Malta; Hike from Marsaskala to Marsaxlokk

One of the highlights of Malta would be the fishing village of Marsaxlokk. The harbor of Marsaxlokk has very colorful fishing boats and it is just a colorful and lovely place. Every Sunday there is a fish market and of course I wanted to visit that. I found a cool hike from Marsaxlokk to Marsaskala, so this would be an ideal combination. Hiking and market.

When I arrived in Valletta at the bus station, I wasn’t the only one who wanted to visit the market of Marsaxlokk. At least 100 people were waiting for the bus, which only goes once every half hour. This would take at least 2-3 buses before I could enter.

A quick look on my phone at the time table of the buses would show me it would be better to catch a bus to Marsaskala and walk to Marsaxlokk. Initially, I didn’t want to do this hiking the opposite direction, as I wanted to avoid the crowds by going early in the morning to the market. Seeing all those people, I thought I probably couldn’t avoid this anyhow, so I jumped on the bus which was about to leave to Marsaskala.

Marsaskala

Only 25 minutes later I arrived in Markasala and I got off the bus earlier to see the harbor. Here I already got to see some fishing man cleaning their fishing nets and beside there was a food stall selling fresh fish.

I continued walking West in the direction of St. Thomas bay. This part wasn’t too special, just another village.

St. Thomas bay

St. Thomas bay on the other hand was lovely. A wide bay with a small beach to relax. This sand was golden color and at 10 AM only a few people put their towel to relax. Some other people start to do some water sports like kayaking and SUP (stand up paddling).

Munxar Path

The walk was along the bay going slightly uphill at the cliffs. This path is called Munxar Path and it just follows the coast line at the high cliffs. I could see a small rock window which was lovely, how nature created this.

White cliffs

When I walked around the furthest point of the Munxar Path I was amazed by the view of the white steep cliffs! The water of the sea created a natural flow and with the color of the water it was just stunning. I started taking pictures, but soon a cloud would come in. I waited for the cloud to go away, as the color of the water would be more expressive. Slowly I started to walk further. The scenery remained as stunning, for me hoping the clouds would go away. But they didn’t so I had to accept this.

A path would lead me to another bay called Il-Hofra I-Kbira. It gave me a look to another rock window in a distance. The bay was filled with boat, probably to relax at the beautiful bay. The sun came out again and it started to get hot.

Il Hofra Zghira

From this point I had some difficulties to find the right walking path to bay Il-Hofra z-Zghira, which is very close. It supposes to have a walking path all the way along, but I couldn’t find the starting point. Meanwhile, I met a Belgium couple, who walked with me. Finally, we saw a guy walking towards us, so we could find the right walking path to follow.

This bay was also as stunning, white cliffs, magical blue water and some boats floating around. Very scenic and amazing!

St. Peters Pool

The last part would lead us to St. Peters Pool. This not so unhidden gem is very famous with locals, especially in the weekends. But lately tourist have discovered this beautiful small bay too. There are a few parking lots so for people with a car it is easy to get here. This bay doesn’t have a beach, but the rocks are flat, so many people lay there towel to relax.

It is easy to access in the ocean from the rocks, but the real dare devils make jumps from the rocks, which are about 2.5 meters high. It was very busy when I got here, but still I could see the beauty and understood why people wanted to relax at this plac

Waffle and ice cream lunch

I said goodbye to the Belgium couple. They wanted to continue the route, but meanwhile my sandal was broken and I hold it together with some band aids. So I had to slow down my walking, not to trip over my own feet. It was passed midday and I was starting to feel hungry. There was no restaurant around, but there was an ice cream kiosk. They sold a bubble waffle with ice cream. Exactly what I needed for lunch! I really enjoyed it a lot, it was filling and refreshing.

Marsaxlokk

With my stomach full of ice cream I was ready for the last part to Marsaxlokk. I could see the village from a distance and it looked lovely.

There was a small beach and I put my feet in the water to relax them a little. The half circular bay had really cute and colorful fishing boats. The market was not only a fish market but they sell goods like souvenirs, cloths, food and apparently the fish market would stop a little earlier and they were cleaning up already. But the market was nice and around 3 PM, not too busy.

I bought some delicious cookies for a snack and enjoyed the view of the harbor.

With the bus it was easy to go back to Sliema, where my hostel was.

Information

Time:

- I started the walk at 9.30 AM Markasala and finished the walk at 2.30 PM in Marsaxlokk. So calculate 5 hours and even more if you want to take a swim and relax at one of the beaches. The complete walk is 8.5 kilometers.

Transport:

- You can reach St. Peterspool by car, there is a parking lot which cost 2 Euros’s. The two Hofra bays and the steep cliffs with the rocks windows are not reachable by car.

- Buses will go every half hour from Valletta to Marsaxlokk and Markasala. There are more options if you want to return. If you want to visit the fish market on a Sunday, make sure you’ll get there early to avoid the crowds.

Toilet:

- I didn’t see any public toilet along this route! There is no toilet at St. Peters pool. I only have seen one paid public toilet at Marsaxlokk.

What to bring?

- Sun cream on a sunny day. This trail is exposed.

- Enough water. You can buy drinks at Markasala, St. Thomas bay. St. Peters poo and Marsaxlokk.

- Snacks. There was no real food for sale, so you might want go bring some snacks or a sandwich along the way.

- Walking shoes or sneakers would be perfect for this walk. But I did this hiking on sandals and it managed to do this.

My thoughts

This hike has some very scenic views over the bays and the steep white cliffs! The hiking is relatively easily and if you’ve a normal shape of condition you can do this hike. Because there are several beaches and places to swim and relax this is a good day trip.

I really loved this hike for the diversity and scenic views!