There are several activities you can do in Ibiza, in winter (low season) and summer (high season: June to October approximately): its great mountain hiking, scuba diving in blue waters crsitalinas, visits to natural aquarium, routes tasting gourmet Mediterranean haute cuisine, water sports (windsurfing, sailing, surfing, riding jet skis), dreamy beaches walks, paragliding, hang gliding, the most important holidays in the clubs with DJs residents and visitors the highest level and so on.

We could name many adjectives to describe tourism in Ibiza “exclusivity” “fun” “fiesta” “Paradise” “sun and beach”, but one that is always present is “luxury”. Lovers of luxury tourism in Ibiza find everything you need to enjoy exclusive holidays and first class.

Among the services most demanded by the public find the sailboat luxury charter, through which you can make the most of the virtues of the island, a tropical paradise aboard a sailboat in the crystal blue waters, surrounded by spectacular coves with golden sand shore at his feet, and with direct access to the best clubs and restaurants throughout the archipelago.

In high season it is almost impossible to access a mooring in port, for this reason are increasingly hiring people who decide to rent sailboats with or without skipper who already have their own moorings so you can enjoy all the amenities.

Another reason for those who enjoy holidays in the Balearic Islands in a boat, is that there are certain areas and landscapes that can only be appreciated from the sea, which makes the ride unique and only available to a privileged few.

Enjoy sailing on Ibiza is an experience you will never forget, from the peace-loving, dreamy sunsets, relax by the sea, to the constant party hungry, shows and fun without limitation, all decide to go back and . Because Ibiza is this and much more.

The Magic of Other Cultures

If you really want to be experienced and more worldly, then there is nothing for it except to go out there and visit new places and mingle with other cultures to your own. It’s the only way. Simply watching it on television will not do it justice. Other cultures are truly magical, people will always still be people – yet they live and think differently, and this can be a hammer blow of revelation to those who have never travelled before.

What’s Not Fun About Meeting New People?

Who doesn’t love making new friends and meeting new people? With the plethora of hostels that you will sleep your way through, there will be no shortage of new friends and contacts – and suddenly you’ll have friends based all around the world. You’ll find yourself a part of the subtle network and backpacking grapevine – enjoy the whole process, and give that email freely!

I’ve made so many great friends backpacking through Europe and Asia that I’m still in touch with, and that’s a truly wonderful thing.

Your Mind Will Open (Not Literally!)

I do talk figuratively here of course, no-one wants their mind to actually open (look out, travel insurance!). But travelling will broaden your perspectives and certainly give you a little more maturity, whether you relalize it or not. You should hopefully discover the plights of others, and really see the world outside of the box that you grew up in. That’s what travelling is all about.

You’ll Gain New Skills, You Will, You Will

Even if you think you won’t, you WILL gain some new skills along the road. Whether it’s figuring out how to get the cheapest flight or bus ticket, or how to adjust your backpack properly, or even juggling or a new card game. Then we can talk more widely too of course, such as the improvement of your organizational skills and your ability to handle delicate and stressful situations – they will come up, yet you will overcome them. And you will be better for it.

There was a plethora of parties that sprung up in Koh Phangan since Haad Rin started pulling in tens of thousands of people to its monthly Full Moon Party. Most of these parties are outdoor events such as the Shiva Moon Party, the Half Moon Party, the Black Moon Party and the Jungle Experience. All these parties charge an entry fee and continue to sell alcohol beyond the 2am curfew. They all have bars and so should be mentioned in a list of best bars on the island.

In Haad Rin they have the only place that could be described as a club – that is Club 9. It hosts local DJs and the occasional famous DJ. They do pizzas and sometimes drink offers.

In Haad Rin there is a dense concentration of bars all offering much the same thing. The best of them are Outback Bar (sports on TV and draft Guinness), Same Same (eclectic selection of food and live music), Lazy House (Khao San Road style place offering movies all day long) and Reggae House (chilled music, cocktails, pool and tattoos). The bars along the party beach of Haad Rin are often lively spots outside of the full moon period. Most fun is Orchid (drum and bass) and Drop in Bar (lots of beach seating).

Just outside of Thongsala is the most ambitious bar. It is called the Mason’s Arms. It is a mock Tudor pub complete with beer garden and large selection of imported beers.

