Kite Surfing in India

What it is

Ride a board powered by a steerable kite. It needs steady wind, so the sport in India concentrates in a few genuinely windy places rather than every beach.

When to go

Rameshwaram has two wind seasons: June to September and December to March. Goa works on winter afternoons, roughly December to February.

First time?

This one has a real learning curve. Expect 6 to 10 hours of instruction (kite control on land first, then body-dragging, then the board) before your first proper ride. Book a course, not a rental.

Where to do it

• Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu

  the kite capital of India, flat shallow lagoons and reliable wind

• Morjim, Goa

  winter sessions when the north wind picks up

• Mandvi, Gujarat

  long empty beaches with strong seasonal wind