policy covers you in Mexico, you still need Mexican auto insurance for your vehicle. I found this article helpful.
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You do need to buy Mexican insurance if you are renting from rental car company in Mexico. (unless you rent from US and drive all the way to Mexico). - You can buy a Mexican auto insurance separately from the car rental companies.
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It is easy to walk between rental car companies like Avis, Dollar, Herz... and etc and compare your deals when you arrive.
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There are also smaller local rental car companies
Shuttle
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There is no regular scheduled shuttle running, but you can arrange shuttle service to get to La Ventana. (one way or round trip)
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Price is fixed per trip, divided by number of passengers.
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The driver would make a stop at Los Barriles for dinner (You can ask the driver to go to a restaurant of your choice in Los Barriles, or ask the driver to pick any). And you may be able to do some grocery shopping here if your driver does not mind waiting. (There are smaller grocery stores in La Ventana.)
FAQ
Do I need to bring wetsuit?
Depends on if you get easily get cold or not. The water temps are in the 70sF. Shorty is good for Spring/Fall. Most of people wear 3/2mm full wetsuit for mid winter.
Baggage fee for Kiteboard
I noticed recently major Airlines such as American Air and United Air added a section specific for kiteboard or kitesurfing Equipment in Baggage Fee Information.
I have summarized the terms and the link below for the major airlines flying into SJD. But please note that I do not guarantee the following information is 100% correct or won't change.
Virgin America and Alaskan Air still seems to remain as surf-board friendly airlines as of Jan 2016.($50/$75 vs $150/$200 by American and United) If you bring usual Twin tip kiteboard which is within limit, it seems that you can check it in as standard 1st checked bag with the airlines below.
- Standard 1st checked-bag : $25
- Surfboard type : $75
- Standard 1st checked-bag : $25
- Oversize or Surfboard type : $150
- Oversize = Exceeding 157cm/62in (length + height + width)
- Standard 1st checked-bag : $25
- Oversize or Surfboard type : $150 USD/CAD within US and Canada, $200 USD/CAD outside of the U.S. and Canada
- Oversize = Exceeding 50 pounds (23 kg) or is greater than 62 (158 cm) total linear inches (L + W + H)
- Standard 1st checked-bag : $25
- Surfboard type : $50
- Oversize = Exceeding 62 linear inches