Brochure 21 Saltpan Walk

SSaallttppaann WWaallkk

GozoGozoTHE ISLAND OFTHE ISLAND OF

IInnttrroodduuccttiioonnThis circular walk starts and ends at the open market ofVictoria – the main town of the island. From here the walkproceeds to the breathtaking ‘Sara valley’. After visitingGozo’s oldest basilica, the walk continues to ‘Wied il-G˙asri’, a valley which is flanked by high cliffs and endsin the open sea.

Next is ‘Reqqa point’, where you will see traditional saltpans employed to produce crystal salt through theevaporation of sea water. After reaching ‘Xwejni Bay’ thewalk proceeds to the next bay - ‘Qbajjar Bay’, whereresting facilities, restaurants and public conveniences areavailable.

Leaving ‘Qbajjar’ behind, by means of a dusty road, thewalk takes you amid the beautiful Gozitan countryside andvalleys. Passing by the water courses you will have theopportunity of observing the diverse flora and faunaassociated with these unique habitats. The walk thencontinues back to Victoria.

A route map found in the centre pages of this booklet,together with several stone plinths located along this route,which will help you follow along, offering the bestopportunity to truly appreciate the island of Gozo.

Distance: 12 kmTime: 5 hrs

TThhee ssaallttppaannss aatt XXwweejjnnii bbaayy

AA ssuunnssee tt aatt ‘‘RReeqqqqaa PPooiinntt’’

his walk starts at ‘Pjazza Assunta’in Victoria, the main town of

Gozo. In the past, the city wasknown as ‘Rabat’, an Arabic wordmeaning ‘the city’. The name ‘Rabat’was changed to Victoria in 1897 onthe occasion of Queen Victoria’sSilver Jubilee. The locals still prefer tocall it Rabat. Victoria is in the verycentre of the island. All roads andbus routes lead to and from Victoriatowards other localities.

‘Assunta Square’ is popularly knownas ‘Savina Square’. Some very oldhouses stand close to the chapel – themain landmark of this square.Historians disagree on the origins ofthis chapel’s name. Nowadays, it isknown as ‘Savina chapel’ but somehistorians assert that the originalname was ‘Sabina’. However, the

name of the church has nothing to dowith Santa Sabina, as it is dedicatedto the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin.The chapel could have acquired itspresent name from the owner of theland on which it was built.

Leaving ‘Savina square’ behind you,follow the road that passes by the busshelter. Keep to this main road,which takes a narrow turning to theleft. This road is called ‘Saint UrsulaStreet’. After a few paces, take thefirst turning on your right. The walkproceeds down ‘Triq l-Img˙allem’which is dominated by the views of‘Gelmus hill’ to the left and thetowering mass of the Citadel to theright.‘Ta’ Gelmus’ – the hill on the left-hand side of the road, is a flat-toppedhill mostly composed of the reddish

GOZO CC OO UU NN TT RR YY SS II DD EE WW AA LL KK SS

Enjoying nature

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TThhee WWaallkk

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soft sandstone, one of the softestsedimentary types of limestonepresent on the island. Continuouserosion breaks down the softsandstone into golden sand.

The road eventually levels out as youarrive at the crossroads, at the end of‘Triq l-Img˙allem’. At this point turnleft into ‘Triq Wied Sara’ (1). Keep walking along thisnarrow road, which is reminiscent of

a not-so-distant past when peoplerode on horseback.

Along this road you may alsoappreciate the blended harmonybetween past and present expressedthrough the rehabilitation and stylishconversion of old farmhouses. Oncethe houses give way to the opencountryside the road takes you overa bridge across ‘Sara Valley’. Thisvalley is not a permanent fresh watercourse, as its water supply dries upduring the hot summer months.However, during winter and spring,when water flows through this valleyit teems with a wide variety of floraand fauna. Along this route you will be able tocatch a distant view of the Aqueductthat used to convey water from ‘G˙arIlma’ to Victoria during the British

2 FF iirreewwoorrkkss ssee tt ooffff dduurriinngg aa llooccaall ffeessttaa

SSaavviinnaa CChhaappeell

SSaavviinnaa CChhaappeell

The present chapel was built during the early 20thcentury. However the original chapel mentioned inthe notarial deeds of the 15th century stood nearRabat’s outer fortifications. The old chapel wasdismantled in 1900 and a larger church was builtand inaugurated in 1904 by Cardinal DomenicoFerrata. After being enlarged in 1913, it wasreopened as the ’Church of Perpetual Adoration’.The church is open in the morning and lateafternoon. The style of the interior is elegant, withsome fine stonework around the main altar-piecedepicting the Nativity of Our Lady and showing thenew fortifications of the citadel, just after completionin 1622. The façade of the chapel has a centralniche, featuring a statue of Christ holding out achalice in his right hand. A flight of stairs leads tothe parvis enclosed by iron railings.

