If you’re on the hunt for adult surf camps where there’s no risk of being disturbed by a wailing child or being dropped in on by an ambitious grom, we’ve got you covered…
You kick back and pop a Bintang ready to rest those surfed-out muscles by the pool. Then, suddenly, a kid hurtles into the water and starts splashing around in their rubber ring screaming the latest Ed Sheeran hits. We feel your pain.
But there’s a solution. Cue adult surf camps. They are a specific category of surf camps that are primed for older visitors. It’s not that they don’t allow kids so much as kids and families simply don’t go their way. These are for the mature couples, the lone backpackers, the serious surf buffs – you know, anyone but that five year old with a penchant for crying at just about anything!
The good news is that there are fantastic surf camps for adults located all around the world. We’ve done some legwork here to focus in on seven that we think are pretty darn awesome right now (that’s 2023), and there are choices in Mexico, in Portugal, and in France. Let’s get to it…
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!
This is just one part of our complete overall guide to surf camps
Tiny Whale Surf Lodge, Algarve, Portugal
The best all-round adult surf camp right now!
- Location: Algarve, Portugal
- Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $1,093 (£881) per person
We list Tiny Whale close to the top here because it’s simply a fantastic surf camp. For anyone serious about improving, this small-group lodge and its accompanying surf clinics and lessons will do the job. With access to some of the most reliable (and beautiful) surf spots in southern Portugal, they all but guarantee you’ll go from whitewash to green waves in a week.
And there shouldn’t be any kids around to distract you from that journey, either. Short of actually prohibiting family visitors and tykes, the normal guests here are a mix of “small groups of friends, couples & solo travelers normally between the age range of 25-55 years old.” Those aren’t our words – they are the words of the Tiny Whale crew themselves!
What they do fantastically here is nurture a sense of real group camaraderie. Over the course of eight days and five hands-on surf lessons, you’ll mingle with people just like you. To help that along, the itinerary includes BBQs on the beach and surf-skate sessions.
A note on why we partner with BookSurfCamps.com: Book Surf Camps are probably the biggest online aggregator of surf camps and surf-yoga packages in the world. We sounded out a quite a few potential partners before we affiliated with them. But, in the end, the abundance of choice for beginners, intermediates, and female-only surfing sealed it. We also love the simplicity of their booking system and the trusted brand name, along with the focus on connecting with homegrown local businesses on the ground.
Xanadu Surf and Yoga, Kuta Lombok, Indonesia
Best for: Luxury
- Location: Kuta Lombok, Indonesia
- Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $1,103 (£889) per person
Choose the Xanadu Surf and Yoga this year if the main reason you’re after an adult surf camp is to crank up the R&R. We list this among our top luxury surf camps right now, because, well…because it’s downright lovely. That’s why.
The pad is perched on a hillside just above the hustling, bustling, scooter-filled town of Kuta Lombok. But, don’t worry, it’s sufficiently far away so that all you can really hear from the side of the infinity pool is the soft ocean breeze and the swaying of the coconut palms.
The package offered by Xanadu Surf and Yoga is a well-balanced surf and chill itinerary. It’s got three yoga classes included but also daily surfing, which means six throughout the whole week. And there are all sorts of adulting things thrown in, too – a local cooking class, a movie night with beers, meditation classes.
Elsewhere Surf Camps, Weligama, Sri Lanka
Best for: Partiers
- Location: Weligama, Sri Lanka
- Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $473 (£381) per person
Calling all hedonists…Elsewhere Surf Camps run a full-on party and surf program from their hub in south Sri Lanka. It’s a package designed for those who like to hit the Lion beers by night and hit the waves by day, all while making new pals and enjoying all that the Teardrop of India has to offer on the culture and food front.
They work out of a brand new lodge in Weligama. And when we say brand new, we really mean brand new! It was purposely acquired for these no-holes-barred surf and party shindigs in 2023 (yep, this very year!). The pad has a swimming pool, its own garden bar, and a location just 50 meters from the waves (and a whole host of other pubs and clubs).
There’s surfing every single day if the hangover allows. At night, there are free-flow parties with reduced drinks for guests. Oh yea, and there’s not a child in sight.
Yantara Retreats, Sayulita, Mexico
Best for: Yogis and health nuts
- Location: Sayulita, Mexico
- Price: 7 nights in a private apartment for 4 people starts at $7,976 (£6,425)
Long-time readers of The Surf Atlas will know that Sayulita and its cruisy logger waves are often somewhere we pick out as a perfect location for learner surfers in North America. To be honest, that’s as much to do with the quality of the waves, which are a touch busy but super consistent, as it is with the vibe of Sayulita town. It’s proper Mexicana stuff, with taquerias on the cobbled squares and rambunctious margarita stops by the playa.
