Blue Grotto, Malta
The caves are engineered by wind, sea water, and time. You can be forgiven if you begin to think that it is just too beautiful to be naturally-made, but it is. The caves are located off the coast of Malta, a tiny nation surrounded by the blue waters of the Mediterranean.
Image from flickr
The Blue Grotto is the largest among several caves that run along Malta’s southeast coast. When you first approach it, you are heralded by an impressive arch or 30 meters in height. Like the caves, the arch is a product of thousands and thousands of years of erosion and sedimentation.
The other caves that are part of the cave complex are Cat’s Cave, the Reflection Cave, and the Honeymoon Cave. Of course, with a sight as beautiful as the Blue Grotto, sight-seeing remains to be a popular activity among visitors. To see the sights up close, you can take a boat driven by seasoned fishermen who are familiar with the area. The boat trip is about 8 euros or at least 10 USD for adults and 4 euros for children.
Image from flickr
There are options for a 20-minute or a 30-minute boat ride. If the sea makes you feel queasy, you can stay in the viewing platform and marvel at the sight before you. Otherwise, pluck the courage to just hop on that boat as it will be surely worth it.
Since the site welcomes around 100,000 visitors a year, you will need to come early in the morning when the crowds have not started to come in for a more peaceful experience. The boat tours open at 9AM, but you can get there ahead so you can take photos uninterrupted by a lot of human activity.
Image from flickr
Image from flickr
Plan your visit around the weather. A sunny day is a perfect time to go so you can see crystal blue waters reflected and the sunlight creates an almost sacred experience when inside the caves. The best times of the day to visit are definitely early morning until 1PM when the sun is at its highest.
Getting to Blue Grotto is easy. If you are renting a car, your goal is just to drive to the village of Żurrieq. From there the boat harbor is very easy to find either by GPS or by the signs that litter the road. There are also buses that service the area around Blue Grotto.
If you are coming from the airport, you can take Route 201. The travel time is approximately an hour and the bus stops directly at the Grotto bus stop. Another option is from Valleta Terminus using Route 74. This is a shorter bus ride of 30 minutes and stops at the Panorama bus station. You can get to the harbor within two minutes of walking. Most tourists choose the hop-on hop-off buses from companies like Malta Sightseeing and City Sightseeing. You can choose this option if you also want to see the rest of Malta.
Image from flickr
When in Malta, make sure to include the Blue Grotto in your trip because it’s an experience that will amaze you with what the forces of nature can do.
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