TThhee CCiittaaddeell

The Citadel is one of Gozo’s architectural and historic focal points. Its origins are lostin time. The earliest cultural remains discovered so far date back to the temple periodcirca 3500 BC. The first written reference to a fortified city on Gozo dates back to1241 and subsequently the Citadel was occupied by a succession of foreignconquerors. The present structure of the Citadel dates to the early 1600’s whenthe Knights, during the time ofGrandmaster Wignacourt, rebuilt theCitadel as we see it today. The localsused to seek shelter in the citadel duringthe night. In fact until 1637 all Gozitanswere required by law to spend the nightwithin the Citadel walls. A drawbridgeprovided the only entrance, while a ditchsurrounded the citadel or ‘Castello’ as itwas known at the time.

era. Distant views of the Citadel andthe surrounding hills can also beadmired from this point. Onreaching the outskirts of the village ofG˙asri the road opens like a three-

pronged fork. The route continuesalong ‘Triq il-Knisja’ where you willsee a curious niche set on the lefthand corner of this road. Moving straight ahead, along this

TTaa` GGee llmmuuss HHiillll iiss mmaaiinnllyy ccoommppoosseedd ooff ssaannddssttoonnee


TThhee mmyysstteerr iioouuss aanndd ssiilleenntt CCaasstteelllloo 3

AAnn OOlldd NNiicchhee

When it was built in 1773 this niche probablystood undisturbed in the midst of the opencountryside, a good distance away from humanhabitation. The niche depicts an angel visitingOur Lady. Its architectural design is worthnoting. A stone balcony that lies in front of theniche stands on three stone pillars, set apart fromeach other, creating a symmetrical threedimensional design.

It is believed that in the past this niche attractednumerous pilgrims. The holy rosary was recitednear this niche and followed by a sermondelivered by a priest from the balcony. Somelocal historians believe that this niche formedpart of a countryside chapel, which wasabandoned and fell into ruin.

road, you will arrive at a rectangularsquare dominated by Gozo’s oldestBasilica and a statue of Our Lady. A row of white and pink oleanders

flank the road. From spring untilautumn, this row of oleanders offersa spectacular show of massedflowers. This church, which

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TThhee AAnnnnuunncciiaattiioonn

TThhee GGoollddeenn CCaallff

Legend has it that gold was extracted from the golden sands found at Ta’ Gelmus hill.This in turn gave rise to the common belief that a golden calf still lies hiddensomewhere. As legend has it, Sidor, a hardworking farmer, toiled from dawn to duskin order to eke out a poor existence for himself and his family and often dreamt aboutfinding gold. One day his wish came true. He literally struck gold when he found agolden calf. After he had polished and secured it in his sack, he hurried to Calogero,the village goldsmith. The latter could not believe his eyes but after the initial surprisehe lost no time in working out a plan to get hold of the priceless golden calf.

The gleaming calf had aroused Calogero’s greed and Machiavellian ingenuity. Heexplained to Sidor that he could not keep the treasure that the farmer had unearthedin his fields as the Grandmaster had decreed that such valuable items were theproperty of the treasury of the island. In an apparent show of generosity and sympathyCalogero gave some money to the unsuspecting Sidor in exchange for the goldenstatuette. Calogero concluded that by taking responsibility for the statuette, thegoldsmith would be sparing Sidor a lot of needless trouble. Sidor went back home,unaware of the fact that he had just been taken in. When Sidor told his wily wifeabout the whole affair, she was furious and after hearing how her husband had beentricked, made sure that the Grandmaster heard about the story. Calogero continuedto protest his innocence but was imprisoned for life. He died without revealing thelocation of the golden calf.

dominates this valley, was built in 1739on the ruins of an earlier one. Sixty yearslater the church was placed directlyunder the authority of the Basilica of SanGiovanni Laterano in Rome. The churchis dedicated to the Espousal of Our Lady,the ‘Madonna tal-Patroçinju’.