There are oodles of good adult surf camps in this half party town, half chilled surf mecca these days. However, we particularly love the offering from Yantara Retreats. It really leans into the wellbeing side of things, with an 8-day itinerary that’s knitted together with 11 yoga classes and fully vegetarian meals throughout.
The surfing is run by a local Mexican pro and competition winner and there’s a whopping 10 hours of tuition with him included. A highlight here is the surf outing to a secret location near to Sayulita, so you can sample the less crowded waves of the Nayarit coast. Plus, there’s hikes up Monkey Mountain and breathing workshops.
It’s not a party resort by any stretch. It’s a serious surf retreat with expert yoga practice and a focus on both physical and mental improvement, all with a very welcoming and fun-loving bunch of people.
Pura Vida Lodge, Mimizan, France
Best for: Surfing at your own pace
- Location: Mimizan, France
- Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $661 (£532) per person
Although Mimizan now reigns as one of the top family beach escapes on the French Atlantic, the Pura Vida lodge explicitly caters mainly to adults over the age of 23. That helps to keep the focus off watching the kids by the pool (and there is a great pool) and on the surfing itself. Plus, there’s a slightly more mature vibe than many of the backpackery getaways here.
The camp is a great pick both summer and winter, with the former good for learners and the latter better for advanced surfers. That’s because Mimizan Plage is one of the most consistent breaks in Europe, with unceasing W and NW swell pulses no matter the season.
The 8-day package is light on organized tuition, though there’s still hours of it throughout the week and a theory session. But it’s great for free surfing – guests get unlimited use of surf gear and the beach cruiser bikes, which is a doozy here because it means you can cycle up to the uncrowded breaks north and south of Mimizan town.
Tamarindo Backpackers Hostel, Tamarindo, Costa Rica
Best for: Backpackers
- Location: Tamarindo, Costa Rica
- Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $2,175 (£1,752) for 3 people
Tamarindo is probably one of the best destinations to pick if you’re looking for adult surf camps that have access to ridiculously consistent waves but also plenty of partying on the side. You see, where once there was a sleepy fishing village there’s now one of the Nicoya Peninsula’s most happening backpacker towns. It’s positively brimming with places to glug cold beers under palms laden with howler monkeys.
Among the Tamarindo fray, good old Tamarindo Backpackers Hostel is a tried-and-tested option that we think is among the top choices here for younger adults. They run an 8-day SALT course – that’s Surf As Life Therapy, folks. It’s got a total of six hours of guided surfing on waves up and down Playa Tamarindo, plus two half-day surf trips to other breaks. AKA, there’s more surfing than your weak little arms can handle – trust us!
The accommodation itself is basic hostel stuff but the atmosphere in the lodge is very good. You’ll meet (and share sunset beers with) oodles of people just like yourself. The main clientele is in the 18-30 age range, usually up for a blast once night approaches.
Quinta Camarena, Alentejo, Portugal
Best for: Wine lovers
- Location: Alentejo, Portugal
- Price: 7 days/6 nights starting at $1,210 (£979) per person
We’ve already waxed lyrical about the curated offering from Quinta Camarena over on our list of the best surf camps in Portugal. It’s also a top pick of ours for couples and yoga buffs. And – yep – it’s here among the best surf camps for adults.
It gets all those plaudits by being just a little different than your usual pay-and-play surf lodge. Hidden up between the cork forests and gnarled oaks of the Alentejo hills in central Portugal, it’s a charming villa stay with just a handful of rooms, a pool in the garden, and a yoga shala overlooking the woods.
The itineraries are specifically curated for the more discerning surf traveler. That’s why they come with healing massages, 2x daily yoga sessions, and a even a hike to a local vineyard for a sessions tasting those famous Portuguese wines.
It’s the closest you can get to an agritourismo surf camp. And we just love that!
Mojosurf Camp Byron Bay, Byron Bay, Australia
Best for: All surfers
- Location: Byron Bay, Australia
- Price: 5 days/4 nights starting at $482 (£390) per person
The Mojosurf Camp Byron Bay is one of the OGs of the Byron backpacker scene. It’s been leading first-time surfers into the balmy waters of New South Wales for some time and they’ve come to specialize in that young-adult, traveler crowd. In fact, the very nature of the accommodation – it’s a hostel and you’ll be staying in mixed, 6-bed dorms – means that you don’t usually catch families here.
There are a couple of options here. They run a quick 2-night, 3-day option that’s both easy on the wallet and perfect for drive-in, drive-out visitors who’re on the classic roadtrip up the Aussie east coast. If you’ve got more time, then consider the longer five-day packages.
The organization is pretty simple: You get a surf class every day, a yoga class every day, and all your surf gear included for the duration of the lessons. Yoga practice is typically before breakfast, then there’s about 4-5 hours of surfing, followed by fun optional activities back at the camp – Reiki workshops, pool parties, things like that.
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!
