Rafting, racing and R-rated fun: How to celebrate your stag’s last weekend of freedom in Cardiff

Whether it’s extreme sports or extreme partying, the Welsh capital is a hotspot for raucous fun for you and the lads.

With more pubs per square foot than anywhere else in Britain, it’s easy to see why Cardiff is one of the best stag do destinations. Pints aside, there are plenty of other activities you can do to give your mate a weekend away that he’ll never forget! From pubs and clubs to boating and biking, here are our top picks for a Cardiff stag do that you’ll be talking about long after they’ve said ‘I do’!

Get wet and go wild!

If water sports are your thing, then you’re in luck! Cardiff life is all about the water and there are a multitude of ways you and your mates can get wet and wild on your stag weekend. Go white water rafting at one of the best facilities in Wales, the Cardiff International White Water – an Olympic standard rafting centre just near Cardiff Marina. Not enough for you? Then head out to Brecon Beacons National Park, about an hour and half’s drive away, where you can battle it out with Mother Nature on the canals, lakes, reservoirs and rivers, for an extreme kayaking session guaranteed to leave you white-knuckled and drenched! You can also try Gorge Scrambling in Brecon Beacons – which is exactly what it sounds like – you’ll be pushed to your limits as you try to hang onto rocks, boulders and anything else you can as you jump across waterfalls, crawl through caves and face the raging rapids.

Shoot ‘em up

Is go hard or go home your motto? A favourite stag do destination, extreme paintball is guaranteed to get you fired up and ready to fight. Choose from a variety of indoor or outdoor terrains, get suited up in army greens, then grab your guns and raid tombs, storm fortresses and go guerrilla against the enemy. Don’t think the bride would be too happy if you turn up bruised for the wedding day? Then keep it less physical with some high-tech combat and laser guns instead. It’s like a real life Call of Duty!

Balls of fun

Team up and go head to head in an exciting game of dodgeball or zorb football. Dodgeball is just like the film – get out any anger (or just gang up on the unlucky groom) and pelt as many balls as possible at each other. It’s fast, it’s extreme and it certainly packs a punch, quite literally! Meanwhile zorb football is lots of fun – once you’re fitted with your own inflatable bubble, bounce off your teammates to stop your opponents scoring. It’s actually a lot harder than it looks!

The Welsh way

What happens in Wales stays in Wales, right? The Welsh games are something you won’t be able to experience anywhere else – it’s all the best of Cardiff wrapped up in one all-inclusive package. There are nice Welsh-themed games such as Sheep Shenanigans, Drunk Dragons and Across the Taff, where you have to run, jump, dunk and smash your way through, all the while wearing a silly costume of course! What would a stag do be without a little public humiliation?

Revved up and ready to go

What better way to get ready for the big day than getting all fast and furious? The Welsh capital offers lots of different racing activities – go quad bike trekking on an unrestricted 250cc Honda, feel like a F1 driver with indoor go kart racing, or put the pedal to the metal with a high speed dune buggy. For something completely different, test your skills in a specially fitted Mini Cooper or Monster Truck. One for all the rev-heads!

Party all night long

A stag do isn’t a stag do without a few nights of drunken debauchery. Cardiff is a popular destination for both stag and hens parties, so the city is well-equipped to make sure all your desires are catered for. Right near Central Station is where you’ll find all the major clubs, including PRYZM, a 7-room club boasting some of the best DJs, Retro which pumps out your favourite 90s hits (and is also popular with the ladies), and the Bavarian Bierkeller, for some steins in a German-style beer hall. If the stag still isn’t satisfied, For Your Eyes Only is a titillating gentlemen’s club that’s perfect for some after-hours fun. Shhh, we won’t tell if you don’t…