Leaving the church behind and walkingalong the road, you will once again passby stylishly converted farmhouses.Along this road, bordered by terracedfields, you may notice the dry farmingtechniques that are practised here. Dryfarming is the growing of a single crop

SSppeeccttaaccuullaarr vviieeww ooff WWiieedd SSaarraa wwiitthh iitt’’ss aaddjjaacceenntt hhiillllss


GGoozzoo’’ss oollddeesstt BBaassiilliiccaa

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per year relying solely on the winter’srainfall. Several rubble walls arepresent to prevent soil erosion causedby heavy downpours. You can also

notice scattered field houses orrather, dry-wall huts, that are usedfor shelter, storage and as a restingplace by the farmers.

Eventually you will reach another setof cross roads (2). Towering to theright is the village of Ûebbu©. Theroad on your left leads to ‘Wied il-G˙asri’ while the road straight aheadleads to ‘Reqqa point’.

At this point you can leave the setroute and explore ‘G˙asri valley’before continuing the walk. In orderto do so, you may take the road tothe left and walk straight along it.‘G˙asri valley’ is a deep gorge-like

TTeerrrraacceedd ffiieellddss cchhaarraacctteerriissee GGoozz iittaann ccoouunnttrryyssiiddee

TThhee ccooaatt ooff aarrmmss ooff tthhee OOlldd BBaassiilllliiccaa TThhee bbee llll ooff tthhee OOlldd BBaassiilllliiccaa

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valley with very high steep cliffs. Thisvalley follows a winding path thatleads to the open sea. A small,secluded pebbly bay lies at the mouthof the valley. Although it seemsinaccessible, a series of steps havebeen cut into one side of the cliff face.

Leaving ‘G˙asri valley’ behind,retrace your steps to the cross roadsand take the road straight ahead.As soon the road turns towards thecoast, you should be able to catch aglimpse of the blue MediterraneanSea. A number of African Tamariskand Bianca trees have been plantedon both sides of the road,as a result of a reforestation initiative.

Walking along this road, the saltpanssoon come into full view. For yourinterest, a brief legend whichnarrates the origin of some of thesesaltpans is found on the oppositepage.

Moving along the coast you may

TThhee ssttoonnee ccrroossss


TThhee ‘‘pprriiddee ooff ppiinnkk ’’ oolleeaannddeerr

TThhee llaarrvvaa ooff tthhee sswwaallllooww ttaallll bbuutttteerrffllyy

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TThhee WWaattcchhmmaakkeerr’’ss SSaallttppaannss

It is believed that a rich watchmaker who lived inÛebbu©, owned a lot of property in Gozo. His aviditywas insatiable. At one stage the watchmaker decidedthat there was a fortune to be made through theproduction of salt. Therefore, one day hecommissioned some workers to build the saltpans bydigging them out in the soft coastal limestone.However, filling the saltpans with saltwater provedarduous as the sea level was over fifteen metresbelow. As the ridged coastline is full of caves andtunnels, he decided to dig a shaft down to one of thetunnels. In this way when the waves hit the coast,water would rush up the shaft and fill the saltpanswith sea water.

Having dug the shaft during summer, he waited for the winter months to see if theidea would work. When winter arrived and the sea began to crash against the rocks,water was forced up the shaft and filled up all the saltpans. However, the area wherehe had dug his saltpans was composed of porous rock and the saltwater was absorbedby the rock instead of evaporating. To make matters worse, when the sea was veryrough, the sea water spurted like a geyser and saltwater was sprayed over an area ofseveral kilometres, destroying the crops in the neighbouring fields. The farmers wereangered by this threat to their livelihood and decided to fill up the shaft with largerocks.

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TThhee sseeaa dduurr iinngg wwiinntteerr ddaayyss

WWhheenn tthhee sseeaa iiss vveerryy rroouugghh sseeaawwaatteerr ssppuurrttss lliikkee aa ggeeyysseerr aanndd ssaallttyy wwaatteerr sshhoowweerrss tthhee aarreeaa!!

come across several enthusiasticanglers who use a mixture of old andnew fishing techniques. Fishing is avery common pastime in Gozo. AfterEaster, the site is the haunt of divers.The area offers very pleasant andeye-catching underwater scenery andlife. It is also a favourite venue forthose who seek the cooler seasidelocations during the hot summerevenings and hold barbecues withtheir friends and families. In factthere are a few sign posts that warnpeople not to hold barbecues nearthe saltpans and to keep the area freeof debris or waste, as this negativelyaffects the quality of the saltproduced.