In Thongsala town there is Bangers and Mash that has live music every Monday and Thursday night. Similarly, Sound in Ban Tai has a band play on Fridays and Sundays; and in Hin Kong Jam Bar has an open mic night every Saturday.

The good thing about the party scene in Koh Phangan is that the selection of bars and night entertainment is improving every year. The bad thing about it is that Haad Rin and Ban Tai have become too noisy and at times seem to fill up with ghostly apparitions of revelers stumbling insanely back to their bungalows.

The first thing you’ve got to get right is the guestlist. Your groom will probably let you know all of the people you don’t know who he wants to attend but the rest is up to you. You will be responsible for picking stag do destinations that is perfect for the weekend, which will include factoring in where your group’s members hail from – especially if you’re having the party the UK. Don’t risk upsetting or alienating the group members you don’t know by having forcing them to drive miles and miles to get there – find a compromise, have it in the middle point between your groups.

When you’re working out a budget for the weekend it’s important to think about the economic status of the group at large – don’t risk leaving anyone behind, especially if they’re good mates with the groom-to-be. It really pays to plan ahead with this and by using a recognised ABTA accredited stag company you’re often granted the chance to pay for your weekend in instalments.

This preparing ahead also gives you plenty of time to plan. There’s nothing worse than arriving at your chosen stag do destination with no idea where to eat, drink or pass the day memorably. A whip around the internet and the forums should give you the knowledge you need – otherwise face drinking in the most expensive or the most sparsely populate venues, eating at the most expensive rip-off restaurants and generally upsetting your groom-to-be.

Or just, y’know, go to Riga, or something…

So there you have it, a basic introduction to the art of arranging a successful stag do Riga or otherwise. Keep the group together, plan ahead and give the groom-to-be the send-off that you would want.

Not far from the village of Hansur-Lesse, however, it undergoes an abrupt change in course and character. At a great bend in the river, its water plunges with a roar into a sinkhole, the Belvaux abyss. After an uncharted course beneath the limestone hills, the river eventually reaches the labyrinth of water-carved chambers and galleries known as the Grotto of Han. Streaming through the cave, the river finally emerges again at the surface and then continues on its journey toward the sea.

The course of the Lesse has not always been the same as it is today. Near the Belvaux abyss are two more sinkholes, now high and dry, where the river used to flow into the limestone formation. Downcutting of the riverbed has led to the abandonment of these former underground channels and the opening of the newer sinkhole at the Belvaux abyss.

Visitors enter the cave through one of the openings of the former, now-dry channels above the present river. After exploring these dry, abandoned passageways, now lavishly decorated with cave formations, they proceed to lower levels along the present-day underground course of the Lesse, then finally exit from the cave by boat.

Among the highlights of the trip are an aptly named chamber, La Merveilleuse (“The Marvelous”), and a cluster of four smaller ones called Les Mysterieuses (“The Mysterious”), all of them bristling with stalactites and stalagmites. Another chamber, the Alhambra, has two splendid floor-toceiling columns that are 10 feet (3 meters) in circumference. Most impressive of all is La Salle du Dome (“The Hall of the Dome”), a magnificent chamber about 500 feet (150 meters) across that has a spectacular vaulted ceiling 417 feet (127 meters) high. Formed in part by a massive cave-in of the ceiling, the chamber is littered with a chaotic heap of enormous boulders.

Beyond the Hall of the Dome, visitors continue their journey down the Lesse by boat to the point where the river reemerges at the surface. The exit is spectacular Visitors never fail to be impressed as the boat slips from the black stillness of the cave into the blinding blaze of daylight.

Modern exploration of the cave began in earnest in 1771 and continues to the present. (The first stairs and walkways for guided tours were installed in the mid-18th century) But the cave has been known to local inhabitants for a much longer time. In the village of Han-sur-Lesse, the Museum of the Subterranean World exhibits ancient relics that have been retrieved from the river and found along its banks. Among them are Bronze Age artifacts that date from about 500 B.C, which seem to indicate that both the river and the grotto had a religious significance for local residents in times long past.  Sarah writes about the Camino de Santiago and has walked it twice.