El Palmar surf could just be the star of the Spanish surf scene that you’ve never heard of. It gets the same W-NW wrapping swells that the Portuguese Algarve gets but is uniquely set up for beginner surfers on account of its miles and miles of sandy beachfront. Here’s our guide…
An introduction to El Palmar surf
As the incessant search for new surf towns along the Atlantic-exposed Iberian coast marched on past the Portuguese border it seemed kinda’ obvious to us that, at some point, little El Palmar de Vejer would enter the limelight. We went before it was cool here. That’s not a boast, because, to be honest, the surfing is a bit better now. A nascent surf scene headed by two or three boutique and independently owned surf camps is framed by a chilled Andalusian coast vibe, helping El Pal hit that just-right balance between R&R and fun.
The most popular waves break on the main playa. It’s a sweeping run of just under three miles that has peaks and peaks and more peaks up and down its whole length. There’s never any competition for space; always enough room to score yourself a little take-off zone, provided you’re willing to walk from it. Those with a car rental can also drive north and south to other bays in the region of Cadiz to score all sorts, from cruisy points to punchy beach breaks with the potential to get hollow.
El Palmar surf really lends itself to the more beginner end of the spectrum at heart. The chilled beach hotels and surf lodges that now line the shore are focused on offering small-group experiences for learners, all the waves are sand bottomed, the swell is usually a few feet smaller than what it is on the exposed Western Algarve. Oh yea, and the weather is nice here in December while it’s wazzocking it down in the UK and parts of the US.
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This guide is just one part of our complete guide to surfing in Spain
El Palmar surf at a glance
The good…
- Great for beginners
- New and exciting surf camps
- Lots of sunshine
The bad…
- Can suffer when it’s windy
- Not much surf in the summer
What’s in this guide to El Palmar surf?
Where is El Palmar?
El Palmar, or El Palmar de Vejer to give it its full name, is in the area of Vejer de la Frontera south of the city of Cadiz. That makes it a part of the huge region of Spanish Andalusia. However, there’s a kicker here that means this one is a MUCH better surf towns than other destinations nearby: The big, wide Atlantic Ocean spreads out to the west. The nearest airport is in Jerez de la Frontera. It’s just under an hour’s drive to the north and is also where you find the train station with links to Seville and other major Spanish cities.
El Palmar surf spots
El Palmar itself spills right onto its own long, long beachfront. That’s where you’re likely to spend most of your days in the water here, since it’s got peaks of all different shapes and sizes, lefts and rights. There are also one or two other named spots in the region. We’ll take a look at the whole lot here.
Cadiz
Conil de la Frontera
Conil de la Frontera is basically the name for the north end of the beach at El Palmar. It’s nothing different to what you get on the southern stretch of sand, only the waves are perhaps just a little less reliable here. They’re much the same stuff though – think punchy, wedgy beach breaks that are fantastically suited to beginners and improvers.
Playa El Palmar
There’s no getting around the fact that Playa El Palmar is a popular spot. It’s been called the “most famous surf spot in Andalusia,” and it’s hard to disagree. The main urban run of sand is just under three miles long. That provides ample space and means that you’ll never be surfing on top of someone else – something that’s not the case in many learner surf destinations around Europe.
The waves vary a lot from season to season. We’ll dig into the right time to surf here a little later, but for now suffice to say that summer is often pancake-flat for weeks on end. Winter, spring, and fall reign supreme, with the larger sets rolling in from December through to Feb. When it’s 5-7 foot+ then it can be messy, especially with big N winds at play. But when it drops under that and you get a winter E wind then things can shape up and there should be lots of A-frame peaks to play with. Some big days will hold, to give hollowish walls with the potential to be double overhead.
Playa El Palmar is also a bit of a whitewash factory. There’s never any shortage of mush to play on, which is why we give a lot of kudos to this town for beginner surf trips. It’s got a rare combo of manageable waves and good weather in the winter and there’s hardly a rock to be seen under the water.
Playa de Faro
You can hunt for waves along Playa de Faro, the point that juts out into the Atlantic channel just south of El Palmar. It’s flat most of the year but huge winter swells can create some big right handers on the outer reef. They’re short rides and drop you into deep paddle channels spotted with boils.
