From Marsaxlokk to St. Thomas Bay — Malta’s South

Written By Bjorn Bhatia
An elderly local man walking down to St. Peter's Pool with the famous diving dog, Tina.

Diving dog Tina at St. Peter’s Pool

Have you already explored the area between Marsaxlokk and St. Thomas Bay? We did. And these were our stops.

Marsaxlokk

We started in Marsaxlokk and hopped on a small traditional luzzu boat which has cost us only €5 for a one-way ride.

As we went along the Delimara Peninsula we saw little World War II shelters that are only visible from the sea.

After passing the giant LNG ship we got to the tipping point of the peninsula. Here, workers were looking after their rectangular salt pans.

Traditional rock-cut salt pans on the Delimara Peninsula with a Maltese fishing boat floating in the background.

Salt pans at Delimara Peninsula

The boat took us along the coast, passing by Il-Kalanka Bay and Ta’ Kalanka Sea Cave. We eventually stopped at the Hofriet Window, a hole in a rock. You could actually paddle through the window, if you come by kayak.

A view from the sea looking towards the natural limestone archway known as the Hofriet Window.

Hofriet Window

A traditional Maltese Luzzu boat transporting tourists to the drop-off point near the Camel Rock.

Drop-off point at Camel Rock

Camel Rock

We then turned around and got dropped off at Camel Rock, a limestone shaped like a camel’s head. Some people from our boat stayed in the bay and went for a swim, but we continued walking towards St. Peter’s Pool.

The unique camel-shaped limestone rock formation near Marsaskala.

Camel Rock

St. Peter’s Pool

St. Peter’s Pool was pretty busy, full of younger tourists and locals who were diving from the rocks. It is also the place where the famous diving dog Titti once became a Maltese celebrity.

After she passed away, a Russian family gifted the owner a new dog called Tina and her dive jumps are probably as iconic as Titti’s. We watched her jumps on previous visits, but today we got here early in the morning and only met the owner as we walked uphill already.

Munxar Path

Once you leave St. Peter’s Pool you will be walking along a road through the interior for a while. Then you pass by Xrobb l-Ghagin Park before reaching the beautiful Munxar Path.

The cliffs here are really massive. On the right we can see the ocean, on our left there are all sorts of cactus, agave and thyme plants.

Scenic coastal view from the Munxar hiking path looking towards the cliffs of Ponta tal-Grigal.

View towards Ponta tal-Grigal

View from the Munxar Path cliffs showing ancient cart ruts visible on the sea bed below.

Cart ruts visible on sea ground, Munxar Path

St. Thomas Bay

As we came down towards St. Thomas Bay we noticed how much the bay’s waterfront has changed since our last visit. The road is asphalted now as Infrastructure Malta upgraded the entire area.

We got here just when Glenn Cauchi (@cooker_hkc) painted some murals together with a German artist. Next time you are in the bay, you should look out for his crabs, sharks, luzzu boats, classic Maltese busses and other creative murals.

Maltese street artist Glenn Cauchi spraying a crab mural on the promenade of St. Thomas Bay.

Glenn Cauchi spraying murals in St. Thomas Bay

A large, colorful street art mural of a shark painted on a wall in St. Thomas Bay, Marsaskala.

Shark mural in St. Thomas Bay

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  • If you go by boat and then walk the bit from Camel Rock to St. Thomas Bay, you will need to plan with 3-4 hours. This includes a good break to dip into the water.

  • The boats stop going at some point, usually in autumn when the sea is getting too windy. You can do the walk throughout the year though.

  • Yes, there are a few. Our favourite one is Zion, a laid back atmosphere with reggae vibes and lovely backyard.

Bjorn Bhatia
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