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Experience the Woodlands, cliffs and rocky wildlife of Buskett / Dingli area.
There is only one main forest-like area in Malta and this is called Buskett (derived from Italian meaning a 'small forest'). This habitat will be the first part of this walk in the heart of Mediterranean trees, flowers, birds and butterflies. The second part consists of another common habitat of the Maltese islands - steppe and garigue, which basically consists of rocky land of hard coraline limestone on which low growing rock plants and some small bushes are able to survive, even the arid months of Summer. The third part is a walk along the coast of Dingli Cliffs with panaromic view throught the entire walk. A well balanced tour of three different habitats which would keep your camera and breath busy.
Type of walk:
This is a peaceful and rather easy walk for all ages along grass pathways and easy rock stepping. This is the only walk which brings together the 3 different types of natural habitats - Woodland, Garigue, Coastal cliffs. Due to the nature of Maltese topography some pathways are over rocky terrain. Recommended for anyone who is in a good state of health and can make long walks. There are several stops during the walk when some interesting plant or panoramic view is met.
The tour leader Mr. Stephen Mifsud (Dip. Agric and author of www.maltawildplants.com) brings considerable knowledge of Malta’s fauna and flora to lead you on the walk and help you experience Malta at its best. General knowledge about the geographical and natural aspects is given during the walk. There will be ample time for short rests, own-exploration and photography. The leader is an expert photographer himself so you can abuse for some great photos! Note that in this walking excursion it is obligatory to bring your food and drink with you, since there is no affordable restaurant in the area. There is a small hotel in the nearabouts, of which you can buy some food and water though we could not stay long for a full 3-course set menu lunch.
What you should bring:
- Comfortable shoes or boots with a non-slip bottom (due to rock stepping).
- Your own food and drinks
- Small binoculars
- Photo camera (a must!)
- Adequate clothing for the weather
- Passport or ID in case you apply for family offers or have children.
Languages:
- English
- Italian
- Swedish translation + basic German (at extra cost for translator)
- Russian translation (at extra cost of translator)
What nature to expect:
The South West area is blessed with a profusion of flowering plants and trees. Depending on the season, one should expect to see, orchids (e.g. Anacamptis pyramidalis, Ophrys bombyliflora and Ophrys fusca), endemic or sub-endemic plants (e.g. species of Romulea, Cistus, Iris, Periploca and more), red carpets of honeysuckle or poppies, snapdragons, asphodels (e.g. Asphodelus aestivus), borages (e.g. the medicinal Borago officinalis and the honeywort – Cerinthe majus), mustards, aromatic plants (mints, fennel, etc), the curious squirting cucumber, and much more. In this location we can see the national plant of Malta too. We will also be accompanied by the various fauna that we encounter on our way such as lizards, butterflies and, if lucky, the camouflaged chameleon.
Detailed description of full day tour:
Dates and Time: – Monday orTuesday (or Saturday)* 9.30 am – 4.30 pm
- We meet at 9:15-9:30am by the Verdala Palace at which there is a bus stop.
- Excursion starts towards the heart of Buskett, adorned with numerous types of Fruit and Riparian trees (including many Mediterranean specimens) of all sizes and shapes. We also pass by a small water course and a natural spring that flows also during Summer after 2-3 months of absolute no rain, hence several water-loving plants can be observed.
- We then climb to a hilly plataue for a nice view over the whole buskett area, Verdala Palace, and the entire view of Eastern Malta.
- We make our way to Clapham Junction and the garigue of this area to explore some interesting rocky plants that you would not find in northern Europe or US. Here we find a huge cave were troglodytes used to live in past times.
- Around 1pm is our official 'Half-time' and finally we can rest for a long picnic launch at a pictoresqu view known to few!
- By 1:30pm we continue further our way to view a huge brick quarry from which most of our houses are built from until we arrive to the coastal area and have a peaceful and easy but rather long walk along Gebel Ciantar and Dingli Cliffs. Here we shall meet the national plant of malta (the Maltese centaury), Orchids, Lilies, Hyacinths, Asphodels, Germander and maritime plant species depending the season. There is also the loadest choir of chirping birds in Malta, and if time permits we can have a look at old local residences in huge caves.
