It is summertime and coming from a cold(er) country, I always had the urge to go out walking with as short clothes as possible to get the sun hen I am in a country that has a warm weather, like the weather in Ibiza. That might leave you with sunburns or tan marks on most peculiar ways. Here are some tips to make the walks comfortable and be able to enjoy the weather in Ibiza at the right place at the right time
Walking in the (hot) Ibiza weather
Walking in Ibiza or any other warm country sounds like a “walk in the park”. And it truly is a walk with fantastic views, altitude in Ibiza is not too high, but high enough to give exercise if you want. If walking is not what you do very often, then it is easy to forget that walking in the sun makes walking much more difficult and can end up in headaches, tiredness, dehydration and sunburns. The good thing is, with little preparation and pre-planning you can avoid all that and get the maximum out of the weather in Ibiza. Here are some tips and things to think about when you prepare the walk or when you join an organized walk.
Weather in Ibiza
I would say that winter time is the perfect time to plan your active holiday, bootcamp or vacation to explore the magic island. Not too hot but also not too cold. Yes, it can get windy and rainy at times, but never that much as for example in my home country. The time for active sports in Ibiza according to the weather in Ibiza would be in my opinion from October to June. That means that you can be out on regular hours. The closer to the summer and the season, the more you have to plan your outdoor activities either for very early in the morning or late in the evening when the heat has cooled down (a bit). I have not been in Ibiza during the summer season, but I can say, that already now, in April I am planning my longer trips, like the Cap des Falco walk in Ibiza from 7 am. The first one I took around 1 pm. That is the difference.
The first con of the weather in Ibiza and the results for your walk are sunburns – I totally understand when you want to get as much sun as possible during the time you have in Ibiza. The thing is, I have also seen the people, red faced-white rounds around the eyes after a day with too much sun. The result is a tender skin, burning sensations and inability to take any more sun on the next days of the holiday to enjoy the warm weather anymore. Walking in the sun with short clothes also leaves you with funny tan-marks. It is wiser to protect yourself against sun while on a walk. You could always plan the walk so that it is not too difficult and enough beaches are on the way to take the time to really sunbathe. Like the relaxed walk we had in Ibiza Ses Salinas Nature Reserve (or a Walk-and-Tan hike as I call it :)).
Secondly, the difficulty to walk in the warm weather. If it is too hot, too humid, you can’t breathe, get sweaty in a minute and if you are not protected you might just get sick of all the sun. That can lead to inability to lift your legs enough, you get clumsy and can stumble on stones, fall, etc. So please follow the simple tips I have for you.
Plan the walk according to the time and weather in Ibiza
Plan it for the time of the day when …
a) the weather in Ibiza is not too hot. To see the forecast of the weather in Ibiza, have a look at the famous Norwegian online weather forecast or in Diario de Ibiza. When in February I could easily go (weather wise) for a walk almost any time of the day, now, from April, I go for longer walks from 7-8am so that I get home by 12 or 2pm max. And evening walks start from 5-6 pm and until 9 pm.
b) not too dark in Ibiza. You can see the sunset and sunrise times in Ibiza to help you plan the time. So one thing is the sun and the heat but the other thing is the light. In winter time, that is in February for me, I needed to be sure that I am not in the hilly part or in a new place during the sunset, but heading home by that time because when it gets dark, it gets dark. And you do not want to walk near the cliffs and on loose stones when it is dark.
Main tips for preparing a walk according to the weather in Ibiza
Even when I have planned the walk on a less hot part of the day, or when I have to take the walk partly on a sunnier time, these are other points I prepare myself when I go walking and especially when thinking about the weather in Ibiza:
1.Have a hat or a scarf for the head. Direct sunlight to your head is not a pretty thing. Gets you dizzy and all. Sunstroke. Especially when you need to be out in the sun for hours, whether for a walk or just for sunbathing.
2. Have light, possibly long clothes on. If you wear shorts and bikini tops, you do get tanned, but you will also have a bag on your “back” as a tan. Or socks. And burnt neck. So, I prefer to wear longer clothes that breathe and protect from the sun, don’t get me sweaty and are comfortable. Longer clothes are also good while walking in Ibiza because there are many bushes and you can easily scratch yourself. You will have time to get a nice tan during the breaks, after the walk or on the other days of your holiday.
3. Wear sunscreen. For the face, use sun protection factor of 50. The longer and stronger the sun the stronger the cream. Trust me, you will thank me later. Even when the weather in Ibiza seems cloudy, it is so easy to burn yourself. Don’t worry that you can’t get the tan, you will! The weather in Ibiza is famous for being great most of the time, especially during the May-September months, so you can easily take the next day after a walk as a sunbathing day and get a nice tan.
4. Drink water. On walks, person can lose 2+ liters of water. So have minimum of 1 – 1,5 liters with you and drink a lot after the walk. Even washing your mouth with water helps, when you drink water, do it slowly and small mouthful’s, otherwise you might feel like your stomach is too full and it tires you. Adjust the amount of water according to the temperature and according to how you feel, but drink it at least a bit!
So there you go. Time your walk, drink water, wear long light clothes and wear sunblock during your walks in Ibiza to take the most of the weather in Ibiza without hurting yourself.
Read other tips I have talked about on preparation of walks:
Read about other walks in Ibiza
* Lazy Saturday walk in Ses Salinas Nature Reserve, Las Salinas beach and Es Cavallet
* Random walks with no goal always lead to where you want to go: Punta Galera, Ibiza
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Walking lifestyle – keeping you fit, mentally and physically
Don’t forget we all need time-off from our daily lives. Walking is the easiest and accessible thing to do that. Go out for a walk, share your thoughts and inspirations with me via e-mail. My aim is to show how easy it is to find little walks, little time-off-chunks in life to keep you mentally and physically fit. Wherever you are.
Liisi Toom
Liisi Toom is a communication executive and lifestyle coach who spent 9 months in Ibiza walking, doing walking tours and blogging about it. She has also done and blogged about walking in Estonia and Norway. She coaches people on finding their lifestyle. If you wish to find and live your lifestyle, e-mail at liisitoom (at) gmail. com or follow her Twitter @liisi.
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