MALTA NATURE TOURS

Dates and Time: – Mondays or Tuesdays (or Saturdays)* 9.30 am – 4.30 pm  

1. We meet at 9:30am at the parking area of the Xemxija Fire Brigade - also known as the Xemxija Civil Protection - very close to Xemxija rebuilt church.
2. An introduction speech is given, while we start our tour in the wonderful countryside of Mistra area adorned by various local and Mediterranean flora. Accompanying our walk are also several spectacular views, secret lanes and sites of certain geological importance. Our resident expert will fill you in with all details about wild flowers and natural sites explored.
3. We then arrive at the colourful Mistra Bay, and we walk along the valley lined by the Giant Reeds and later French Daffodils.
4. The next part is a walk along agricultural area with numerous fields growing local vegetables and fruit
5. In the afternoon we explore the rocky and high plateaus of Selmun while we pass by Selmun Palace, Barracks, Cliffs and wonderful views of Saint Paul's Islands.
6. Final leg is a peacful walk by the coast of Selmun/Mistra and back to our starting point.
7. We should finish our adventure around 4:00pm. Be sure you have plenty of space in the memory card of your digital camera !!!

* The official dates are any day from Saturday to Tuesday between the period 15 October to 15 June. In some ocassions, the tours take place more than once a week, or different dates but such circumstance has to be confirmed in advanced.

To make reservations, please contact Mr. Stephen Mifsud at info@maltanaturetours.com by phone on (00356) 79546987 or fill the reservation in the [contacts page].

Season Special Events:

March - May :

1. Experience the warm spring climate with cool coastal breeze (ideal for walks) accompanied by vivid colours of Spring Mediterranean nature produced by the numerous kinds of wild flowers.
2. April/May are those months where one finds most wild plant in blossom and so considered as the climax for exploring wild life on the maltese islands. Some 200-300 wild flowers can be met in just one tour!
3. N.B. this tour stops operating from 15th June as it becomes too hot for full day walks.

Meeting Place and Transport

The meeting place of the tour is near the church of a small village known Xemxija, which mostly is found lining Xemxija Coast. Few metres ahead from this church there is a parking lot, where there is also situated the Xemxija Fire Brigade (Xemxija Civil Protection). This parking area is the meeting spot of the tour.

There are 5 types of transportation:

1. Public bus (cheapest)
2. Our Transport (Best Value for Money)
3. Your hired car
4. Organised mini van (ideal for groups)
5. Taxi (fastest!)

Transport by Bus:

Buses are frequent and do not take much time to travel across the small island of Malta. All buses go and leave from Valletta, so what you have to do is pick the bus from the nearest bus stop of your hotel, and once in Valletta follow the extremely easy guide (with true aerial views) prepared for you on this link [Click here]. The prices of buses are very, very cheap in Malta (less than half an Euro) and the time from Valletta to Mistra during the week should be around 45 minutes.

The main destination is Xemxija Bay. Unless coming from Mellieha or Ghajn Tuffieha, you have to pass from Saint Paul's Bay which is well marked location in any local map. Once you are on the road that outlines most of Xemxija bay, follow Part 5 to Part 7 in the webpage dedicated to bus route guide

Our Transport

We can supply our own transport for a max of 4 persons only. We pick you up from your hotel / and back after the tour.

Hired Car:

Transport by Mini Van or Coach:

If you are a group of tourists from same hotel, or hotels from same area namely:
1) Bugibba/Qawra area or
2) Sliema/Saint Julian area,
This transport option may appeal to you. The minivan gives the comfort of picking you up from your hotel and takes you to the meeting spot in 30mins or so. However this comes at an extra cost including return (depending number of tourists and area of your hotel). Please contact us for details about this option as it changes according time.

Transport by Taxi:

This is by far the fastest and easiest method of transportation, but can come at an extra cost of Lm10-Lm12 for one way transport.

Personally, we think that you should take the bus option!!! The ride itself is an experience while it drives through the urban cities of central Malta and observe the daily working lifestyle of the Maltese. Additionally, the bus passes by the largest dome-church of Mosta, countryside slopes of Burmarrad and the tuoristic town of St.Paul's Bay. It's true that you have to wake up earlier, but on the other hand it adds adventure, and by far the cheapest option. We made the online guide of bus transport too much easy!