The next stop is ‘Xwejni bay’. Thisbay owes its name to the Malteseword ‘xini’, which means galley. Atelephone box can be found alongthe road. This site consists of a bayand a rocky coast made ofglobigerina limestone with its typicalpattern of erosion. At some pointsthe area is covered with both upper


9GG lloobbiiggeerriinnaa lliimmeessttoonnee iiss qquuiittee SSoofftt

TThhee ggoorrggee aatt WW iieedd ll--GGhhaassrr ii TThhee ssoouutthheerrnn ddaaiissyy

coralline limestone and lowercoralline limestone.

The bay has a shallow reef and apebbly beach and is very popularwith practitioners of all types of watersports including swimming, scubadiving and fishing. A slipway is alsopresent, where you may come acrossfishermen preparing to put out to sea.The traditional fishing boat, knownas the ‘luzzu’, is made of wood andtypically brightly decorated.According to local ancient traditionsthe eyes painted at the bow(representing the eye of Osiris) aremeant to protect the fishermen whenout at sea by keeping them out ofharm’s way.

The saltpans of Xwejni Bay

FFiisshhiinngg iiss aa ssppoorr tt tthhaatt iiss eennjjooyyeedd bbyy aa nnuummbbeerr ooff llooccaallss12

On the eastern side of the bay onecan note a small outcrop called‘Il-Qolla l-Bajda’. The areaunderneath this hill is full of rockpools usually inhabited by glassprawn. From ‘Xwejni’ you cancontinue to walk straight ahead untilthe road forks. Take the road to theright. In the distance you can see the‘Qolla l-Bajda battery’, on the spurof land that separates ‘Xwejni’ from‘Qbajjar bay’.

‘‘IIll--QQoollllaa ll--BBaajjddaa’’ BBaatttteerryy

This battery was built in 1716 and wasmounted with six guns. During WorldWar II it served as observation postNo. 5. Later in the 1980s it was rentedout to a private enterprise that convertedthe battery into a disco. This battery isone of the only two remaining batterieson the island; the other is located inQala.

AA ccrraabb rreessttiinngg iinn aa ccrraacckk ffoouunndd iinn oonnee ooff tthhee rroocckkss

TThhee OOlldd BBaatttteerryy


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Xwejna Bay as seen from an elevated point

‘Qbajjar bay’ is a very popular areawith both tourists and locals. In fact,quite a few restaurants and bars havemushroomed in order to service thevisitors’ needs. Walking along thiscoastal road you will soon reach ajunction. The walk continues straightahead. Public conveniences arelocated a little way up the road to theleft.

Soon, the plateau upon which thevillage of Ûebbu© stands comes intoview to your right, while the conicalpointed hill you can see to your left isknown as ‘Il-Qolla s-Safra’ or theyellow rock. This hill is made up ofsandstone that gives it its goldenappearance. It is documented thatanother hill known as ‘Il-Qolla l-Óamra’ (the red rock) stood justbelow the Ûebbu© plateau; however,it disappeared completely as a resultof intense natural erosion (3).

When this dusty road winds to itsend, take a right turn and then turnleft after a few metres. Once againyou may notice many terraced, dryfarmed fields flanking the windingbumpy cart track. One of the mainfunctions of rubble walls is to preventsoil erosion caused by heavydownpours. This track offers adistant panoramic view of theCitadel, distinctly perched upon itshill.

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‘‘IIll--QQoollllaa ll--BBaajjddaa’’TThhee cclleeaarr aanndd cclleeaann wwaatteerrss ooff ‘‘XXwweejjnnii BBaayy ’’

TThhee eennddeemmiicc GGoozzoo HHyyoosseerriiss

The hill with the statue of Christ theSaviour on top, is a curious landmarkand is known as ‘Il-MerΩuq’ also referred to as ‘Tas-Salvatur’ (of the Saviour).

This track eventually catches up withthe main road linking Victoria toMarsalforn. On reaching this road,turn right and walk straight ontowards Victoria. Take the first sidestreet on the left side of the asphaltedroad leading to Victoria. This countryroad passes by one of the mostpicturesque valleys of Gozo.

