You can learn kitesurfing anywhere with wind and water. But if you want the learning process to cost you as few nerves, as little time, and as little money as possible – location plays a huge role. And El Gouna is simply hard to beat in this regard.
I’m not a marketer, I’m a kite school operator. We’ve been teaching in El Gouna since 2004, and over that time we’ve seen thousands of beginners. I know exactly what works and what doesn’t. Here’s an honest breakdown of why I believe El Gouna is one of the best places in the world to learn kitesurfing.
The Lagoon – Foundation of Everything
When you’re learning kitesurfing, you don’t need waves. You need flat water where you can stand up when you fall. And that’s exactly what El Gouna has.
Our lagoon is roughly 2-3 kilometers wide, and the depth ranges from knee-deep to chest-deep. The bottom is sandy – no coral, no rocks, no sea urchins. When you fall (and you will, that’s normal), you simply stand up and keep going.
This is something you don’t get at most spots. In Europe, you often learn in the sea with waves, where the current pulls the kite one direction and you in another. In Zanzibar, there’s a coral bottom. In Brazil, waves and chop. Here – none of that.
Flat water means your kite behaves predictably, the board is easier to control, and instead of fighting the conditions, you can focus on technique. That’s why our students typically progress faster than anywhere else.
Wind – 300+ Days a Year
El Gouna sits on the Red Sea coast at a spot where the prevailing northern wind combines with a thermal effect. The result? Over 300 windy days per year.
That doesn’t mean it blows every day – but it means when you book a week-long course, the vast majority of your lessons will happen as planned. In Europe, you can easily lose half your course to weather. Here, that rarely happens.
The wind is also stable and consistent. No gusts jumping from 10 to 25 knots and back. It blows 15-22 knots, evenly, all day. For learning, this is absolutely crucial – students need predictable conditions, not adrenaline surprises.
A School with 20 Years of Experience
Kitepower El Gouna has been operating since 2004. That makes us the oldest kite school in El Gouna and one of the oldest on the Red Sea. Over that time, we’ve fine-tuned every detail of the teaching process.
Equipment
We have over 250 Flysurfer kites – we’ve been their exclusive partners since 2009. This means you always have the right kite size available for current conditions. We don’t have three kites and hope one of them works for teaching. We have the full range of sizes and select exactly what each student needs.
Add to that Levitaz boards and foils – an exclusive partnership since 2015. Equipment is new or one season old at most, regularly serviced.
Walkie-Talkie Coaching
This is something that sets us apart from most schools. Every student gets a waterproof radio and the instructor communicates in real time directly on the water. No waving hands from the beach, no guessing what that gesture means.
The instructor tells you: “More pull with the left hand. Now. Good, hold it.” And you hear it instantly. The difference in progression is enormous.
IKO Certification
We’re an IKO-certified school (International Kiteboarding Organization). What does that mean in practice? That lessons follow an internationally recognized system. At the end of your course, you receive a free IKO certificate – and with it, you can go to any IKO school in the world and pick up exactly where you left off.
Location – Northern El Gouna
There are several kite spots in El Gouna. We’re in the north – and that’s a crucial advantage.
The northern location means you have unlimited space to ride downwind. When you’re learning, you naturally ride downwind – and with us, there’s always more room. No wall, no end of the lagoon after 200 meters. You can ride for kilometers.
This is why we moved here in 2016. It’s the last base in the north – and beyond it, there’s only open lagoon.
Safety
Safety during lessons isn’t just about having a rescue boat. Although we of course have one – it patrols the lagoon all day and is ready to step in at any time.
Safety is mainly about conditions. Shallow water means you can always stand up. Sandy bottom means you won’t get injured. Stable wind means the kite does what it should. And a lagoon with no boat traffic means you don’t have to dodge yachts.
On top of that, we have a system where every student is monitored the entire time. The instructor sees what you’re doing, and thanks to the radio can immediately advise or intervene.
Team – 7 Languages
In peak season, we have up to 25 instructors. We teach in Czech, English, German, Arabic, Italian, Russian, and Polish. This means you don’t have to struggle with lessons in a foreign language – and in kitesurfing, that matters more than you might think.
When the instructor says “release the bar” over the radio, you need to know instantly what they mean. In a foreign language, it takes an extra second – and that second can mean a crash.
Our instructors aren’t seasonal part-timers. Most of them have been teaching with us for years, live in El Gouna, and kitesurfing is both their job and their passion. That shows in the quality of instruction.
Comparison with Other Destinations
Let’s compare honestly.
Europe (Spain, Greece, Italy): Wind is unreliable. The season is short (June–September). You often learn in the sea with waves. Course prices are comparable or higher. And when there’s no wind, you pay for a hotel and wait.
Zanzibar: Beautiful place, but coral bottom. Lessons depend on tides – sometimes you have a 3-4 hour window per day. And getting to the spot is time-consuming.
Brazil (Cumbuco, Jericoacoara): Waves and chop. Interesting for advanced riders, tough for beginners. And a flight from Europe costs twice as much.
Tarifa, Spain: Strong wind, but the Levante blows in gusts and the sea has waves. Not suitable for learning.
El Gouna: Flat lagoon, sandy bottom, stable wind, 300+ days per year, 4-5 hours by plane from Europe, reasonable prices. For learning, it’s simply the ideal combination.
What Else El Gouna Offers
Kitesurfing isn’t an all-day affair. And El Gouna excels here – because it’s not just a kite spot, it’s a full-fledged town with complete infrastructure.
Right at our center, there’s a restaurant serving food from breakfast to evening. A playground with wooden climbing structures, bridges, and trampolines. Pool table, foosball, ping-pong, darts. And a coworking space with Wi-Fi for those who need to work.
In El Gouna, you’ll find golf, go-karts, horseback riding, a cable park for wakeboarding, diving, snorkeling, and dozens of restaurants from Egyptian cuisine to sushi.
For families, it’s ideal – a non-kiting partner will definitely not be bored. And children from age 5-6 can start their own course with us.
The Numbers Speak for Themselves
80-90% of our customers come back. That’s not a marketing catchphrase – it’s reality. People return because it works here. Because they learned what they wanted. Because the conditions are reliable. And because the atmosphere at the center is one that simply makes you want to come back.
37% of our customers are from Germany, 15% from the Czech Republic, 11% from Switzerland, 11% from Poland. The rest from all over the world. We’re an international center where you meet people from every corner of the planet – and that’s one of the best things about kitesurfing.
How to Get Started
If this has caught your interest, check out our beginner courses. The basic course is 8 hours and starts at €465. It includes all equipment, walkie-talkie coaching, and a free IKO certificate.
Have questions? Write to us – Andrea or I will usually reply within a few hours.
And if you’re not sure when to go – read our seasonal guide. Spoiler: almost any time is a good time.