Photo Gallery of this tour:

Pic 01		Picturesque view of Mistra Bay and Selmun area in hues of blue and green during Winter and Spring.
Pic 02		This area is beautified by several limestone slopes and cliffs that offers many scenic views.
Pic 03		Cliff edges are part of our guided tour and they give lovely views like this, azure sea and St. Paul's islands further away. /td>
Pic 04		Photo of St.Paul's Island which is the belief of many that it is the location where the Apostle St. Pail shipwrecked in 60 AD
Pic 05		Some part of the walk are easy and plain as this way lined with several trees,
Pic 06		Other parts are slightly more roughly terrained as seen here but compensated by air filled with native herbal aroma or flower fragrance along most of the way in the countryside. The Mediterranean heather, with conspicuous pink flowers, is a delight of many tourists.
Pic 07		In Winter, we would encounter the native French daffodil, one of the most elegant and fragrant flowers in Malta. Mistra at the background.
Pic 08		On the other hand, we also meet strange non native species (alien plants!) like this large Agave.
Pic 09		Some places of historical or archaeological importance are part of our way. This is the coat of arms of the GrandMaster Pinto of the Order of Saint John (17th cent).
Pic 10		Here is another masterpiece from the Order of Saint John - the palace of Selmun.
Pic 11		On our way there is a Restaurant from where one can buy drinks, snacks or need of public convenience. Ocassionally, some tours included a lunch from this restaurant, but it takes 90 mins from the walking tour and all tourists wanted this option.
Pic 12		Traditional wine recipients also from the same restaurant.
Pic 13		St.Paul's island.
Pic 14		Photo from one of the previous tours
Pic 15		Group photo near Selmun Palace in Spring 2006.

Frequently Asked Questions:

Q: How can I book this tour?

You make your reservation from the contacts page [click here] either by writing an email or by filling the online form. We correspond back with you. If you are in Malta and do not have an internet access, you can phone (20c/min) or sms (2c/sms) on our helpdesk mobile phone and tell us your name/hotel room and hotel accommodation, then we phone you back. There is no obligation upon making a reservation, unless you order coach transport from us (in that case there is a deposit fee)

Q: If I take the bus option and I get late or lost?

The bus routes in Malta are far more simple than rest of Europe/US and the [bus guide] provided on the website makes life so easy that it is impossible to get lost (unless you fall asleep in the bus!) In case of delays of few couple of minutes, please phone the excursion leader from the Xemxija Fire Brigade Department (just at the meeting spot) for a feasible solution.

Q: What if it rains in the middle of the excursion?

It's still nice :-) unless you forget a light waterproof jacket and/or boots. Please have a look in the morning at the local weather forecast. (also on TV teletext of your hotel). The forecast of the day is quite accurate. If it gets impossible during the tour, we stop till the restaurant (half way) and you get half the money back.

Q: Can the tour be cancelled?

Yes in very difficult weather conditions (storms, ice hail or extreme wind) the tour is cancelled, or better to say postponed to the next date. In such rare cases, you will be informed at your hotel or own phone number early morning.

Q: I am old and not physically active, shall I come?

Although it is mostly plain walking, there are some elevated slopes that one should consider, and perhaps it is safer not to risk if you know that you have such fatigue trouble. Please bear in mind that we cannot nurse people who get too much tired quickly, as it will ruin the fun and value of the others. Despite this, the walk has several mini breaks and discussions stops about Maltese nature, so it is not a marathon sort of thing.

Q: What are the prices of the tour

Please contact us as soon as possible since from last year, the prices vary according group size, transport conditions and season of the year, making it overall cheaper from the previous years! Typically Prices are 24Euro per adult but can vary slightly. For example large groups tend to have discounted prices and an extra guide from MTA.

Q: Is there any lunch included

During these type of nature walks, it is not always possible to find a restaurant on the track, so lunch is always taken outdoors (picnic-style). You can bring your own food with you or else for an extra 5 Euro you will be served our maltese-style lunch.

Tourists Feedback!

Dean Gugler and Fleur-Ange Lamothe, Canada

Read their letter on Sunday Times of Malta: [click here]

Capricorn, The netherlands

I really enjoyed this tour, observing all these flowers with detailed explanations from the expert tour leader. Despite a bit long, time flied quickly because there is always something new to see, and if not there are some interesting flower to keep our ears listening. The scenery was spectacular most of the way. Pity we got dull clouds at the end.

To read more feedback comments or leave your own comments after a tour from us, please visit the comments page [Click here]