Here you can observe the rare sharprush and the southern reed-mace thatgrow abundantly by the banks of thisvalley. Fauna associated with freshwater courses is also found in thishabitat. Here the life cycle of the painted frogcan be studied in full, whereas the

numerous damselflies anddragonflies engage in courtingrituals. The maidenhair fern is presentin sheltered areas along the banks.


QQbbaajjjjaarr BBaayy WWiilldd aarrttiicchhookkee fflloowweerr

15IIll--QQoollllaa ll--HHaammrraa

Walking along the valley you can seea large vineyard that flanks one sideof the country lane. The presence ofblack plastic pipes in the adjacentfields show that drip irrigation is nowbeing used to water the crops.

Several tree species are also present along the valley banks (4). The aleppo pine,evergreen oak and the rare whitepoplar are among the tree speciespresent in this area. When thecountry lane comes to an end, afootpath on the left leads to the mainroad linking Victoria to MarsalfornBay.

As you walk uphill towards Victoria,the large white building to the right isthe friary of the Capuchin Fathers.This church is dedicated to Our Ladyof Graces. The site was previouslyoccupied by another chapel that wasfirst dedicated to St. Julian, then to St.Agatha and finally to the Nativity ofOur Lady. It is said that one of thesecret tunnels used as an escape

IIss--SSaallvvaattuurr -- tthhiiss hhiillll ggiivveess tthhee iimmpprreessssiioonn ooff aa ssmmaallll ddoorrmmaanntt vvoollccaannoo

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‘Il-MerΩuq’ ~ Some locals believe thatthis hill is an extinct volcano. However,the rock is not sulphurous and itslimestone formation shows that it neverwas a volcano at all. In 1901 a largewooden cross was placed on the verytop of the hill. This was replaced by astone statue of Christ the Saviour, whichis how this hill became know as ‘Is-Salvatur’ (The Saviour). The 38-foot-high concrete statue that replaced thecrumbling cross was made by therenowned Gozitan sculptor WistinCamilleri.

route from the Citadel led to this verysite, until it was closed by theCapuchins.

The walk leads you uphill until youreach the main cross roads inVictoria. To your left a stone crossand a fountain can be seen. Thestone cross is similar to the manycrosses scattered all over Gozo, thepurpose of which is still debated. Thefountain by the wall was installed in1881.

It has recently been restored as partof its stonework had crumbled as aresult of erosion. In the past, thisfountain served as a resting anddrinking place for the donkeys andhorses of those people coming toRabat from the outlying areas.

Turn right and walk up Republic Street until you reachIndependence Square, the mainsquare of the town. IndependenceSquare was formerly known as ‘It-Tokk’. The word ‘It-Tokk’ isderived from an old Arabic wordmeaning an open space or meetingarea. Many civil and social activitiestake place in this square. Every morning this square houses anopen market, where all sorts ofobjects, ranging from clothes tosouvenirs, are sold. A large bronzestatue of Christ stands on one side ofthe square. It was unveiled by QueenElizabeth II in May 1954 to

commemorate the Gozitans whowere killed during the Second WorldWar.

AA sshhoorrtt ccuutt ttoo tthhee CCiittaaddeell

TThhee bblluuee fflloowweerr ooff tthhee bboorraaggee


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OOuurr LLaaddyy ooff GGrraacceess CChhuurrcchh

The main altar piece of the churchdepicts Our Lady of Graces, and aprocession entering the church. This waspainted by the artist Stefano Erardi. Upto 1968 the Cathedral chapter used tocome in procession to the church everysecond Sunday of January. Thisprocession was held in honour of a vowconnected with the repeatedearthquakes that shook the Malteseislands on 11th January 1963 andcaused a great deal of damage. ManyGozitans vowed to visit the church and hold thanksgiving services in honour of OurLady.

The tabernacle on the high altar is made of Gozitan alabaster brought from the villageof Ûebbu©. The crucifix over the altar of the third chapel to the left, is claimed to bemiraculous and has considerable artistic merits. It dates back to the 17th century andit belonged to a rich man from Messina in Sicily. One day the residence where it washoused caught fire and everything was destroyed except for the crucifix. On anotheroccasion the crucifix was on a schooner travelling to Syracuse, when a terrible tempestbroke out. The crew made a vow that if they survived the tempest, they would donatethe crucifix to the inhabitants of the place where they landed. The place happened tobe Malta, so it was donated to Our Lady of Victories Church in Valletta. Then itchanged hands and it was given to Canon Aguis de Soldanis who in turn presented itto the Capuchin friars. Below this crucifix lies the body of St. Fortunatus Martyr. Thebody of St. Facundus lies in the opposite chapel whereas Fra Baskal, who hailed fromÛebbu© lies buried in the crypt of the church.

