Walking on Gozo - Calypso's Isle

Name: Walking on Gozo - Calypso's Isle
Brand: Exodus
Rating: 4.1 (8 reviews)

8 reviews

Activity Level

Easy & Moderate

Activity

Walking & Trekking

Overview

Enjoy self-guided walking on the island of Gozo

Blessed with a rugged landscape and spectacular coastline, the island of Gozo is tranquil and verdant. Sleepy towns lay brimming with baroque architecture, gardens and churches, and only the occasional farmhouse punctuates the countryside. Such is the beauty here, that Gozo is thought to be the legendary Calypso’s Isle of Homer’s Odyssey – a peaceful, mystical backwater. From our base at one of the island’s top hotels, our self-guided walks will unveil the island’s charm.

Key Information

Trip Code: W07GO
Ways to Travel: Self-Guided Holidays
Countries: Malta

What's Included

All buffet breakfast and 7 dinners
Accommodation for 7 nights
Headwater App
Flights from London (if booking Flight Inclusive)
Arrival & departure transfers - subject to 2 people traveling (if booking Flight Inclusive)

6 days of Walking & Trekking

Terrain:

The terrain is moderate with some small hills and the walking is often along ancient roads and old farm tracks. There are some steep descents to the coast and the occasional rough, stony section.

Day 2: 8 km / 5 miles
Day 3: 15 km / 9.3 miles
Day 4: 10 km / 6.2 miles
Day 6: 13 km / 8.1 miles
Day 7: 13 km / 8.1 miles

Highlights

Unspoilt Mediterranean island, temperate year round climate, perfect for exploring on foot
Secluded 5 star hotel: private rocky cove, swimming pools, tranquil gardens
Magnificent coastal paths, breathtaking views, colourful fishing villages
Exotic Mediterranean flora: lemons, figs, peaches, poppies

Itinerary

First Destination: Gozo
Next Destination: Gozo

Meals included:Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Gozo
Next Destination: Gozo

Arrive at your hotel in Sannat. The evening is at your leisure to settle in, unpack and enjoy your first dinner.

Meals included:Dinner

Mgarr is Gozo’s port, full of traditional and colourful luzzu fishing boats and dominated by the 18th Century Fort Chambray, built by the Knights of St John. The path from here hugs the coast as far as the narrow creek of Mgarr ix-Xini, where Turkish raiders landed in 1551 – the perfect place for a picnic and swim. From here you follow an old mule track up through the hotel’s rocky grounds with fine views across to Malta, stopping to explore the remains of a Copper Age temple and Neolithic dolmen.

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

The north-western corner of the island is only accessible on foot, along easy farm tracks. The first stop is the remarkable neo-Romanesque Basilica at Ta’ Pinu, a huge national shrine built on the site of a miracle in 1923. Your route then leads through unique ravine-like wieds (wadis) to Gharb with its stunning Baroque church (1699) and traditional stone houses. The final stretch takes you along the striking cliffs of the north coast where you are rewarded with fantastic views across Gozo’s famous salt pans.

Two walking options: 3.5hr, distance 12km/7.5mi or 4hr, distance 14km/9mi.

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

The cliffs near Sannat are the highest and most dramatic cliffs on Gozo and in late spring they are alive with Mediterranean shearwaters. The route takes you past breathtaking views towards Comino and Malta and down through tamarisk trees to the gorgeous Xlendi Bay. Then it’s up through the terraced fields, bright with poppies and fields of gladioli cultivated in rows like Provencal lavender.

Two walking options: 2.5hr, distance 9km/5.5mi or 3hr, distance 10km/6mi.

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Today you could perhaps take a ride on one of Gozo’s quirky buses to Xaghra to start your morning, as you head towards the Ggantija Tombs, a massive free-standing temple of 6m-high monoliths, and Calypso’s Cave. Lunch on Ramla Bay, undeniably the best beach on the island, then perhaps head on to the lively capital of Victoria for the afternoon. The bustling market square, used as a meeting place since Roman times, is dominated by the mediaeval citadel, with spectacular views over the whole island. But the real charm lies in the maze of tiny back streets clustered around the Basilica, with carved stone balconies, flower-decked doorways and statuettes of the Madonna in street-corner niches.

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

The walk today takes you to the west coast and the fascinating Punic burial site at Wardija Point. There’s a mythical feeling here, like being on the edge of the world. Narrow stone-walled lanes lead down to bamboo groves and to Fungus Rock (named after the ‘magic’ plant which grew there) and the Inland Sea.

