Booking a surf trip to Fuerteventura is the exciting part. You start thinking about sunny days, your first waves, meeting new people and spending a week close to the ocean. Then, a few days before your flight, you open your suitcase and realise you have absolutely no idea what you actually need to bring.
Especially if it is your first surf camp, packing can feel more complicated than it needs to be. Do you need to bring a wetsuit? Should you buy surf equipment before you arrive? Is it warm enough to only bring shorts and T-shirts? And how many clothes do you actually need for a week where you will probably spend half of your time in swimwear anyway?
The good news is that packing for a surf camp in Fuerteventura is quite simple. You do not need loads of special equipment or a suitcase full of different outfits. Most days at Kyuka are spent surfing, relaxing at the villa, exploring the island and hanging out together, so comfortable and practical clothes are usually much more useful than bringing too much.
Here is what we would recommend bringing for your surf trip to Fuerteventura.
Start With the Things You Will Use Every Day
Swimwear is probably the most obvious place to start. Bringing at least two swimsuits, bikinis or pairs of boardshorts is useful because there is a good chance one of them will still be wet when you want to get back into the water.
Comfort is more important than anything else here. During a surf session you will be paddling, sitting on your board, getting up, falling off and spending plenty of time in the water. Bring something you feel comfortable moving around in rather than something you only want to wear while lying on the beach.
The same goes for the rest of your clothes. A few T-shirts, shorts, comfortable trousers, underwear and some casual clothes for the evenings will be enough for most people. You do not need a completely different outfit for every day. Once you settle into surf camp life, you quickly realise that things are pretty relaxed.
If you have never surfed before and are wondering what the first few days are actually going to be like, we have also written about what you can expect from your first week surfing. It gives you a much better idea of what those first sessions in the water can look like.
Do You Need to Bring Your Own Surf Equipment?
For beginners, this is one of the most common questions before coming to a surf camp. It is easy to think that you need to buy a wetsuit, surfboard and other equipment before your trip, but there is usually no reason to start buying everything before you have even had your first lesson.
The best thing to do is check what equipment is included in your booking before you travel. If you are an experienced surfer and already have a board or wetsuit you really like using, bringing your own equipment can of course make sense. But if you are just starting out, travelling without a huge board bag also makes getting to Fuerteventura considerably easier.
For anyone still deciding whether this kind of trip is right for them, our article about what a surf camp actually is explains more about the whole experience, not only the surfing itself.
And if your main concern is whether Fuerteventura is suitable when you have little or no experience in the water, you can also read Is Fuerteventura Good for Beginner Surfers?.
Don't Underestimate the Fuerteventura Sun
One thing you definitely want to bring is good sun protection. When you are surfing and spending most of the day outside, it is very easy to underestimate how much sun you are actually getting.
Bring a high-SPF sunscreen that you are comfortable using regularly, as well as sunglasses and a cap or hat. SPF lip balm can also be useful after several days outside and in the ocean.
A reusable water bottle is another simple thing that you will probably use every day. Whether you are going surfing, heading to the beach or exploring the island, having water with you makes life much easier.
Fuerteventura’s coastline and volcanic landscape are a huge part of what makes living and travelling here so special, and we all have a responsibility to look after them. Small things such as using reusable bottles and not leaving rubbish behind make a difference. We wrote more about this in our post about sustainability and keeping Fuerteventura clean.
Bring Something Warm as Well
Fuerteventura might be known for sunshine, but we would still recommend putting a hoodie or sweater in your suitcase.
After spending a long time in the water, it can feel surprisingly nice to have something warm to put on. A light jacket is also useful for cooler or windier evenings. You do not need to pack heavy winter clothes, but having one or two warmer layers is worth it.
What you need will naturally depend a little on when you visit. Conditions change throughout the year, and different months can offer different surf experiences. If you are still choosing when to come, our month-by-month guide to the best time to surf in Fuerteventura gives you a better overview of the year.