La Yerbabuena
A bowling right hander will curve off the reef at the end of the point here to give longish walls that mimic Kirra in Oz. Some say it’s the best logger wave in Spain on its day. We’ve never really seen it shine because the wind loves to mess about, swirling NE-E during the winter. When that calms, reports are that La Yerbabuena churns out lovely trimming shoulders on a deserted run of sand.
The best surf camps in El Palmar
We’re already witnessing the beginnings of a surf camp boom in the region of El Palmar. The town now boasts some seriously great options. They are mainly good for beginners. That’s not just because you’ll mainly be surfing the town beach break (see above) but also because surf camps come with all the lessons, gear rental, and technical training you need to get started as a surfer included in the price. Check out these for El Palmar…
- 8 Day Surfcamp with 9 Pies Surfschool in El Palmar, Cadiz – You get five surf lessons with pro instructors and all your gear rental included in this package from 9Pies. It’s the town’s premier surf camp at the mo, with an excellent rating for its quality tuition. We especially love that the group sizes are never over six people.
- 7 Day Surf Camp in El Palmar de Vejer, Andalusia – Guests to this one stay at the TAKE hostel in Conil, just north of El Palmar, though the beach is basically the same. We say it’s the best surf camp for the younger crowd, since the lodge has a pretty youthful feel to it, what with nightly events and surf-skate comps.
Where to stay when surfing in El Palmar?
If we had to pick one surf town in Spain to keep our eyes on in the next 5 years or so, El Palmar would be it. It’s one of the few places in the country that can offer that warm-water and Atlantic swell combo that’s made Portugal such a star. Seems like every year brings another surf shack of cool surf lodge on the beach that’s worth writing home about. Here are some of our current favs…
Hostal El Alférez ($$)
A stylish and charming little lodge with oceanic-themed interiors done in marine blues and light whites, Hostal El Alférez sits literally steps off the main beach in El Palmar. You can surf morning to night here if you wanna’.
Estudios Eucalyptal ($$)
One of the best options out there if you want self-catering accommodation on El Palmar beach. Units come with their own kitchens, small outdoor patios, and lounges with TVs.
Step-by-step guide to planning your El Palmar surf trip right now
Step one: Book flights to the El Palmar surf…Lately, we like Omio for searching flights. It’s a nice interface and has lots of airline options. We also use Skyscanner because that sometimes offers deals that even beat going direct to the carrier!
Step two: Book your surf camp Book Surf Camps is the numero uno online booking platform for fully-fledged surf-stay packages on the internet right now. Then there’s Booking.com. That has consistently unbeatable rates for hotels and a nifty map feature that lets you check EXACTLY how close your hotel is to a surf break.
Step three: Get insuranceThis is kinda’ important. Not just for surf trips but for any trips. SafetyWing is great for nomad travelers. They offer rolling contracts that cover amateur surfing.
Step four (optional): Rent a car If you’re surf camping then you might not need wheels. If you’re not then we’ll just say this: We’ve never been on a surf trip that wasn’t improved by having our own car. Use RentalCars – they’re the best.
Step five: Enjoy!
For paying for stuff when you’re traveling – Get a Wise borderless card/account. They charge NOTHING for POS payments in any country and have some of the best FX rates around in our humble opinion.
When to surf in El Palmar?
The best time to surf in El Palmar is between November and March. That’s the winter season, when the strongest NW-W swells are pushing through the Atlantic Ocean.
Because it’s tucked so deep into the Atlantic channel from the end of the Portuguese Algarve, El Palmar needs bigger winter swells to push through to get the waves a-rolling. That typically happens around November-March, when the forecasts offer something in the region of 70-80% surfable days. Now, that’s not to say you can’t get skunked in the winter. You can, just it’s a whole load less likely than it is in summer, when we wouldn’t really recommend a surf trip here at all – it can be paper flat for weeks and weeks on end.
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
Joseph Richard Francis
Joe “Rich” Francis has been surfing for the best part of 15 years. He’s nowhere near as good as he should be at the end of all that, but hey ho. Born and bred in Swansea, South Wales (the current base of The Surf Atlas), Joe is a seasoned adventure travel writer with completed publications in the surf-travel and adventure-travel sphere for major publications like Lonely Planet and The Culture Trip.