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The Banca Giuratale, (the largebaroque building standing at the topend of the square), was built by

Grand Master De Vilhena in 1733.It served as the official premises of theisland’s administrators of the time.Nowadays the building houses the

AA PPrroopphheettiicc DDrreeaamm

There is also a legend associated with the coming of theCapuchins to Gozo. The Capuchins were offered threedifferent sites: St. Dominica Church, ‘Tal-Inbra’ and thepresent site. On one of their visits to inspect the sites, theywent to the Church of Our Lady of Graces. A mysteriouswoman went up to them and started shouting that they werethe friars she used to see every evening entering the church.The friars pointed out that the place was not occupied byfriars; however, the woman continued to assure them that shewas telling the truth. Taking this to be Divine Intervention, thefriars decided to opt for the present site.

TThhee CChhuurrcchh ooff OOuurr LLaaddyy ooff GGrraacceess


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TThhee ssttoonnee ccrroossss aanndd tthhee ddrriinnkkiinngg ffoouunnttaaiinnIItteemmss ffoouunndd iinn tthhee ooppeenn mmaarrkkee tt aatt tthhee ‘‘PP jjaazzzzaa ttaatt--TTookkkk ’’

Victoria Local Council and theDepartment of Information. At theopposite end of the square facing thisbuilding stands St. James Chapel.

Leaving Independence Square andwalking straight ahead is PjazzaAssunta, the starting place of thiswalk.

SStt.. JJaammeess CChhaappeell

The present chapel is not an old one. Theoriginal chapel stood near the Citadel,which after being severely damagedduring the Turkish invasion of 1575, wasrebuilt in 1740 on the present site.Unfortunately, in 1979 it had to be pulleddown again, due to damage caused to itsfoundations during excavations that wereneeded for the public convenienceslocated at the other end of the square. Itwas further damaged when the shopsunderneath the church were beingenlarged. The chapel was rebuilt andreopened in 1997.

In front of the church lies the ‘zuntier’ aMaltese word meaning parvis. It is afeature common to most chapels on theisland and is usually enclosed by a lowwall or iron gate. The chapel is openevery morning and afternoon. The mainaltarpiece dates back to 1742. A paintingon the left wall of the chapel represents St.Theresa of Avila and St. Rosa of Limawhile on the right-hand side a nichehouses a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows.

TTiippss FFoorr TThhee RRooaadd

Hike only along the set route. Fields are privately owned so do not takeany short cuts.Do not climb over rubble walls; they are easily damaged.Do not leave any litter; dispose of all litter in the dustbins found along theroute.Respect the privacy of people living along the walk.Do not trample upon or pick any flowers and plants; take onlyphotographs.Do not widen any trails by foot, this would damage the habitat throughincreased erosion.Do not throw any stones or other objects in the valleys.Avoid walking or cycling close to the cliff edges. Sudden gusts of wind canbe dangerous to the unsuspecting hiker.It is advisable to tackle the route in broad daylight. Therefore whenplanning your walk, allow time for stops, resting, photographing etc.Bird trapping and hunting are practised in the countryside. There are,however, strict regulations determining areas where such activities arepermitted and times of the year where no such activities are allowed.

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The following table depicts typical average weather conditions including temperature, hours ofsunshine/day, rainfall and sea temperatures. Walking conditions are most favourable duringthe months of January, February, May, November and December.