Remember That There Is More to the Trip Than Surfing
Surfing might be the main reason you are coming to Fuerteventura, but it probably will not be the only thing you do while you are here.
There will be time to explore, go for food, spend an afternoon at the beach or simply walk around Lajares. For that reason, it is worth bringing one pair of comfortable shoes alongside your flip-flops or sandals. A small backpack is useful too, especially when you want to take water, sunscreen, a towel and a few personal things with you for the day.
Lajares is a small village, but there is much more happening here than people often expect before arriving. There are cafés, restaurants, local shops and places to go in the evening, and the location makes it a great base for exploring the north of the island. If you want some ideas for your free time, have a look at our guide to things to do in Lajares.
A beach towel or surf poncho can also be useful. A poncho makes changing after a surf session much easier and gives you something warm to throw on when you get out of the water. It is not something you absolutely need to buy for your first trip, but if you already have one, it is worth finding some space for it.
What You Probably Don't Need to Bring
It is very easy to overpack for a surf holiday. You imagine all the different situations you might find yourself in and suddenly your suitcase is full before you have even packed the important things.
In reality, you probably do not need five pairs of shoes, a different outfit for every evening or lots of things you are bringing “just in case”. Fuerteventura is not the middle of nowhere, and if you forget something basic, you can usually find it here.
You also do not need to arrive already knowing how to surf. This might sound obvious, but beginners sometimes put a surprising amount of pressure on themselves before their first lesson. Nobody expects you to understand every surf term, know how to read the waves or stand up immediately.
Learning is the whole reason you are here.
We see adults arrive at the camp who are used to being good at what they do back home, and suddenly they are beginners again. It can feel strange at first, but it is also one of the best things about learning to surf. We wrote more about that in Why Adults Forget How to Be Beginners.
Packing for a Shared or Private Room
Your room choice can also make a small difference to how much you want to bring. If you are staying in a shared room, travelling relatively light simply makes things easier. You have less luggage to organise and more space around you during the week.
A private room gives you more personal space, but even then, there is rarely much benefit in bringing an enormous suitcase for a surf holiday.
If you are still deciding which option suits you best, our article about shared and private rooms at a surf camp goes through the differences and what you can expect from both.
Coming to Fuerteventura Alone
If you are travelling alone, there is one thing you definitely do not need to pack: a plan for every hour of the week.
A lot of people arrive at Kyuka on their own. At first, walking into a house full of people you have never met can feel a little strange. But once everyone has been surfing together, eating together and laughing about what happened in the water that morning, things tend to become comfortable pretty quickly.
That social side is one of the reasons people choose a surf camp rather than simply booking a hotel and a few separate surf lessons. The trip becomes about much more than the time you spend on a surfboard.
If travelling by yourself is something you are thinking about, you might enjoy reading My First Solo Surf Trip.
So, What Should Be in Your Suitcase?
You really do not need much. Bring a couple of swimsuits or boardshorts, comfortable clothes, something warm for the evenings, flip-flops, a pair of proper shoes, sunscreen, sunglasses, a reusable water bottle and a small backpack.
Then make sure you have the important personal things that are much more annoying to forget: your passport or ID, bank card, travel documents, medication, toiletries and chargers.
If you still have some room left in your suitcase, leave it there. There is no need to fill every last centimetre before you leave home.
The funny thing is that once the week starts, you will probably stop thinking about what you packed anyway.
Your days become more about breakfast together at the villa, checking where you are surfing, getting into the water, coming home tired, spending the afternoon around the house and deciding what everyone is doing that evening. Somewhere along the way, the T-shirt you thought you absolutely needed to bring becomes completely irrelevant.
The things people usually take home from a surf trip are not the things they arrived with. They are the first wave they managed to stand up on, the places they discovered around Fuerteventura and the people who were complete strangers at the beginning of the week.
So pack the important things, bring clothes you feel comfortable in and don’t worry too much about getting everything perfect.
We will see you in Fuerteventura.
