Activities

An easy 7km circular walk from the little north eastern village of San Carlos through the hills to the little known beach of Cala Mastella, home of the unique ‘El Bigote’ restaurant – famous for once refusing to serve the King of Spain because he hadn’t made a booking beforehand.

The return journey takes you through traditional, unspoilt, Ibiza farming countryside to a beautifully preserved and restored 17th century country farmhouse, as you return to your starting point.

This hike takes around 3 hours, while your altitude changes by 120 m en route.

Full description of the hike with photos on a google map is here

A short 2km tour of Dalt Vila, the fortress old town of Ibiza and one of the few cities in Europe to be declared a World Heritage Site. This walk follows the top of the wall that encircled and protected the old town from the many other jealous civilizations that wanted this beautiful island for themselves.

It can be rushed in less than a couple of hours, but the views from the top in every direction are riveting, so plan to take your time and enjoy every vista…

Full hike description with photos on a google map can be found here.

A circular hike to the defence tower overlooking the third most magnetic place in the world, whilst taking in the unique scenery and atmosphere that surrounds this mystical island of Es Vedra.

Don’t worry if your compass seems eratic, even GPS equipment does strange things in the vicinity (our blog: Es Vedra - weird stuff)…

This nearly 3 km hike takes two and a half hours and involves involves a change in altitude of 140 metres

Full description of this hike with photos on a google map is here

A beautiful 6km circular hike from Santa Ines around the huge almond tree groves, which create one of the iconic images of Ibiza when the trees are covered in blossom during late January and the whole of February.

The walk then follows the almost inaccessible rugged northern coastline from the aptly named ‘las puertas del cielo’ (doorway to heaven) before climbing back to return to the plateau of Santa Ines, ‘the Valley of the Crown’.

The hike takes four hours and involves a change in altitude of 140 metres.

The full description of the hike with photos on a google map is here

A circular hike of about 4.5 kms that follows the north-western Ibiza coast from Port de San Miguel, climbing to the Torre des Molar pirate tower with its spectacular views both along the coast and up into the valley crowned by the typical Ibiza fortified village of San Miguel. The path then descends back to Port de San Miguel through unspoilt countryside.

An easy walk ascending some 90 metres in total along its 3 hour duration, including a lazy picnic on top of the tower.

The full hike description with photos on a google map can be found here

A circular hike of about 7.5 kms that follows the beautiful valleys inland that skirt the area’s mountains to arrive at the imposing Portinatx lighthouse. From there we follow the craggy Ibiza coastline back to the Portinatx beaches of Sa Guarderia, Gran Arenal and Petit Arenal to arrive back at our starting point.

This is a gentle hike along which the altitude changes no more than 80 metres throughout its 4 hour duration.

The full description with photos on a google map can be found here.

A circular hike of about 4.5 kms following the rocky northern coastline of Ibiza between the beaches of Cala Xucla and Cala Xarraca. It then turns inland and follows the route of two beautiful, unspoilt valleys to return to Cala Xucla.

This is a gentle hike taking about 3 hours and involving one short, steep hill climb to reach a maximum altitude of 100 metres.

Full hike details with photos and markers on a google map here

The warm glow of achievement emanates from our site as we announce the first of the IbizaA-Z hikes.

Having spent four days out in the field struggling with a badly translated and inaccurate hiking guidebook, meanwhile exploring countless dead-ends and cul de sacs, we are proud to present the highlights of two former hikes (that no longer work!), which we have neatly melded into one.

Our first born is called "Hike A" and takes you through countryside and coastal scenery near to Portinatx, in the unspoilt north of the island.

Because it is being presented to you over the internet, we are able to provide vital pictures of all of the important junctions, alongside views along the route.

By virtue of being published over the internet, any changes to the route that take place in the future can and will be updated on site straight away, so you can be sure that nobody has blocked your route with a new house or a large hole in the ground.

In each of the hikes you’ll see links to kml file which you can open in Google Earth or a gpx file which you can upload to your gps device/pda etc. Under those is a link to a printer friendly page you can take out with you on the hike…

One of the big adjustments to Ibiza for those of us from chillier Northern Europe is the idea that winter is a time for enjoying the outdoors - not hiding from it.

In our native climes winter is often an excuse to hunker down and hibernate. We wrap up tight in big coats, drape ourselves in metres of woolly scarves and pull on gloves. Not coincidentally we turn to comfort food and, often, even the most dedicated outdoor-lovers avoid anything but essential walking.

The whole polarity is reversed in Ibiza though. Summer is hot, frenetic and hectic. Roads are packed, beaches are overrun and the gyms are full of dancers and sun-worshippers buffing up their bodies for the season. Winter, when everything turns down a few notches, is the perfect time to reconnect, reinvigorate and renew your active life.

If you enjoy running, biking or rollerblading bright winter afternoons are the perfect time to practice your sport. I’m a runner and the mixture of bright sunshine and fresh breezes over the last few weeks have been bliss, as is the selfish pleasure of running on perfectly empty beaches.

Cyclists, too, benefit from the quiet roads of the off season, enjoying leisurely rides through fruit-laden orange groves and past endless rust-red fields. Whether you ride for pleasure or are a competitive cyclist, or triathlete, looking for a training boost this is the ideal season take advantage of the beautiful scenery and varied terrain. The ciclotourism website www.ibizacicloturismo.com has loads of terrific riding routes (on road and off) mapped out for all levels.

Yoga is another perennially popular activity that gets even better in winter. The atmosphere is intimate and relaxed and it’s a great way to make friends. One of the favourite local teachers is James, who runs StretchOm yoga (www.stretchom.com). He offers year-round group and private lessons, and if you have a few friends and the space he will even come and teach a class in your home. Be warned, though, yoga sessions are great excuse to then enjoy an unhurried lunch or dinner, so you may want to set aside a few hours to fully enjoy the experience!

Those in search of an adrenaline rush make note, the brisker weather is excellent for kitesurfing. A high-voltage version of windsurfing, this combines the skill of a board sport with the thrill and challenge of being airborne. Check out the Ibiza Kite website www.ibizakite.com. Or contact Nomad Surfers 34 971 311 717 or email: infoATnomadsurfers.com.

If you have iron nerves and stainless-steel fingernails you might want to test your nerve rock climbing. Ibiza offers some challenging climbs against stunning scenic backdrops. Ibiza Vertical runs a variety of courses (www.ibizavertical.com, website in Spanish only) or for a privately-led climb or lessons contact Ayelen (630 225 174, English and Spanish), Rainer (971 33 45 39, German and English).

One thing many people miss in winter is swimming. Unless you’re very brave, or own a dry-suit, the sea is too cold for more than the occasional ritual toe-dip, but that doesn’t mean you have to stick to dry land. Ibiza Town has a masters swim club, which is open to all adults and trains every evening, Monday through Friday.

If you struggle to keep your head above water, the winter months are also an opportunity to improve your swimming technique. Ibiza Swim www.ibizaswim.com offers lessons year-round for swimmers of all ages and levels. After a few confidence-boosting lessons you’ll be impatient to try your skills in the sea, but probably best to wait till spring.

Ibiza also has - believe it or not - its own cricket club www.ibizacricketclub.net . It has been running for over 20 years, and has a busy calendar which includes a Christmas dinner and dance. Just the thing to help you recover from an arduous day of standing around in a jumper.

As you can see, there is no shortage of active diversions in Ibiza and no excuse to succumb to the winter blues. Whether training hard at your favourite sport, learning a new skill, making friends or finding inner peace, winter on the island need never be dull.

By Cila