Malta: Natural Escapes

Due to the undoubtedly great advantage of fair weather (average rainfall of 578mm a year and average temperature of 30C/86F during the summer months), the Maltese Islands lend themselves to outdoor activities.

Away from the hustle and bustle of village cores, the Maltese Islands offer various natural spots to be explored and admired, some left almost untouched by the 20th century. Much of the countryside is dotted with the world's oldest free-standing structures in the world, so a stroll could prove to be most interesting.

The first rains after the long, hot summer brings the landscape to life with an astonishing variety of wild flowers.  From mid November until mid May the Islands are green and lush with fields full of vegetables and waysides carpeted with fennel, clover, wild iris and myrtle

The Islands offer walkers some of the most stunning views anywhere in the Mediterranean.  The first thing to do is to decide what sort of view you prefer – dramatic cliffs plunging into waves, the rocky, scrubland of the garrigue or hidden, lush valleys.  En route, you’ll come across mysterious, prehistoric sites, cave chapels and secluded palaces of the Knights.

Gozo is extremely popular with both locals and tourists alike for its serenity and quiet beauty. Often referred to as “the land where time stood still”, Malta’s sister Island is excellent walking country.

One of the best walks is along Dingli Cliffs. It’s truly spectacular to watch the sun set over the sea from the highest area in Malta where the land falls away at a spectacular 220m height (720ft). These cliffs offer remarkable coastal views.

The island of Comino was once reportedly the hideout of pirates and smugglers and is only 2.5km (1.6mi) by 1.5km (0.95mi) in size, so it’s ideal for a good day’s hiking and the ultimate in solitude and views.

For those that are more up for a challenge, the Islands offer some testing scenery to tempt the avid rock climber.

Put on walking boots, hire a mountain bike and head out from the village squares on the narrow farmers’ tracks.  You’ll find yourself in a timeless landscape, quite alone even in peak season.  There is plenty to discover, from ancient farmhouses and wayside chapels to spectacular seascapes. The Islands are hardly large enough to every really get lost in and there’s always a friendly face to guide you.

Walks around the Maltese Islands

The first rain after the long, hot summer brings the landscape to life with an astonishing variety of wild flowers.  From mid November until mid May or so, you’ll find the Islands green and lush.  Fields are full of vegetables and waysides are carpeted with fennel, clover, wild iris, myrtle and much more.  By late spring, a thousand or more species of plants will be in flower.

Away from the resorts and urban areas of central Malta, there is a surprising amount of countryside, some left almost untouched by the 20th century.  You may be surprised to learn that only around one-fifth of the Maltese Islands is urbanised.  Farmers often use traditional labour-intensive methods of the past.  Village life still centres on the agricultural and fishing seasons.

Today, as in past times, you will still see old men and women, sometimes with their extended families, working the fields.  In the north of Malta, where the ground is barren, and in many parts of Gozo, you’ll come across small flocks of shaggy-coated goats and sheep being herded along the wayside.

The Islands offer walkers some of the most stunning views anywhere in the Mediterranean.  The first thing to do is to decide what sort of view you prefer – dramatic cliffs plunging into waves, the rocky, scrubland of the garrigue or hidden, lush valleys.  En route, you’ll come across mysterious, prehistoric sites, cave chapels and secluded palaces of the Knights.

In Malta, areas that make excellent day hikes, are Mellieħa, Dingli, Għar Lapsi, Fawwara, Wardija, all the North and the various bays, and the southern coast with its fishing villages and Delimara Point.

Gozo in its entirety is excellent walking country.  We’ve mapped only three routes, but other areas such as Ta’ Dgiebi, near San Lawrenz, the Gordan Lighthouse near Ghasri, Honoq ir-Rummien near Qala and San Blas Valley near Nadur are all excellent walking areas.  The Island is criss-crossed by tracks and lanes. The possibilities are endless.  Don’t miss tiny Comino, ideal for a good day’s hiking and the ultimate in solitude and views.

Put on walking boots, hire a mountain bike and head out from the village squares on the narrow farmers’ tracks.  You’ll find yourself in a timeless landscape, quite alone even in peak season.  There is plenty to discover, from ancient farmhouses and wayside chapels to spectacular seascapes.  It is well worth the effort!

