This guide details the very best Canary Islands surf camp options out there right now. It’s got suggestions for yogis and hardcore surfers who want to hit the waves for longer, plus lux surf camps and more…
A Canary Islands surf camp is a beautiful thing. They offer a ticket to some of the most swell-rich islands in Europe, and an immunity card to a place where solo travelers are often plagued with nasty localism and a lack of knowledge about where actually works when the wind is whichever way (is it east coast or west coast today?).
It wasn’t always the case, but we now think that the Canary Islands surf camp packages are among the best for beginners in Europe. That’s mainly thanks to key spots like Famara in Lanza, or Hombre in Gran Canaria (we’ve got options below on both of those). We’re talking easy, accessible, and consistent beach breaks that shouldn’t scare the heebie-jeebies into first-timers or improvers.
You can add to that the downright lovely vibe of these isles. Holiday meccas one and all, they’ve long been havens of R&R. The surf camp offering channels that big time. You get lodges with sun-splashed gardens and gurgling swimming pools, chic interiors and stylish suites. Most are on Lanzarote or Fuerteventura, which makes sense because of the nature of the surf.
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 surfing in the Canary Islands
This is also a part of our complete guide to surf camps
Lanzasurf Surf & Yoga Camp, Lanzarote
Best all-round Canary Islands surf camp
- Location: Lanzarote
- Price: 7 days/6 nights starting at $589 (£449) per person
We have a lot of love for Lanzasurf Surf & Yoga Camp. These guys make it fun but push you to surf well at the same time. They’ve also got arguably the best learner location in the whole of the Canary chain – Caleta de Famara and its whole five-kilometer beach break, a spot with waves for all levels, never too busy, and almost totally immune from the localism that plagues these isles.
The instruction quality is clear to see. The daily surf lessons are headed up by Evandro Muñoz, a qualified surf instructor with over 15 years’ teaching experience. You’ll also meet Dejan, who actually started surfing at Lanzasurf way back in 2006. Fast forward to 2023 and he’s the second instructor at the camp and never fails to ooze passion for Famara, the local breaks, and the sport as a whole.
Days go something like this: Early start, healthy breakfast, 9.45am pickup at the surf house, transport to the break (usually Famara Beach itself, like two minutes’ drive down the road), surfing between 10am and 3pm (yep – five hours!), yoga, and then chill time.
The surf house itself is like a home away from home. It’s not one of those big, fancy lodges with cool interior design. It’s comfy and clean, with shared kitchen spaces and sunny balconies. It feels like being on a surf hol with your mates to be honest.
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.
Surfescape Fuerteventura, Fuerteventura
Best for: A touch of luxury
- Location: Fuerteventura
- Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $1,150 (£877) per person or $1,734 (£1,322) per couple
Ooooh. We’re really liking the look of the Surfescape Fuerteventura lodge. It’s a large, whitewashed Canarian villa set in the quiet town of Lajares – midway between the two surf coasts of Fuerte. The garden has a huge swimming pool, good for both lengths and lazing on a lilo. The inside is filled with natural light and done out with clean lines and boho furnishings.
The 8-day/7-night program here bills itself as the luxury option. That’s fair. Everything from the quality of the accommodation to the food, which is served up at the award-winning, veggie-friendly Secret Garden restaurant, is top notch.
But the focus is still very much on surf improvement. Mon-Fri sees a lesson per day, lasting 3-4 hours each. That tots up to some of the longest sessions of any camp listed here, probably because the camp itself isn’t located near the sea, so you gotta’ pack those rides in when you are at the coast. On top of the surf, there’s a bucket-list volcano hike and free access to a fantastic on-site co-work space.
Surf & Yoga Fuerteventura, Fuerteventura
Best for: You guessed it, surf AND yoga
- Location: Fuerteventura
- Price: 14 days/13 nights starting at $2,485 (£1,895) per person
If we had to pick one Canary Islands surf camp to go for a longer trip of two weeks, it would have to be Fuerte’s award-winning Surf & Yoga. The whole 14-day package here is artfully balanced to offer loads of surfing alongside especially lots of restorative meditation and pose practice. We’d actually go as far as to say that it’s one of the best surf-yoga packages on the whole globe.
