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Comino – Go early and beat the crowds

4/5/2014

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The small island of Comino sandwiched between the larger islands of Malta and Gozo starts getting a steady influx of visitors from June onwards, when the bathing season is in full swing and the locals start to flock there on day trips. Comino’s amenities are limited – there is just one hotel, practically no shops and no cars either. This is quite understandable as its permanent population consists of just three people.

So why go there at all one may ask. Well as far as the Maltese Islands are concerned it is definitely the ultimate get-away-from-it-all destination and a day spent there is like no other. In May its two main beaches, Santa Maria Bay and the Blue Lagoon, are still almost empty of people and can be enjoyed ...erm… as they should be – peacefully!

The Blue Lagoon with its underlying bed of white sands is probably the most enticing stretch of sea in the entire Maltese archipelago – its translucent waters are an invitation to dive in even to the most determined landlubber. Santa Maria Bay is not to be sniffed at either, not least because of its line of tamarisk trees bordering the sea which offers priceless shade. The latter bay can be almost deserted in late spring and the water is crystal clear here as well.

What of the determined landlubber who will still resist the call of the sea? Well there is still enough to see to easily fill a day. On Comino’s highest ground stands the Santa Maria Tower – an imposing fortress built by the Knights at a time when Comino was frequently a convenient hideout for corsairs with dubious intents. In more recent times the tower has often featured in films – most notably in The Count of Monte Cristo where it doubled for the notorious fortress-prison of the Château d'If. As a rule of thumb, if the flag is flying from the tower that means it’s also open to visitors.  

Next to the tower is a ramshackle building, originally an army barracks and now largely deserted except for a few rooms which make up the home of the remaining inhabitants. It’s a cool atmospheric place with a couple of delightful leafy lanes…and you might even get a glimpse of one of the three lone islanders – true modern day castaways surviving on what is essentially a bare rock.

Over on the south side of the island there is a small Knights’ Battery and close to Santa Maria Bay there is a lovely chapel still used by the islanders for Sunday mass – with a priest dutifully making the crossing from Gozo every week.

But really the landlubber’s Comino is a place to get lost in for the day and savour its remoteness; the arid landscape punctuated by the low thyme bushes which at this time of year take on their purple hue, the cliff scenery and the open water vistas across the channels separating it from its larger neighbours …and the blissful quiet.

There are daily ferry crossings to Comino from both Cirkewwa in Malta as well as Mgarr Harbour in Gozo.  Although there are no shops on Comino the hotel bar and restaurant are open to non-residents and there are usually a couple of fast food kiosks at the Blue Lagoon.


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Comino's rugged eastern cliffs

The above article was originally published in the May 2014 newsletter of Chevron UK - Malta travel specialists since 1982. You may subscribe to Chevron's newsletter here
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Spring…and the trekking is easy

2/5/2014

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Gozo was recently voted third best Mediterranean island by the independent Trip Advisor site. This should come as no surprise really - the island is conspicuously different from its larger neighbour Malta; greener, much less densely populated and quieter and consequently with a much slower pace all round. One of Gozo’s notable differences is a much less developed coastline and luckily it will probably stay that way too – half of the coast consists of high and very scenic cliffs.

A trek along part of these cliffs at any time of the year is a rewarding experience and much easier than one might think. One such walk starts from the popular resort of Xlendi, simply by following the promenade on the left hand side of the bay. As the promenade comes to an end there is a small bridge which gets you across the mouth of the Wied ta Kantra – a steep sided dry valley bordered by a varied vegetation. From here make your way to the tower at the end of the bay. There are good views of the cliffs further to the north of Xlendi from here.


Past the tower there is a level limestone rock shelf – a popular off-beat bathing area - which soon makes way to higher ground up to the cliffs. By now you will have left civilization a good twenty minutes behind, the silence is delicious and the views are second to none as the high vertical cliffs come into view. The trek is a very easy one to follow and basically winds its way above a couple of steep sided coves for the next forty minutes or so; a beautiful lonely trek with breath-taking views each step of the way...

Past the second inlet a veritable cliff wall comes into view but don’t be disheartened…the trek continues some way inland making for a less steep climb before rejoining the edge.  Once at the top the full sweep of the cliffs (called the Sanap cliffs in this area) can be appreciated. From here the path becomes a well laid out paved one and the views now stretch as far as Comino and the north coast of Malta. At the end of the paved path a narrow road leads back to the tiny village of Munxar from where one can easily get back to Xlendi via the panoramic road set between open fields – and the whole track would have taken you about two hours.


There’s more edge of the cliff walking if you’re so inclined as the cliffside track continues on a more or less level path to the outskirts of the village of Sannat, and past that on to the large Ta Cenc plateau – itself an equally wild and beautiful site. Allow three to four hours for this second option.


The walk is a relatively easy one and can be appreciated at all times of the year but spring brings out the best of this coastal walk as the vegetation is at its vibrant best. In the hot dry summer an early morning or late afternoon start is best. Some drinking water and sun screen are essentials….plus a camera!


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Heaven up here...

The above article was originally published in the May 2014 newsletter of Chevron UK - Malta travel specialists since 1982. You may subscribe to Chevron's newsletter here.
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