Parks and Gardens

“The gardens that can be found in the Maltese Islands are numerous but relatively small.  What they lack in size they make up for in historical and cultural content, which when pieced together, relate the happenings of their inhabitants from the early 15th century to present day.

The flagship of all the gardens is beyond any doubt San Anton Gardens in Attard, built by Grand Master Antoine de Paul in 1623.  However, other smaller gardens such as the two Barrakkas in Valletta offer breathtaking views of our Grand Harbour and the fortifications built by the Knights of Malta.  Historical gardens were usually born as appendages to palaces and palatial homes of the rulers of the day.  Even Buskett Gardens in Rabat grew out of a hunting lodge that was built in the mid 1500’s by Grandmaster La Vallette.

Sa Maison gardens, which overlook the equally impressive Marsamxetto Harbour, was the work of Grandmaster de Paul (1636), but it was later (1853) revisited by the British Military who used its vantage position for defence purposes and left interesting evidence of their presence by sculpting various coats of arms in the rock face of the bastions.

Equally important historical gardens include Argotti Garden, St Philip in Floriana, Hastings in Valletta, Palazzo Parisio in Naxxar and several others, which are found in outlying areas.  Modern gardens which are worthy of note include the Chinese Garden of Serenity in Santa Lucia, the Ta’ Qali National Park and the Independence Garden on the Sliema Seafront.’

-      Peter Calamatta, Horticulturalist

Argotti Botanical Gardens

Situated in Floriana, the Argotti Gardens were laid out in the 18th century as a private garden belonging to Grand Master Pinto.

The gardens became botanical a century later, with a rich collection of trees and shrubs from oaks to oleanders and potted plants, especially cacti. The gardens also hold a variety of water features – fountains, ponds and water towers.

The private section has a number of both indigenous and foreign plants. There is a small horticultural museum housed in part of the villa exhibiting seeds, plant pressing equipment, gardening maps and records.

There is also an exquisite gazebo dating back to 1741, which is open during office hours only.

Buskett Gardens

Situated next to Verdala Palace in a valley just inland from Dingli Cliffs, Buskett Gardens was planted by the Knights as a hunting ground.

Heavily wooded with native, hardy species such as Mediterranean pines, Buskett Gardens was created by Grand Master Lascaris. The gardens also hold vineyards, orangeries, olive and lemon groves. There are pathways lined with ivy-clad stone walls and wilder woodland that allows for nature walks and exploration.

From autumn to spring the gardens are full of wild flowers, natural springs and woodland creatures. The wood leads up hill to the more formal gardens of Verdala Palace. A good picnic spot for tourists and locals, the garden is the venue for a lively summer tradition – the feast of L'Imnarja, a folk festival and harvest thanksgiving.

Elysium Visitor Centre & Tree Nursery

The Gaia Foundation is an environmental organisation working in the management of protected coastal areas (Għajn Tuffieha, Malta and Ramla Bay, Gozo). In the Visitor Centre, situated just between Ghajn Tuffieha Bay and Golden Bay, one can find a tree nursery specialised in indigenous Maltese plants as well as an organic and fair trade shop offering fair trade, organic and traditional Maltese products from local farmers. Several info boards are informing about ecological themes. The Visitors have the possibility to adopt their own tree. From the Visitor Centre a footpath is leading along the cliffs to the Ghajn Tuffieha Tower, an old watch tower from the times of the Knights, offering spectacular views along the Northwest Coast of Malta. The Visitor Centre is open for organised tours against a fee.

Contact: The Gaia Foundation

Elysium Tree Nursery & Visitor Centre Għajn Tuffieha Road Għajn Tuffieha

Tel: (+356) 21584473/4

Email: admin@projectgaia.org

Website: www.projectgaia.org

Gardjola Gardens

Grandmaster De La Sengle planned the Gardjola Gardens in Senglea on a grid pattern in 1551.

The gardens hold the panoramic view that includes the docks in Marsa, Valletta, the entrance to the Grand Harbour and Fort St. Angelo. The sentry box placed on the tip of the bastion, ‘il-gardjola’, epitomises the role of the fortifications around the harbour.

On the sentry box there are sculptured various symbols of watchfulness, namely the eye, the ear, and the crane bird. The inscription in Latin assures the inhabitants of the harbour area to rest at ease, as the tower stands guard against any hostile force that may attempt to approach Maltese shores.

