We offer specialised tours guided by our residet expert about the flora of Malta author of several scientific articles (and the famous website Maltawildplants.com) related to flora of the Maltese Islands. If one wants to study particular group of plants in Malta, there is no need to waste time searching them - our botanist can guide you to find them around several sites in mainland Malta. Such requests have in the past been to study or photograph Orchids, Sedges, plants endemic to Malta, Tetraclinis populations, Daucus plants, Endemic Coastal Limonium species, remnant forests of Malta or wetland vegetation. For the time being we do not specialize on marine ecology, birds or many divisions of the kingdom of Fauna and Fungi.
This service include full day transport by car to numerous destinations around Malta as requested by the researcher, and can be booeked for 1 to 4 persons. Transport from and to hotel is included while a packed lunch is an optional extra. Time from sunrise to sunset - typically 8am to 5pm. Date flexible according weather conditions, For example if you book 1st March, and happens to be heavy rain, the tour can be shifted to few days later according availaibility of our guide.
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.
Tourist Feedback
Dr Jan Cerovsky, President Emeritus Planta Europa, Honorary Member of IUCN
Mz wife Jarmila and me visited Malta in March 2010 with the intention to observe the local flora and vegetation, orchids in particular. Our plan would not be a success, if we had not establish a contact with Steve Vella. Steve is an outstanding expert in botany and conservation. He was as kind as to guide us during two whole-day tours: one through the main island, one to Gozo. We admired his competence and ejoyed the friendship of him. We also had the possibility to visit some amazing cultural monuments. We will keep the knowledge and impressions gained. I intend also to write some article about the plants in Malta for some of the Czech biological/conservation journals. Many thanks to Steve!
March 2010
Anthony Hamilton, UK
I am Anthony Hamilton, a professional botanist who has retired from the post of Senior Lecturer in Plant Sciences at the University of East London (U.K.). I have also been involved in writing and publishing various publications (books and articles) principally about Mediterranean plants, including Walks and Flowers of Gibraltar, Andalusian Flowers and Countryside and the Gladiolus accounts of Flora Europaea (Vol.V) and Flora of Turkey (Vol.8).
I took one of the tours organised by Steve Vella in April 2010 who introduced me to the floras of Malta and Gozo.
I was particularly impressed, as a professional, by the enormous depth of knowledge of Steve Vella and particularly by his photographic memory as to exactly where he'd found a plant several years before !
He showed me very competently around the islands and he was very patient in answering questions, particularly persistent and fiddly ones, as I tried to elicit the finer points. Nothing was too much trouble for him.
Had I not had Steve as I guide, I would never have learned as much as I did.
I am certainly coming back to Malta for another session as soon as time allows.
June 2010
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