- We make our last leg along Dingli Cliffs with panoramic views from the highest point in Malta in which Civil Aircrft Radar station is located close by.
| Prices and Offers
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| Please contact us as soon as possible since from this year, the prices vary according group size, transport conditions and season of the year, making it overall cheaper from the previous years !!! |
* The official dates are every Monday or Tuesday of every week from 15 October to 15 June. In some ocassions, the tours take place also on Saturdays, but this availability 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 :
- This period of the year is the climax of flower blooming. Winter-dormant trees like Juda's tree, The white poplar and the Ash wake up and start showing off while the day gets more sunlight and warmer. In May it gets around 25C
- 200-300 flowering plants or native trees can be seen during this period of time in just one tour!
- Apart the numerous wild plants encountered during this period one can see the National Plant (in flower only in May-June) and the National tree amongst other endemic (Malta-only) plants!
- 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 outside the Verdala Palace, Buskett. There is only one bus which passes by the palace, that is No.81 from Valletta.
There are 4 types of transportation:
- Public bus (cheapest / slowest)
- Our Transport (Best Value for Money)
- Your hired car
- Taxi (fastest!)
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 Verdala can take as long as 50-60 minutes.
Our Transport
We can supply our own transport where we pick you up from your hotel / and back after the tour.
Transport by Taxi:
This is by far the fastest and easiest method of transportation, but can come at an extra cost of 15-30 Euros.
Photo Gallery of this tour:
| Pic 01 |
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Majestic view of Verdala Palace in the heart of the Woodland of Buskett. |
| Pic 03 |
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Walking through the trees and shrubs of Buskett. The air is fresh of healthy air and sounds of chirping birds. |
| Pic 02 |
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One of our sites is a projection of rock limits of Fawwara with wonderful views of the coast and cliff profile. (200m - 250m high) |
| Pic 04 |
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Photo of Dingli Cliffs with the island of Filfla at the back. A good task for photographers with large zooms. |
| Pic 05 |
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One of our sites is Ghar il-Kbir - the largest cave in Malta which collapsed wihile dozens of families used to live in during old times. |
| Pic 06 |
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The countryside of Dingli and Buskett during May. |
| Pic 07 |
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Cliffs and countryside along the coastline. Sea breeze refreshens our last part of the walk. |
| Pic 08 |
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Rock profiles of the Cliffs. |
| Pic 09 |
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Sepia of the Parish Church of Dingli dedicated to Holy Mary. |
| Pic 10 |
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Bonus pic - Panoramic (wide angle) view of Fawwara and Dingli Cliffs. (2500 pix wide) |
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 accomodation, 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 (79546987) for a feasible solution. As you can understand, we cant always fix things for very long delays.
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 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 in the early morning.
Q: I am old and not physically active, shall I come?
If you can walk for long distances (with several rests and breaks in between) then this tour is Ok for you. There are few uphill pathways but they are neither long nor difficult. Please bear in mind that we cannot nurse people who get tired quickly, as it will ruin the fun and value of the others.
Q: What if I forget to bring food with me?
You will definitely get thinner after this walk then :-) Seriously, try and remember to bring you own food, and if you are coming by bus, you can always buy basic food, take away, snacks, chocolates and water from Valletta just at the bus terminus. Nevertheless, we pass from van groceries and two restaurants during our way. However sometimes they are closed ! As a last resort, I always bring some extra chocolate bars.
Tourists Feedback!
Sebastian and Carol, Berlin.
We really enjoyed this long walk along the most spectacular scenes of Malta and fresh air of trees, away from the pollution and overcrowdness of the cities. In Malta colours are so vivid, probably due to the bright Winter Sunlight. Pity that we could not see the National Plant in flower during December, but as the brave tour leader said, we were compensated by the beautiful crocus that flowers only in Nov-Dec. Wonderful day and thank you Stefan!
To read more feedback comments or leave your own comments after a tour from us, please visit the comments page [Click here]
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