Għadira Nature Reserve

The Ghadira Nature Reserve covers an area of about six hectares and occupies the floodplain between two ridges. It lies some 100 metres from Mellieha Bay's sandy beach. More than 200 species of birds have been recorded at the reserve and many winter here. Visitors are guided by BirdLife Malta volunteers along the nature path.

Opening Times: Saturdays and Sundays only between 9.30 a.m. & 3.30 p.m. (January and December) and 10.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. (February to May, and November)

The Reserve is closed between June and October.

Public Transport to and from Valletta: Bus 44, 45.

The Reserve is a NO SMOKING AREA

No pets are allowed inside

Visitors are guided by BirdLife Malta volunteers along the nature path

There is no entrance fee but donations are welcome

Ghadira Nature Reserve

c/o BirdLife Malta Mellieha

Tel: (+356) 21347646

Fax: (+356) 21343239

Email: info@birdlifemalta.org

Website: www.birdlifemalta.org/ghadira.htm

Hastings Gardens

Hastings Garden is a small, attractive city garden set on the bastions of Valletta with views of Manoel Island and Msida Creek. The garden also houses a monument built by the Hastings family dedicated to Francis, Marquis of Hastings, who was a governor of Malta.

Lord Hastings was Viceroy of India until his appointment to Malta in 1824. In 1827, he died in a ship en route to Naples and his body was returned for burial in this garden.

Howard Gardens

Howard Gardens are one of the biggest public gardens in Malta, forming a natural border between Rabat and neighbouring Mdina.

The ditch surrounds the fortified Mdina and would prove highly difficult to get across for past invaders.

Today, at one end of the garden is a very popular site-seeing spot and the garden includes, amongst other things, an orange garden, a football (soccer) ground and a tennis court.

Lower Barrakka Gardens

This garden perches on the bastion edge overlooking the entrance to Grand Harbour, commanding a superb viewpoint from the harbour mouth over to Fort Ricasoli, Bighi Palace, Fort St Angelo and the creeks of Vittoriosa and Kalkara.

Among the trees stands a monument for Sir Alexander Ball, one of the leaders of the Maltese insurgents against the French in the 1798 uprising. When the French surrendered and the British annexed Malta, Alexander Ball was to become the first British Governor of Malta.

Majjistral Nature and History Park

The Majjistral Park is situated in the middle of the Natura 2000 strech of coast, in an area largely dominated by clay, which sits beneath the upper and lower coralline limestone. The wave action has eroded the clay to the point where large sections of limestone have collapsed, forming the boulder scree. This has given rise to a special habitat for flora, which has often remained somewhat protected owing to its relative inaccessibility. It has also created a breathtaking landscape which does not go unnoticed by most visitors, both local and foreign. The erosion of the rock has also lead to the formation of sand which in turn is washed ashore to create sandy beaches. The North West in fact boasts a number of beautiful bays, stretching from Fomm ir-Riħ, to Ġnejna, Għajn Tuffieħa, Golden Sands, and Paradise Bay. These are all surrounded by magnificent views of clay slopes, boulder scree and cliffs.

The outstanding landscape in the park has attracted a number of ramblers over the years. While visitors flock to the beaches, like Golden Sands in the hot months in order to cool down, the shoulder months between October and April bring the landscape to life with the onset of the Autumn rains. The climate is mild and perfect for walks in the Park.

Various features of cultural interest that merit conservation lie within the boundaries of the Park. These features include cart-ruts, long rubble walls (dry stone walls), farmhouses, small beehives, tombs dating to the Classical period, natural caves, and numerous corbelled stone huts (giren) which lie within and outside the Park. Of particular interest is a rare corbelled hut constructed in a square shape. Rural corbelled huts were used for both storage and shelter.

There are also notable remains of British military architecture in the area, mainly dating to the early 20th century. Two large sets of military barracks used during the British period lie just outside the confines of the Park, which were used for military exercises and training. A military shooting range also exists with the Park. There is a camouflaged second World War pillbox near the Manikata area, and another in the Għajn Żnuber area. During the first World War, wounded soldiers from the Battle of the Dardanelles (Battle of Gallipoli) were brought to a large hospital camp erected in this area.

Remains of cart-ruts (grooves cut or worn into the natural rock), ancient stone quarries and megalithic walls lie behind the interesting modern church of Manikata, built in the early 1970s by the architect Richard England. Bronze-age cart-ruts also exist in others areas of the Xagħra l-Ħamra plateau.

