Malta’s Gems: Exploring Gozo
Tucked away between Sicily and the North African coast, Malta is the ultimate Mediterranean escape and while small, the country is made up of more than one island.
The islands of Gozo and Comino to the north are hidden gems just waiting to be discovered.
We started our adventure with our bags on board a fast ferry taking us from Valetta to Gozo, docking in Mġarr – this is where we were basing ourselves for the next couple of days.
Elevated pool at Grand Hotel Gozo
The port in Mġarr looks small but busy and charming and I was glad to see some restaurants around, meaning we wouldn’t have to travel for our evening meals.
Having spent a couple of days exploring the cities on the main island of Malta, we didn’t want to be landlocked and felt this was a good base and checked into the Grand Hotel Gozo with views across the harbour.
After arriving, we immediately wanted to get out and explore so we headed for a coastal walk from the port along the cliffs to Gorgun Beach.
Gorgun Beach
I am not sure the word ‘beach’ really applies here but the walk was scenic and hot so there was no way we weren’t swimming.
Shoes are recommended as you make your way down some stairs and across some large and slippery rocks to make your way into the water. The day we were there, there was a bit of swell so had to be super careful getting back out.
The next day was the day to explore further afield. We had booked some a buggy through Gozo Quad Hire for the whole day. We self-drove but you can join a tour as well.
The guys came and picked us up from our hotel first thing in the morning and after a quick briefing, we were on our way.
Our ride for the day
The first stop was Grech’s bakery for a sweet donut and an espresso to fuel us for the day.
We had decided to do a lap of the island starting on the eastern side and heading north. This took us to Hondoq ir-Rummien where we stopped for a look around and enjoyed the view. We were there very early with not many people around and offering crystal clear water, but we were quite ready for a swim yet.
A moody morning at at Hondoq ir-Rummien
Next up, we headed down a winding road to Daħlet Qorrot Beach. I almost don’t want to share this spot because it was magical, and we could have spent all day here.
There were no other tourists, just locals out for their morning walk and swim and a few people learning how to dive.
The most inviting water at Daħlet Qorrot
The word hidden gem gets thrown around a lot, but this beach truly lived up to the phrase. The pebbly cove is surrounded by lush countryside and bordered by carved cliffs resulting in the perfect sheltered bay for swimming and snorkelling. The peace and the quiet here without shops or buildings is unmatched in the Mediterranean.
Rocky views at Daħlet Qorrot
After dragging ourselves out of the sea and on our way, knowing that our buggy maxed out at 50km/h and while small, we wouldn’t make it around the whole island if we dallied too long, we headed for Ramla Beach.
Passing a vineyard on our left and stalls on our right, we headed down a straight, flat road – such a novelty for the island and ended on rich red sand.
The red sand of Rambla Bay
This beach was much more developed and busier than where we had just left so we felt we didn’t need a swim (plus the sand was scorching hot) so walked down for a look and then headed back for a refreshing beer overlooking the calm ocean in front.
By now, I was getting a little hungry, so we pulled up in Marsalforn for some lunch. We opted to find a spot away from the restaurants lining the bay and tucked into some incredible Thai food a couple of streets back.
Long before visiting Malta, I had seen images of Xwejni Bay and the salt pans but nothing prepares you for seeing it in real life.
Selfie at the salt pans
The Xwejni salt pans stretch three kilometres along the coast and have been used for more than 350 years. A salt pan is a shallow reservoir dug out of limestone rock to collect seawater. As the water evaporates, white salt crystals remain. The crystals are then dried and packed into salt pouches – collected about once a month in summer and it is incredible to see it in action.
Salt pans
After exploring here (from a distance as you cannot walk on the pans themselves), we headed to another spot I absolutely had to see for myself - Wied il-Għasri.
Driving down a dirt road and parking wherever we could find a spot out of the way, we headed in the direction of the sea. Before you make it, you can see a fissure in the land ahead.
Wied il-Għasri
Wied il-Għasri resembles a canyon and stretches 300 metres inland to a tiny pebble beach. To get down, you walk down about 100 steps carved into the porous walls of the sandstone.
Like most, we have to stop in awe as the winding bay appears before us on the way down. Towel down and slow stumble to the water’s edge across the soft pebbles (we had no water shoes) and into the clear bay we float.
Over the years, the swirling sea has carved out the sides of the gorge, creating caves and pockets beneath the water's surface. We swim almost to the mouth of the gorge but, feeling the pull of the current on our toes, stay safely away from the wide-open ocean.
After a relaxing swim (although it was quite busy when we visited in peak summer), it was on to what would be our last stop for the day.
Swimming near Dwerja
If you google Gozo, you will probably see images of a rock arch over the sea. Unfortunately, the 28m tall Azure Window collapsed into the ocean in 2017 but this part of the coastline is still spectacular and worth a visit.
In addition to the Inland Sea – a natural sea pool connected to the sea by an 80-m long tunnel – this exposed part of the north-western coastline is dramatic and wild. It was also a filming location for season 1 of Game of Thrones!
Inland sea and cave entrance
We wanted to make a stop at Xlendi Beach and Victoria on the way back to our hotel but we had run out of time needed to return the buggy! We drove slowly through Victoria to get a sense of the city and got back just on closing time and the guys dropped us back to Mġarr so we could refresh and have a cocktail while we relived the day’s highlights.
It is crazy that you can fit so much to see on one tiny island and we didn’t even get to explore it all!
Dinner views in Mġarr
