A trip to the archipelago of Malta: The Island of Gozo
Dwejra Tower, Gozo, Malta (ISO 100, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/60 s)
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If you have decided to see this amazing country, good on you. But Malta isn’t just the main island; there are two smaller islands that you should explore on your trip. The islands of Gozo and Comino are easily reached by ferry from the Ċirekewwa Port on the main island.
My trip in Malta was nearly a week, most of which I spent on the main island, whereas I spent 1 day each in Gozo and Comino. If you had more time, I would suggest 2 days in Gozo. Nonetheless, 1 day is good enough to be able to enjoy the island’s offerings. This post will focus on what you should consider seeing on the Maltese island of Gozo. A Google Map of all the places I will talk about can be found at the end of this post. Furthermore, if you want more of an INSIDER’S LOOK into Gozo, check out the website Gozo in the House.
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If you decided to stay in the capital city of Valletta like me, getting to Cirekewwa Port (en route to Gozo), couldn’t be any easier. I picked up a 12 trip bus pass (€15) from a tourist shop and took bus 41/42 from Valletta to Cirekewwa. The bus ride takes 60-80 minutes, depending on the traffic. From there, you simply follow the signs to the Gozo ferry. It is THAT easy.
You can find the ferry schedule here. You will notice that the ferry goes regularly during the day but less so during the night time. But nonetheless, there will always be a ferry going at least once an hour.
Check out my drone video of Gozo, Sweden below!
The town that you arrive in in Gozo is called Mgarr. It is arguably the most busy place on the island with the exception of Victoria, the capital city of Gozo. When it comes to public transport, I found that the buses in Gozo were less frequent than in Malta. Secondly, most routes to places in Gozo required one to take a bus back to Victoria and another to your destination (assuming it was on another part of the coastline). This means you took two bus trips to get from the West coast to the North (around 1.5 hours of travel time). Due to this slight inconvenience, I would recommend two things:
You stay at least 2 days on Gozo to give yourself ample time to see most places
You rent a car so you can get around much more efficiently
Despite not following either 1 or 2, I tried to see as much as I could with the time I had that day.
Dwejra Bay, Gozo, Malta (ISO 100, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 0.4 s)
Starting in Mgarr, you are immediately welcomed by the Church of the Madonna of Lourdes. It is an exquisitely constructed church that reminds me a little bit of Notre Dame in Paris. What I love most about it is its Neo-Gothic architecture (my personal favorite) which is a stark departure from the typical Maltese Baroque that is usually employed. The church also has stunning views over the entire harbor area.
Dwejra Bay and Fungus Rock, Gozo, Malta (ISO 100, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 0.4 s)
Another known landmark on this island is the Azure Window, an arched rock formation off the West coast of the island. Unfortunately, on March 8, 2017, the formation collapsed after a period of heavy storms. Therefore, the rock is no longer accessible by walking. The area you will find it is still visually stunning. Limestone cliffs combined with water that is all shades of blue makes from some dramatic drone photography. The wind in the area was brutal as well, but Toby was up for the task (‘Toby’ being the name of my Dji Mavic Air 2 drone - My Gear).
Wied il-Għasri, Gozo, Malta (ISO 100, 24 mm, f/8, 1/400 s)
Nearby is Blue Hole, a popular dive spot that looks like it has been carved out of the cliffside. If you want to switch it up and go snorkeling instead, there is an area nearby called Coral Gardens that is aces for it.
Overlooking the area and Dwejra Bay happens to be coincidentally enough, Dwejra Tower. The limestone tower, constructed in 1652, gives you the best panoramic views of the coastline including, Fungus Rock.
You can see all my Malta related blog posts below:
Valletta (A Tour through Valletta, the Capital City of Malta)
Mdina (A Guide to the City of Mdina in Malta)
The Island of Malta (A trip to the archipelago of Malta: The Main Island)
The Island of Gozo (A trip to the archipelago of Malta: The Island of Gozo)
The Island of Comino (A trip to the archipelago of Malta: The Island of Comino)
Summary (A Guide to Malta: Valletta, Mdina, Gozo, Comino, and Malta)
Wied il-Għasri, Gozo, Malta (ISO 100, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/15 s)
Fungus Rock is a 60 meter tall rock which received its name due to the Malta fungus (Cynomorium) that was discovered growing atop it by the Knights Hospitaller, a Catholic Military Order. Spoiler Alert: the plant they found was not actually a fungus, but a parasitic flowering plant.
If you take bus 309 from Victoria towards the Northern Gozo coast, you will reach my favorite place on the island: Wied il-Għasri. This part of the coastline is reached by a 10 minute walk downhill from the bus stop at Saghtrija. You can’t tell it’s there at first, just use Google Maps to walk in the general direction. You will eventually reach a gravel road leading to a small parking area and from there you take the walkway down to the water level.
The Jump, Gozo, Malta (ISO 100, 82 mm, f/4, 1/2000 s)
What you will find will be a very small beach spot and water the color of turquoise. The waves can be a little choppy but swimming is definitely manageable. As the channel gets closer to the sea, the water goes from a turquoise green to a sapphire blue, which I was able to document wonderfully with Toby (my drone). While I didn’t dare to swim myself, I could have stayed for hours.
When you have had your fix, you can head back up the hillside and walk along the gorge towards Cathedral Cave (Ghar ir-Rih). Once again, this place is another awesome dive site and is also called Blue Dome. The sunlight from the cave entrance illuminates the cave ceiling in a dramatic blue glow. The dive is for all levels as the depth of the cave is 30 meters with a visibility of 25 meters.
Salt Pans, Gozo, Malta (ISO 100, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/13 s)
Reqqa Point sits a short walk away from Cathedral Cave, just along the coastline. In fact, there is plenty of space to walk along this part of the Gozo coastline, often with stunning oceans views.
A walk further to the East, going clockwise around Gozo, you will encounter more and more salt pans. These shallow, rectangular pools are used for salt production (go figure). The locals are adamant that you don’t walk through the pans so as to disturb them or contaminate them. What I loved the most was the geometric shapes captured through the eyes of my drone.
Salt Pans, Gozo, Malta (ISO 100, 4.5 mm, f/2.8, 1/8 s)