Let’s deal with the surf first. Attendees here will get nine lessons over the course of the fortnight. They’re almost always in the morning (great for Fuerte, where the wind gets up later on in the day), except on Saturdays (when it’s afternoon) or Sundays (break day). Sessions are led by ISA-certified Priyal Kiramage, a Sri Lankan native who brings his home isle’s trademark chill factor to proceedings with calm and to-the-point teaching.
Now, the yoga. You’ll do a session every morning to wake up, plus afternoon sessions if you want. There are also – and this is something we adore – weekly workshops that talk about the theory of yoga and surf-yoga practice.
Finally, the pad you stay at is downright gorgeous. It’s luxury, really, with polished concrete floors leading to breezy indoor-outdoor spaces that channel a touch of Andalusia, a hint of Southeast Asia.
High Voltage Adventure, Gran Canaria
Best for: Surfing loads and loads and loads
- Location: Gran Canaria
- Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $462 (£352) per person
For something that’s super high-adrenaline and packed with fun, Gran Canaria’s High Voltage Adventure can hardly be beaten. Run by artist and surfer Mariano Reynot out of Buenos Aires, the lodge sits right above the long, sweeping bay of Playa del Hombre on the island’s east coast. That’s essentially a factory for peaky beach breaks and a mecca for beginner riding. Rest assured you’ll have surf from the get-go to the very end.
A truly unique space, High Voltage Adventure offers up five separate private rooms and a dorm space (which costs less). The whole place is done out in moody dark paints and has the owner’s trademark art on the walls. You’ll see that roaring slab out of Hawaii painted on the walls if you check into the Jaws room, for example. In Maui, the LED lights bring an aloha vibe, and the balcony offers head-on views of the Atlantic.
The program is very surf heavy, most of which takes place on Hombre beach itself. The most dedicated warriors among you could surf up to six hours a day if you want, though in our experience around four hours is the limit on surf camps. Hey ho, better more than too little, eh?
Line Up Surf Camp, Fuerteventura
Best for: Surfers and kitesurfers traveling together
- Location: Fuerteventura
- Price: 8 days/7 nights starting at $370 (£282) per person
Line Up Surf Camp is perhaps the only Canary Islands surf camp that offers twin-discipline programs that balance surfing and kitesurfing alongside each other. Basically, just notify them of what it is you’re into the most before you book and they’ll tailor your package to ensure it’s surf-heavy or kite-heavy.
That’s the first upside. The other upside is just how intimate and small they keep the groups. There are just eight rooms on offer here, which means surf lessons usually have a great ratio between teachers and pupils. In fact, they aim to offer one-on-one feedback to everyone most days, to help you hone in on the specifics of your pop up and stance and whatnot.
The surf lodge is found just on the outskirts of Corralejo, the main resort on the east coast of the island. It’s a cool little Canarian townhouse with its own decked garden, hot tub, and BBQ chillout space. Really nice vibe and great for getting a taste of kitesurfing if you want it.
Dreamsea Surf House Fuerteventura, Fuerteventura
Best for: Couples
- Location: Fuerteventura
- Price: Deals start at $350 (£368) for four nights
The best option for a book-it-yourself surf camp in the Canaries has to be Dreamsea Surf House Fuerteventura. These guys don’t come at you with a fully organized package like the other options here. They just do accommodation and breakfast. Then, you add however many surf lessons and trips you like when you arrive.
Those surf trips run every day. They last four hours apiece and are run by local experts who always know where will be working the best on the island, able to match it to the level of different groups and surfers.
Now, the camp: A picture of Spanish relaxation. Imagine a whitewashed cottage with red-tiled roofs, a garden woven together by cobbled paths and shaded by palm trees, and interiors with rattan chairs and minimalist rooms. It’s downright gorgeous and great for couples.
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!
