Comino is one of my favourite parts of our islands, still raw, uninhabited (except for 3 people who live here permanently) and apart from the crowds that visit the Blue Lagoon you hardly meet anyone else on the island. Going there in Summer is surely not a wise decision as it gets too hot and there is practically nowhere to get some shade from the blazing sunshine. A beautiful day in Spring (April or May) is without any doubt the best time to go for this adventure since the Maltese spurge, characteristic of the garigue landscape is in full bloom. Another tip for going to Comino is to leave from Marfa or Cirkewwa harbour on the first ferry which leaves at 9:00 to be sure you will be with the first group of people arriving on Comino.
As soon as we got to Comino we took a couple of photos of the world famous Blue Lagoon still empty (a very rare scene especially if you go in Summer since usually it is full of people) and headed off to the North to start our trek along the rugged coast. Most probably you won’t meet anyone along the way and this is what I love most about this place. The landscape has not yet been altered by human beings and everything is still as God had created it. Below is the path we followed.
Apart from the landscapes to admire and sense of freedom that this island conveys, there are a couple of curious facts on this island that not everyone is yet aware of.
- There is an incredible amount of wall lizards with which you may have some close encounters as you trek the island. Another reason to visit in Spring is that this is their mating season and their colours are more vibrant to attract the opposite sex.
- There is one hotel on Comino and is open only from May till October. Other accommodation options include the camping site and the self-catering bungalows located in Santa Marija Bay.
- A miniature Azure Window is located on the northern most tip of the island in the Santa Marija Caves area. There are plenty of these windows scattered along our coasts. There is another complex of caves in the Crystal Lagoon area and the ferry usually includes a visit to the caves on your way back to Marfa/Cirkewwa.
- Comino is presently home to a small family of three people (a man and his two sisters). However during the past century there were much more people living here. There are also ruins of a school/isolation hospital, a cemetery and a pig farm. More information on these places can be read on Cometocomino.com
- The Comino tower has featured as the Chateau d’If in the movie The Count of Monte Cristo. Various scenes of this idyllic island can be seen in other movies like Troy which was also mostly shot in the Maltese islands.
- Cumin gave its name to the island as apparently this spice was quite popular on the island back in time.
My only hope for this place is that no one ever dreams of building up anything or making any developments whatsoever. I believe that the Blue Lagoon is the most beautiful beach in Malta and maybe the reason behind this is because it is located on an inhabited island. Hopefully a limit to the amount of visitors that it gets in summer is established as well as the number of stalls that line the beach. Protecting this gem has to be one of the priorities!
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