On the two sides of the valley overlooking Golden Bay (ir-Ramla tal-Mixquqa), there are entrenchments built as part of a coastal defence system during the period of the Knights of St John, in the early eighteenth century.

Majjistral Nature and History Park

Email:  info@majjistral.org

Website:  www.majjistral.org

Palazzo Parisio

Palazzo Parisio is an exceptionally large palazzo, testifying to the ambitions of a wealthy 19th century Maltese family. A haven of colour and scents, the gardens of the palazzo are a perfect testimony to the migration of Italian landscaping, as well as the merging of cultures between Malta and southern Italy.

Creation of the gardens included a highly complex water and irrigation system with the digging of a water tank, measuring half the size of the garden and linked to wells in the neighbourhood.

The walled Italian gardens are a mixture of symmetry and Mediterranean colours with many Mediterranean and exotic species - Chorisia speciosa, Meryta denhamii, Banksia seratifoglia, Coculus, Quercus ilex, Araucaria, Brugmansia, Erythrina cristagalli, Jacaranda, Sapindus, and Oleander.

There is also a vast collection of hybrid Hibiscus, more than 60 plants of different colours and a rich collection of bougainvilleas and of citruses.

Sa Maison Gardens

The Sa Maison Garden is a small, pretty garden mostly known for its military heritage. The garden is also known as ‘il-Gnien tal-Milorda’ (Her Ladyship's Garden) in memory of Lady Julia Lockwood, who resided there between 1842 and 1856. Her house was later demolished and the garden taken over by the military, which were responsible for its maintenance until 1903, when it was taken over by the civil government.

Apart from the several regimental crests, which are engraved in the bastion wall inside the garden, there’s also a small model of a castle carved in Maltese stone dedicated to the 2nd Battalion of the Essex Regiment.

The garden itself is on several levels and there is a Knight's Gardjola (watch tower), which is easily accessible and provides spectacular views of the Ta’ Xbiex Yacht Marina and fortifications.

San Anton Gardens

Probably the best known of the Islands’ gardens, San Anton gardens was laid out by Grand Master Antoine de Paule as grounds to his summer residence, San Anton Palace.

From 1802 until 1964, San Anton Palace was the official residence of the British Governor, after which it remained a state building and is now the residence of the Maltese President. Various heads of state have visited the gardens over the years and numerous plaques mark their ceremonial tree planting.

The garden is a botanical delight with mature trees, old stone urns, fountains, ponds and formal flower beds. The garden is formal with rustic touches and holds a wide variety of plants and flowers, such as Jacaranda trees, Norfolk Pines, Bougainvillea and roses.

Nowadays, the garden is the Annual Horticultural Show venue and during summer, the spacious central court becomes an open-air theatre for drama and musical performances.

Simar Nature Reserve

Is-Simar Nature Reserve is situated at Pwales Valley, a fertile agricultural valley in the north of Malta. The nature reserve is very close to the small towns of Xemxija and St. Paul's Bay.   At is-Simar one can find native trees, and a variety of breeding birds, wintering birds and passage birds.  Opening Times: November to May, Sundays only - from 10.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. The Reserve is closed from June to October.

Ta' Qali National Park

Ta' Qali is a wide open space in the centre of Malta where you can find the  National Stadium, the  National park and a  vegetable market which is locally known as the Pitkalija and the Crafts vilage.

The area used to be an air field during World War 2 but has since been transformed into a recreational area. Like most things in Malta, this area is small in scale but it is considered by some Maltese as an ideal place to go for a picnic and spend weekend afternoons. The National Park  also includes an amphitheatre.

Upper Barrakka Gardens

The Upper Barrakka Gardens are situated near Castille Place and possess unsurpassed views across the Grand Harbour over to the Three Cities.

The origins of the Upper Barrakka Gardens go back to 1661, when it was a private garden of the Italian Knights, whose inns of residence (auberges) lie close by. It was not before 1824 that it was opened as a public garden and during WWII the garden suffered much destruction.

The paths are lined with and the busts, statues and plaques that chart various personalities and other significant events in Maltese history.

Of special interest are the bronze group, known as ‘Les Gavroches’ (street urchins), by an early 20th century Maltese sculptor. Depicting three children hurrying forward, the idea behind this statue was the extreme hardship faced at the turn of the 20th century.