UUsseeffuull TTeelleepphhoonnee NNuummbbeerrssEEmmeerrggeennccyy aanndd rreessccuuee:: 111122AAmmbbuullaannccee:: 119966PPoolliiccee SSttaattiioonn:: 119911TTee lleepphhoonnee EEnnqquuiirriieess:: 11118822MMiinniissttrryy ffoorr GGoozzoo:: 2211 5566 11448822wweebbssii ttee:: wwwwww..ggoozzoo..ggoovv..mmttMMaallttaa TToouurriissmm AAuutthhoorriittyy:: 2222 9911 5500 0000wweebbssii ttee:: wwwwww..vviissii ttmmaallttaa..ccoommGGoozzoo TToouurriissmm AAssssoocciiaattiioonn:: 2211 5566 5511 7711VViiccttoorriiaa LLooccaall CCoouunncciill:: 2211 5566 3333 4444

AA ttyyppiiccaall oolldd bbaallccoonnyy

OOtthheerr UUsseeffuull IInnffoorrmmaattiioonn

All rights reserved. No part of thispublication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, ortransmitted in any form or by anymeans, electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording orotherwise, without the prior writtenconsent of the copyright holder.Enquires are to be forwarded to theMalta Tourism Authority.

Feedback or comments are welcome.Email: [email protected]

Date of publication: March 2005

Text: Etienne MicallefPhotos: Etienne MicallefMap: Andre Micallef Grimaund

Produced by the:Malta Tourism Authority’sProduct Planningand Development Directorate

FFaacciilliittiieess

The route is suitable for pedestrians, horserides and pedal bikers.Most of the route is accessible to smallvehicles servicing less able persons.Before embarking on the walk you shouldcheck the local weather forecast, assheltering from rain in the open countrysideis difficult. Carry a raincoat when theweather is not stable.After heavy downpours allow a few hoursto pass, before crossing any valleys.The use of adequate hiking shoes isrecommended. Tread carefully when route takes you over clay footpaths.As most of the route is in the opencountryside it is advisable to carry a packedlunch.It is possible to buy food from Victoria andQbajjar.Public conveniences are available atQbajjar.

TTaa’’ ÌÌuurrddaann WWaallkkPassing through:G˙arb - Wied il-Miela˙G˙asri Valley - Ta’ ÌurdanTa’ Pinu

WWaallkkss iinn tthhee sseerriieess ((iissssuueedd ttoo ddaattee))

RRaammllaa BBaayy WWaallkkPassing through:Nadur - Wied Bin©emmaRamla Bay - Ta’ Óamet

Price Lm1.00

GGoozzoo CCoouunnttrryyssiiddee WWaallkkss iiss aa ppaarrttnneerrsshhiipp pprroojjeeccttooff tthhee::

MMiinniissttrryy ffoorr GGoozzoo,, MMiinniissttrryy ffoorr TToouurriissmm aannddCCuullttuurree,, tthhee MMaallttaa TToouurriissmm AAuutthhoorrii ttyy aanndd tthhee GGoozzoo TToouurriissmm AAssssoocciiaattiioonn

TThhee pprroojjeecctt wwaass llaauunncchheedd iinn 22000022,, tthhee WWoorr llddTToouurriissmm OOrrggaanniissaa ttiioonn’’ss IInntteerrnnaattiioonnaall YYeeaarr ooffEEccoottoouurriissmm..

DDaa˙lleett QQoorrrroott WWaallkk

Passing through:Nadur - Da˙let Qorrot BayTa’ Griegel Valley - Qala

BBaa˙rriijjaa WWaallkkPassing through:Ba˙rija - Ba˙rija Valley - MtahlebTal-Vigarju Cliffs - Fiddien Valley- Rabat

GGiirrggeennttii WWaallkkPassing through:Buskett - G˙ar il-kbir - Girgenti ValleySi©©iewi - Il-Maqluba - Qrendi

MMaarrffaa RRiiddggee WWaallkkPassing through:G˙adira - L-A˙rax tal-Mellie˙a -Armier - Marfa - Çirkewwa - Ras il-Qammieh

DDwweejjrraa LLiinneess WWaallkkPassing through:M©arr - Bin©emma - Dwejra LinesSperanza Valley - Mosta

SSaallttppaann WWaallkkTrekking along this route, you will definitely come to appreciate how history, folkloreand traditions are intertwined within the context of the Gozitan countryside. This walkoffers you the opportunity to explore one of the smaller villages on Gozo, G˙asri anddiscover the secret of local salt at Xwejni, while rambling through characteristic hills andvalleys and enjoying the vast endless stretch of the Mediterranean Sea.

SSaallttppaann WWaallkkPassing through:Victoria - Sara ValleyG˙asri - G˙asri ValleyReqqa Point - Xwejni

Brochure 21 Saltpan Walk

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Transcript of Brochure 21 Saltpan Walk