A day trip to Comino Island
Chances are, you have seen a picture or two of the Blue Lagoon.
This idyllic lagoon is found on Comino, a little gem of an island belonging to the Maltese archipelago, situated between Malta and Gozo.
It may be small, but it sure is mighty. Think stunning nature, crystal-clear turquoise water and hiking trails with breathtaking views.
Swimming at the Blue Lagoon
We took a day trip there while staying on nearby Gozo. A ferry trip will take you about 15 to 20 minutes and then the day is yours.
My advice is to go early. We just walked down to the ferry terminal in Mgarr Harbour and bought a ticket for the next boat over. Don’t lose your card for the return trip – they are colour-coded based on who you booked through and some of the ferries go back to different parts of Malta.
As soon as you get off the boat, you can’t help but notice this incredibly vibrant blue stretch of water – that’s the Blue Lagoon and it can be tempting to stay here all day but that would be a mistake!
We had packed plenty of water and a sense of adventure and decided to spend our day walking around the island exploring – we could then spend as much time as wanted at the lagoon before heading back to Gozo.
Looking down at the Crystal Lagoon
There are no cars on Comino, but also not really any signposts, so we just followed the paths in the direction we wanted.
The one downside of walking on Comino is that in summer, it was pretty warm and there is no shade on this wild and wonderful island, so we definitely got pretty hot.
Walking in the heat on Comino
Our first stop was the Crystal Lagoon – just a 15 minute stroll around the cliff. Much less visited as most people only come by boat, this lagoon is surrounded by dramatic cliffs, hidden caves and tunnels.
You need to be wearing proper shoes and scramble down the rocks a bit. We did some light snorkelling and explored some caves and tunnels before taking to the cliffs for a couple of rock jumps. I was a bit scared to go from the higher points but Aiden did it in style.
Jumping in style
From here we walked along the dramatic cliff edges towards the Santa Marja Tower. We could only admire this from a distance as it is currently closed.
This tower was built in 1618 to defend the island. It is visible from Gozo island and the ferry. Interestingly, in the 17th century, Comino served as a place of imprisonment or exile for errant knights.
Santa Marja Tower
From here we definitely wanted to explore some more and started to head along the coast towards Elephant Rock. About half way there, we realized it was too hot and we weren’t going to enjoy it so changed course and cut through the middle of island and made Santa Maria Bay our next stop.
The chapel
Passing by a chapel, we emerged to a gorgeous, protected bay for a beer and a swim.
After a refreshing break here, it was time to go back to the start.
Refreshing at Santa Maria Bay
We followed the coastline back and I am pretty sure this isn’t a path and would have been more direct to go back inland but it is an adventure after all!. It would be hard to get lost here but there is an abandoned resort that is fenced off and we had to walk our way inland around that but we made it.
Island views
As we walked back down towards the Blue Lagoon, there are loads of food trucks lining the hill. We picked one for a kebab and a beer and had lunch overlooking the bay.
You can hire chairs and umbrellas on the rocks from the attendants on the beach but that really isn’t our style so we ate perched on a rock – there is no beach here.
The long narrow bay of bright blue water is surrounded by a rocky landscape, but the smooth sand at the bottom of the water make you almost feel like you’re swimming in a pool – albeit a crowded one.
Heading back to the Blue Lagoon
We spied some rocky cave across the lagoon and went to swim for it. The current across the middle of the lagoon was actually kind of intense and then understood the need for the lifeguards.
The cave was cool – riding the swell in and out for a while and then we swam back. At this point, I was starting to feel a little crispy and it was nearly 4pm so we decided to grab the next boat back to Gozo.
Cave swims!
This was not as simple as it sounds! The tiny jetty handles all the boats and ferries heading to and from various parts of Malta and there is no way of knowing which boat is yours until it arrives and someone yells out which colour is to board. Our boat only fit around 10 passengers but it was still so hectic and there were people shoving and pushing – mostly trying to escape the scorching sun. To make matters worse, there is a swimming area there with limited access so that adds another couple of dozen humans to the mix.
Once back on our boat, we had an added 10 minutes of driving around some caves on Comino before zooming across to Gozo. They call this a ‘caves tour’ but there is no commentary from the Capitan and you have no idea where you are, but it was pretty to see from the water what we had seen from the cliffs above.
Rugged island views
