Gems of the North Coast

Length: approximately 10 km. Elevation: 220 m.

This is a nice big walk, along what is possibly my favourite stretch of the Maltese coastline. We start at the outskirts of Xemxija, along a rockly cliffside before descending to Mistra Bay. From there we climb up again, heading north with a great view of the St Paul’s Islands, and then turning west towards the clay slopes and beautiful secluded beach of Mġiebaħ. We follow the coastline a bit further, before climbing back up inland towards Selmun Palace, with magnificent panoramas over the sea, passing through cultivated valleys and along ancient apiaries. From Selmun there’s a big steep descent towards Mistra Bay and then we head back towards our starting point in Xemxija.

Scenery: *****

Unspoilt landscapes, abundant greenery, lunar clay slopes and the shimmering sea … It doesn’t get much better than this.

Difficulty: ****

There are some big, steep climbs and descents, paths are quite narrow in places, but no dangerous exposures.

Add-ons: The Heritage Trail in Xemxija leads to some interesting historical points of interest hidden in the beautiful garrigue.

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Clear blue sky with a thin white contrail passing vertically across the scene, with rocky green hillside and cliffs below.
A rocky coastline with large beige stones and sparse dry vegetation in the foreground, a deep blue sea with sailboats in the middle ground, and green hills with cliffs under a bright blue sky in the background.
A rocky coastline with blue ocean water, a small sandy beach with people sunbathing, and a hill with terraced slopes in the background under a clear blue sky.
Scenic coastal landscape with green grassy hills, sandy paths, rocky beaches, and blue ocean waters under a clear blue sky. There are small figures of people on the beach and a lighthouse on a rocky promontory in the distance.
Coastal landscape with rugged cliffs, green vegetation, and a dirt path along the shoreline under a blue sky.
A woman and a child walking along a dirt trail on a green hillside overlooking a blue ocean with a rocky coastline and cliffs in the distance under a clear blue sky.