Buskett Gardens

Buskett (Il-Buskett) is a wooded valley, Wied il-Luq, a short drive south of Mdina and Rabat and just inland from Dingli Cliffs. BirdLife Malta calls it the islands' only semi-natural woodland. The Knights of St John planted it as a hunting ground, and Verdala Palace, built in 1586, looks down on the trees from the ridge above.

The woodland is owned by the Government of Malta, managed by Ambjent Malta, and is a Special Area of Conservation in the EU Natura 2000 network, as well as an Important Bird Area. Alongside the wild woodland are older orchards, vineyards, orange, olive and lemon groves and stone-walled lanes, so the place feels part forest, part country estate.

Trees, flowers and birds

Holm oak and Aleppo pine form the canopy, with olive, white poplar and great reed. From autumn to spring the ground fills with wild flowers, including the brown orchid and the large blue alkanet. Autumn is the headline season for birders: honey buzzards and marsh harriers pass through and often roost in flocks in the trees, and rarer raptors turn up some years. In spring look for kestrels, hobbies, hoopoes, turtle doves and bee-eaters, while Sardinian warblers, Cetti's warblers and spotted flycatchers breed here. Our birdwatching guide explains how migration works over the islands.

Visiting Buskett

• As of November 2026, BirdLife Malta lists Buskett as open at all hours; an entrance fee was not confirmed on an official page.
• There is parking at the site, and a Buskett bus stop that BirdLife Malta lists on routes 52, 56 and 181 (as of November 2026).
• Paths are mostly gentle, though some are uneven stone lanes.
• Take your rubbish home and leave flowers and orchids unpicked: this is a protected site.

Around 29 June the woodland hosts L-Imnarja, Malta's folk festival and harvest thanksgiving. The rest of the year it is a quiet walk and picnic spot. Pair it with the clifftop views at Dingli Cliffs and an afternoon in Mdina and Rabat, where St Paul's Catacombs are worth the stop. For a coastal contrast, head north to Majjistral Park.