Besides all the history and architecture, there is another side to holidays in Malta that involves visitors pitting their wits and strength against the natural wonders that occur here, and enjoying the waters.

Climbing and bouldering the dizzy heights on Malta are both old activities. Climbing and bouldering now have renewed popularity on the Maltese islands, particularly on Gozo and Comino. The trails were originally developed by the British Army, but were forgotten over time. Since then, climbers have returned to enjoy the challenges of the spectacular sea cliffs and the inland limestone crags. Climbing is most popular on Gozo, where there are numerous sites for climbers of various abilities to enjoy. Comino is better known for its bouldering opportunities, with two main sites consisting of huge, sandstone boulders overlooking the water.

DivingUnderwater caving is also popular. Beneath the water, the massive limestone cliffs can achieve depths of up to 100 meters, creating a submarine world of caves and tunnels. Gozo is known to divers all over the world, who rank it alongside some of the world’s major reefs and locations in Egypt as a place they must visit. In addition to the cliffs, the seas around the Maltese Islands are peppered with reefs and wrecks that act as home to a startling abundance of marine life including seahorses, eagle rays and sharks.

Coasteering is a new name for an old pursuit. The limestone cliffs that rise up to 150 meters above the Mediterranean serve for this purpose. Extremely popular in Malta, coasteering entails climbing, jumping and swimming around the dramatic coastline. Climbers continue until the climb becomes impossible, before jumping into the clear, blue waters and looking for the next suitable point to begin climbing again. This is a truly exhilarating way to explore the coastline and reveals caves, archways and other hidden gems that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Spend a day at the Marsa Sports Club, just out of Valletta, which offers great chance to play golf, tennis, squash, cricket or to swim in its pool. An 18-hole golf course belonging to the Royal Malta Golf Club, as well as miniature one,  await you and your clubs.

If you are travelling with kids, offer them some unforgettable experiences:

Popeye Village is a spectacular open-air museum as well as an entertainment complex. You may recognize it from the Popeye film. Kids get to meet their favourite movie characters, sing the familiar movie tunes, climb the rocks and trees, ride and explore the whole village.

Splash&Fun Waterpark offers wet fun for kids of all ages. Located next to the White Rocks, this lovely waterpark is full of slides, pools, wave pools, along with the Lazy River and Dinosaur Park & Splash Land.

Mediterraneo Bio Park allows you and the kids to watch and actually swim with majestic bottleneck dolphins, feed sea lions and exchange the latest news with parrots. This unique park can be found in Bahar ic-Caghaq, and besides lifelong memories offers great educations regards marine life.


Comments

Activities — 6 Comments

  1. Mediterraneo Bio Park proved to offer more fun than we could enjoy in just one day! Absolutely a fabulous place, and what’s best; it offers fun in an educational and interactive way. Kids over 5 or 6 will enjoy it the most, but even younger ones will get thrilled just watching all the colorful parrots and lovely dolphins in their element. Popeye Village is likewise a good idea with kids that are familiar with the characters. If yours aren’t yet, make sure to watch a Popeye film before going!

  2. I recommend a place called Starfish for diving (in the Corinthia beach resort). We did a couple of days of diving with them and had an amazing time, well worth the price. The directors were all approachable, fun and professional, we felt very welcome and in good hands at all times. The equipment was of a really high standard as well. It was an-all round brilliant experience, highly recommended.

  3. We just fell in love with Popeye Village and can well understand why it’s also called Sweethaven Village! One could almost imagine oneself to the musical singing side by side with the one-and-only Robin Williams. Needless to say, the kids were more than thrilled when meeting Popeye, his gal Olivia and rival Bluto, as well as rest of the characters. And there’s no need to eat just spinach…

  4. Diving in Gozo is fabulous! I was there last summer, and can especially recommend the Zurziep Reef. It isn’t very far off the coast and you can get there, for example, with a local St Andrew’s Divers Cove company. They hire equipment and take you right to the spot. The underwater caves are stunning, as are the corals and plenty of beautiful fish species, such as cardinalfish, as well as various anemone species. If I remember correctly, you won’t need to dive deeper than 30 meters.

  5. Although you will see plenty of people climbing, bouldering and coasteering the endless Maltese rocks, the sport is not for everyone. I often see tourists that are obviously completely new to this kind of activity follow the example of experienced climbers. Although injuries are not very common, when they do happen, they tend to be serious. There has been an increasing number of young male tourists coming to the Maltese first aid stations who have practiced, say, coasteering under the influence of alcohol and hit themselves. I suppose many feel its really “macho” to master the above sports, but please remember that real men do it whilst sober and always with caution. Recklessness is for the others!

  6. Photography is one activity that goes perfectly with Malta. The islands are full of unbelievable natural beauty and provide great spots for stunning shots. The cliffs are a sight also on stormy weather, when the waves break on them, splashing the water high on the sky. Head out early in the morning, so you can welcome the first rays of sunlight, just magical!

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