The little island of Comino is part of the Maltese archipelago, and is just a 15-minute boat ride from Malta. Being so close to mainland Malta, Comino is a popular day trip not only for tourists, but for native Maltese and Gozitans as well.
Comino is probably most famous for the clear waters of its Blue Lagoon. This is definitely worth a visit, yet there is so much more to the island. In fact, Comino is classified as a wildlife sanctuary, and is even named for the wild cumin growing there.
At 3.5 square kilometres, it’s easy to circle the whole island on foot within a day. With few cars and a population of only 3, I found Comino to be slow and shrouded in peacefulness. From crystal waters to snorkelling in caves, a day trip to Comino makes for a scenic and tranquil break from mainland Malta.
As Comino Island is so small, it is only accessible by boat. These services leave almost exclusively from Cirkewwa on Malta or Mgarr on Gozo.
The only return trip open to us from Cirkewwa to Comino was a little boat that toured through the island’s caves on the way. Whether this is a reduced service in the off-season or not was unclear. For €13 return, I enjoyed getting a feel for Comino’s clear water and hidden caves before we even arrived.
For an extra €4.65 it was also possible to continue on to Gozo, if that was your final destination. However, we decided to save Gozo for another day and return to Malta that evening.
Blue Lagoon
Most boats from Malta and Gozo arrive on Comino at the Blue Lagoon, so it’s likely that the island’s most popular destination will be your first impression.
Though tiny, the lagoon is beautiful: the water really is the most light and clear that I have ever seen. I could see the sea floor, with little shoals of fish and the occasional baby jellyfish floating in between. The sea literally shimmered in the sun.
Though the sun was out, the day was still very cold when I visited in early April so unfortunately I didn’t actually swim in the Blue Lagoon. However, there were some brave tourists who were splashing around, teeth chattering!
The last boat back to the mainland (which I was on) was at 5 p.m. As we pulled away from Comino, the Blue Lagoon had completely cleared. If it were possible (and warm enough!), I would have dipped in the Blue Lagoon after all the day trippers had returned home.
San Niklaw Bay
Setting out walking clockwise round Comino, San Niklaw Bay was our next stop. Because the Blue Lagoon was so crowded, even at the beginning of April, I wanted to find another beach for us to paddle in.
Luckily, San Niklaw was completely deserted. While it wasn’t that sandy a beach, this didn’t stop me from playing around in the shallows. It’s barely any bigger than the Blue Lagoon, but the water is just as blue. The bay is surrounded by rocks and a little jetty that I had fun exploring.
Santa Maria Bay
Just a little further east, Santa Maria Bay was the beach I’d been waiting for. The bay was much bigger than the Blue Lagoon, and much less crowded, but the water was still that deliciously clear, dappled blue. Even the sand was seemingly unreal, being dark golden in colour.
We stopped here for lunch, and there was plenty of room to spread our picnic out on the golden sand. Only a couple of other families were present, so it was much more peaceful than the Blue Lagoon. Almost halfway round the island, it was the perfect beach to relax on in the middle of the day.
Santa Maria Caves
From Santa Maria Bay, continue to follow the path northeast (clockwise round the island). This took me up a little track along the side of the coast, definitely the most rugged path so far. Once I reached the boulders (you cannot miss them) I continued to climb up past them until I was standing on the edge of the cliff.
From here, I had an amazing viewpoint round the northeast of the little island. I could see the cliffs protruding into the deep blue Mediterranean then meandering in and back out again.
The water is so clear here that if I peered cautiously over the side of the cliff, I could see the Santa Maria Caves below. They are a popular dive and snorkelling site due to their interesting cave systems and marine life.
St Mary’s Chapel
An old hermitage, St Mary’s Chapel (or the Chapel of Our Lady’s Return from Egypt) sits behind Santa Maria Bay. It’s a plain and simple building, but its history, like most of Malta’s, is much more interesting.
In medieval times, Comino’s position between Gozo and mainland Malta made it susceptible to pirate attacks. The island was so frequently ransacked that the citizens of Comino abandoned their homes to live on nearby Gozo or Malta instead.
The church that stands today was supposedly built by the Knights of Malta around 1618 in an attempt to persuade Comino’s citizens to return to their homes. Sadly, as the official population is currently a sparse three, I’m not sure it worked too well!
Santa Maria Tower
Along with St Mary’s Chapel, the Santa Maria Tower was also built in 1618 to protect the citizens of Comino when they returned to their island.
Perched on the southwestern tip of Comino, ferries from Malta to Gozo or Comino sail right past it. The watchtower’s large, square shape is easily visible from mainland Malta and well out at sea, signalling to passing ships that Comino is no longer defenceless.
In the last few centuries the tower has played many roles: watchtower, quarantine hospital, isolated prison, and animal pen. It even belonged to the Armed Forces of Malta until as recently as 2002.
Now Santa Maria Tower is open to the public (though unfortunately it was closed for maintenance when we hiked round the island to it!).
Crystal Lagoon
Walking west from the Santa Maria Tower until you reach the cliff’s edge, the Crystal Lagoon is directly below you. Like the Blue Lagoon, the bay’s defining feature is revealed in its name. Even from 25 metres up, I could tell that the water is some of the most crystal clear that I have ever seen.
It’s possible to buy boat tours of the Crystal Lagoon, but I was content admiring the water from the cliffs.
As we continued round the west coast of Comino to end up back where we started, we got nearer and nearer to the Crystal Lagoon. Eventually I saw that it was possible to climb down the cliffs to the water’s edge. There is even a little mooring platform to make it easy to swim in the lagoon’s deep, clear water.
Apart from the beautiful Blue Lagoon, there is so much to see on little Comino. Every inlet has crystal clear water, and every cliff hides a secret cave. No cars and a low population mean little hurry, so a day trip to Comino is the tranquil break from mainland Malta that everyone needs.
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