Coastal Walking and Hiking in Malta and Gozo

Malta is small, but it walks big. The best routes follow the high limestone cliffs of the south-west, the protected garrigue and bays of the north-west, and the valleys and salt pans of Gozo. Choose a route to suit the time available, and check buses or the ferry for your return. The walking season runs through the cooler months: Visit Gozo recommends October to May for its trails, and the summer sun on open, shadeless ground is the a hazard the rest of the year.

Malta: Dingli and the south-west cliffs

The Dingli Cliffs, a short drive or bus ride from Mdina and Rabat, are the starting point of one of the walks listed by Visit Malta, the Dingli, Fawwara and Wied iż-Żurrieq walk. It runs along the south-west heights and down towards the inlet at Wied iż-Żurrieq, where the boats for the Blue Grotto leave. The clifftop road at Dingli is also the classic spot for a sunset stroll, and the wooded valley of Buskett Gardens lies just inland for a shaded detour.

The Victoria Lines offer another Malta walking option. Ambjent Malta describes a 12-kilometre trail from Madliena to Fomm ir-Riħ and maintains its directional signs and trail markers. The British fortifications were constructed between 1875 and 1897, with the connecting infantry parapets completed in 1899. Check the route and conditions before setting out.

Malta: the Majjistral park

In the north-west, Il-Majjistral Nature and History Park (Il-Majjistral Park ta' Natura u Storja) was established in 2007 as Malta's first national park and protects about six square kilometres of limestone coast and garrigue. For a walking day near Golden Bay and Għajn Tuffieħa Bay, use the park's published paths. The park is open to visitors on foot or by bicycle. Keep to the marked pathways, which protect the fragile habitats either side.

Gozo's planned trails

Visit Gozo maintains nine planned walking trails that between them cover every village and long stretches of the coast. Use the published route maps to plan individual walks rather than assuming they form a continuous coastal circuit. Three stand out:

• Saltpans Walk: a 12 km circuit from Victoria graded moderate, through the Sara valley and the cliff-lined Wied il-Għasri to the salt pans at Reqqa Point, then on to Xwejni and Qbajjar bays, where there are cafes and public toilets.
• Xlendi Walk: from Mġarr harbour past Mġarr ix-Xini and up to the cliffs of Ta' Ċenċ and Sanap before dropping to Xlendi Bay.
• Ta' Ġurdan Walk: a loop from Għarb's village square to the Ta' Ġurdan lighthouse and the Ta' Pinu Basilica, with views over Wied il-Mielaħ.

The Dwejra Walk from Victoria reaches the west coast at Dwejra, and a separate circuit on Comino starts and ends at the Blue Lagoon. For ferry times and the crossing, see the Gozo ferry guide.

Wear proper walking shoes for rocky paths, carry water and a packed lunch, keep well back from cliff edges where sudden gusts catch walkers out, and never cut across fields, which are private land.