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Starting from Qala, it’s an easy stroll to Dahlet Qorrot, a tiny harbour with gaily coloured boat houses. Then it’s on through fragrant lemon groves, vineyards and past fig and peach trees to San Blas Bay, a hidden beach with gorgeous ochre-coloured sand. Your final stop is Nadur, where the spectacular views at the end of the day are a great finale to your week.

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

The tour ends in Gozo after breakfast.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

Skip the hassle: We’ll handle your trip from start to finish, with competitive flight prices, deposit-only payments, and full ATOL protection available.

Call us on 0203 733 5948

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Accommodation

Hotel Ta'Cenc - 5 Star

Set in 400 acres of private grounds and built in harmony with the natural surroundings, the Ta’Cenc offers complete tranquility, a friendly atmosphere and delicious Maltese cuisine. Guests stay in tastefully furnished, air-conditioned single-storey stone buildings, each with its own terrace. There are two enormous swimming pools, a hydro-massage Jacuzzi, a fitness centre, tennis courts and a private (rocky) swimming cove. Beauty treatments are also available, as well as WiFi in public spaces. All prices are based on 2 persons sharing, so if there is an odd number of people travelling in your party or you are travelling alone, there will be a compulsory single room supplement for sole occupancy of a twin/double room for the tour duration.

Essential Information

This holiday offers leisurely walking with occasional short climbs and descents to sea level. The terrain is moderate with some small hills and the walking is often along ancient roads and old farm tracks. There are some steep descents down to the coast and the occasional rough, stony section. The walking is suitable for anyone who is reasonably fit and healthy, enjoys the occasional weekend walk and can walk 2-5 hrs per day.

As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There may be others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. You are provided with route notes for each day, which begin with an overview of the walk and advice on lunch, followed by detailed instructions. The route notes contain a 24 hour emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the hotel is normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service.

You may find our Fitness Training Guide a useful reference: http://www.exodus.co.uk/assets/pdf/Exodus_WT_Fitness_Training_Guide.pdf

Your trip normally starts at our hotel in Gozo on the evening of Day 1 of the itinerary. Arrival and departure transfers are included in the price of the tour for flight inclusive bookings from Malta Luqa Airport to the hotel in Gozo (including the 25 minute ferry journey), and vice versa for the return. Transfers and ferry journeys can also be arranged for land only bookings for a supplement. Please ask your Sales Consultant for further details.

Flights:
Flights can be arranged from most UK airports, with connecting transfers as required, prices and details on request. The above prices include our standard flights/transfers: Air Malta London Heathrow to Malta Luqa 11:25/15:35, then ferry to Gozo 18:00/18:25. (Transfer to hotel, 10 mins, provided). Return: Ferry to Malta 12:00/12:25 then Malta Luqa to Heathrow 16:55/19:25.*

* Please note that the standard flights and ferry times may occasionally change throughout the season so please enquire for up-to-date details.

Malta

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Malta. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/malta
Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/malta
United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/malta/entry-requirements
USA: www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Malta.html

All buffet breakfasts and 7 dinners are included.

Meals are usually served in the restaurant or al fresco on the patio under a 200-year-old carob tree. Breakfast is an enormous hot and cold buffet and dinner is a 4-course affair offering a mouth watering selection of Gozitan and Italian specialities.

Please be aware that, as Gozo has no rivers, lakes or reservoirs, the majority of drinking water is produced via reverse osmosis – essentially, the desalination and filtration of sea water. Tap water is perfectly safe and drinkable, although you may notice it has a very slightly salty aftertaste which can vary between hotels, restaurants and cafes depending whether they have additional filtration systems in place. If you still have concerns, or are put off by the taste, bottled water is widely available although please consider the environmental impact of buying and disposing of plastic bottles.

Malta and Gozo are blessed with a subtropical Mediterranean climate; summers are generally hot and dry, winters mild, and autumns warm and sporadically wet. Malta’s average annual temperature of 18-19°C is amongst the highest in Europe, and significant temperature fluctuations are rare. Being islands however, they can face strong winds coming off the sea, particularly in the springtime, which can make it feel a little chilly.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.

Reviews

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Rosemary Gregory

Added October 2018

great gozo

A great holiday. Ta chenc is a lovely hotel. Single storey buildings with very spacious room and bathroom. A fabulous choice of food at breakfast with plenty of choice for dinner. Staff very friendly and helpful. Gozo is laid back with a very good public transport system to get you...

Most Inspirational Moment

Seeing the ancient monuments and magnificent churches along with stunning scenery.

Thoughts on Group Leader

Advice for Potential Travellers

Not a huge choice for vegetarians at dinner in the hotel.

Suggestions

Self-guided.

Read all reviews

£ 869

8 Days Excluding Flights

1300 131 564 dates & prices

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