Hiking, kayaking, and horse-riding: Why Santa Barbara rocks

Los Angeles’ coastal cousin is THE place to break a sweat for a few days.

Just a short drive up the coast from LA’s sprawling suburbia is a pocket of Californian paradise that is perfect for a stopover. Santa Barbara and its surrounding towns are filled with impressive Spanish colonial architecture, hipster entrepreneurs, award-winning wine makers and loads of celebrities (who have second and third houses here, as you do).

The year-round mild weather translates to burnt orange sunsets, and a bucket load of adventure activities that will raise your heartbeat. Here’s our pick for your next visit.

Horse-riding on the beach
On California’s busy east coast there aren’t many places where you can ride on a deserted beach (which Ellen and Portia sometimes visit), stopping to let the odd seal hobble by while the waves slowly crash against your stallion’s legs. Yep, welcome to Santa Barbara, folks. SB Beach rides have beautiful horses (as well as the cutest miniature you’ll ever meet) and, if you ask, guide Charlie will tell you about the celebrities he’s met, and his amazing Hollywood past.

Sea cave kayaking
Spend a day on the water with the Santa Barbara Adventure Company exploring the sea caves of the Channel Islands – a short ferry fide from the harbour. Available even to beginners, these guys will guide you through the wildlife-laden marine park known as America’s Galapagos Islands. You’ll see huge stingrays, pods of dolphins, a ridiculous array of coastal birds and maybe even a whale or two.

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Downhill mountain biking
If biking down single tracks and fire trails with epic views is more your style, the guides at Cal Costal Aventures can drop you off at 4,000 feet so you can race your way downhill over rocks, through gullies and around waterfalls. They do cater for beginners, but we reckon you’ll enjoy it more if you’ve had a little experience.

Paragliding over the coast
Although it may seem a little retro, Santa Barbara is one of the best places to paraglide in the States. Strapped onto your instructor on a tandem flight, you’ll hover over cliffs, beaches and coastal parks getting an aerial view of the Islands just off shore. And incase that seems a little too 90’s for you, Fly Above All also offer Speed Flying lessons – think paragliding, speeding gliding and skydiving, all rolled into one.

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Yoga in a Salt Cave
Because normal studio yoga just isn’t challenging enough, right? In Santa Barbara you can do Yin Yoga in a salt cave. Why? Well, the tonnes of Himalayan sea salt covering the floor (and the Jurassic-Age salt blocks lining the walls) contain myriad of minerals which are said to have a therapeutic benefit, while the micro-particles in the air have been shown to aid respiratory health. And let’s be honest, it’d make a great Instagram picture.