Surfing holiday in Spain
| country: | Spain |
| location: | Asturias |
| departures: | Departs every Saturday, all year |
| price: | From £439 (7 days) excluding flights. Price includes all transport, transfers, accommodation, breakfasts, surf materials and offsetting of the carbon emissions of your journey to and from Spain |
read 1 travellers review
the amazing things you'll be doing
The north of Spain is a surfer’s paradise and unequalled anywhere in Europe. Its waves are longer, bigger and less crowded than other popular surf destinations. Its people are friendlier, and its villages and towns more intriguing. The entire coastline is backed by the impressive peaks of the Cordillera Cantabrico, snow-capped for much of the year, and the beaches are second to none. All around the vegetation is a lush green, unspoilt. The seas are clear, clean and inviting.
The scene is set for your week-long surfing adventure, a 1000km surfing odyssey along Spain’s northern coast. A road-trip with the spirit of discovery.
The trip explores the three distinct regions of Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque country with their different local customs, gastronomy, and people. You’ll be able to check out the world famous river mouth waves at Mundaka and Rodiles, party late in the vibrant city of San Sebastián and drink the traditional cider in the Asturian fishing village of Ribadesella. Lazily wander the medieval cobbled streets of Santillana del Mar and siesta on the beach. The opportunities are endless in this natural playground.
Beginners will benefit from daily classes of quality surf tuition from a qualified NARS beach lifeguard and English-speaking instructors with all materials included in the price. Intermediates will be able to improve their wave-riding skills at any number of breaks, perfect for quick progression. For advanced surfers the opportunities to practice your skills are open and endless. With world-class breaks such as Rodiles, Los Locos and Mundaka you can pitch yourself alongside some of the best surfers in Europe.
All transport, transfers, accommodation, breakfasts, board, wetsuit and surf materials are included. We also have a professional photographer with us for the duration of your trip, capturing all the action both in and out of the water. At a small extra charge you can take Spanish classes or have professional surf tuition from ex-European surf champion, Dani García as part of the adventure.
This adventure really does take you further than any other and enables you to explore this little known, and outstandingly beautiful, area of the world.
See below for an example itinerary (subject to change depending on conditions).
The scene is set for your week-long surfing adventure, a 1000km surfing odyssey along Spain’s northern coast. A road-trip with the spirit of discovery.
The trip explores the three distinct regions of Asturias, Cantabria and the Basque country with their different local customs, gastronomy, and people. You’ll be able to check out the world famous river mouth waves at Mundaka and Rodiles, party late in the vibrant city of San Sebastián and drink the traditional cider in the Asturian fishing village of Ribadesella. Lazily wander the medieval cobbled streets of Santillana del Mar and siesta on the beach. The opportunities are endless in this natural playground.
Beginners will benefit from daily classes of quality surf tuition from a qualified NARS beach lifeguard and English-speaking instructors with all materials included in the price. Intermediates will be able to improve their wave-riding skills at any number of breaks, perfect for quick progression. For advanced surfers the opportunities to practice your skills are open and endless. With world-class breaks such as Rodiles, Los Locos and Mundaka you can pitch yourself alongside some of the best surfers in Europe.
All transport, transfers, accommodation, breakfasts, board, wetsuit and surf materials are included. We also have a professional photographer with us for the duration of your trip, capturing all the action both in and out of the water. At a small extra charge you can take Spanish classes or have professional surf tuition from ex-European surf champion, Dani García as part of the adventure.
This adventure really does take you further than any other and enables you to explore this little known, and outstandingly beautiful, area of the world.
See below for an example itinerary (subject to change depending on conditions).
day-by-day itinerary
| Day 1: | Pick up from point of arrival (Santander) 6pm. Drive to Asturias. Evening surf. Night in Ribadesella. |
| Day 2: | Surfing at Asturias beaches. Rodiles, Vega, Rib. 2 hour surf class. Visit fishing villages. BBQ. Night in Ribadesella. |
| Day 3: | 2 hour surf class. Surfing east into Cantabria. San Vicente. Sunset surf. Night in Oyambre. |
| Day 4: | Surfing at Cantabria beaches. Los Locos, Liencres, Meron, Oyambre. 2 hour surf class. Visit to Santillana, Comillas. BBQ. Night in Oyambre. |
| Day 5: | 2 hour surf class. Surfing east into Basque country. Berria, Sopelana, Mundaka. Night in Mundaka/San Sebastián. |
| Day 6: | Surfing at Basque country beaches. Mundaka, Bakio, Roca Puta Zarautz, San Seb. 2 hour surf class. Night out in San Sebastián. |
| Day 7: | 2 hour surf class. Zarautz, San Seb. Lunch. Drop off at point of departure (Santander/Bilbao/San Seb) 4-6pm. |
travellers' tales
The highlight for me of course was actually learning to surf thanks to the excellent instruction of Ben. (more)
how this holiday makes a difference
|
To surf is to be at one with nature. Without the natural environment there would be no surfing. We take this fact very seriously and ensure that, throughout the holiday, we have as little negative impact on the environment as possible. During your adventure we'll take in a wide range of what northern Spain has to offer; spectacular scenery, breathtaking coastline and pristine mountains. We want to ensure it stays that way. We achieve this by practising low-impact and sustainable travel. We take only small groups of up to 8 people in one vehicle - this ensures the area is kept free of mass tourism and that we don't ever "overrun" a place. We want to blend in, not stick out and encourage interaction with local people.
All our accommodation is booked directly with the establishment owners, all of whom are local to the area and rely on bookings like ours to survive. We eat in specially selected local restaurants and bars ensuring that our spendings go directly to the community, thus supporting a small rural infrastructure as much as we can. We offset all of our carbon emissions with Rainforest Concern, a NPO that helps protect endangered forest, its animals and peoples, primarily in South and Central America. Our surf materials are environmentally friendly; we use extremely durable epoxy surf boards in an effort to avoid having to replace broken boards with toxic fibreglass ones and use Terrawax - a unique, non-toxic, non-petrol based, biodegradable surf wax. We also promote ferry travel to us in favour of air travel through an exclusive agreement with Brittany Ferries in an effort to reduce carbon emissions. We promote the importance of recycling and water-saving to all of our clients. |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |