On my second solo trip ever, I slept on top of a cliff in Malta, overlooking the Mediterranean Ocean. I got to know the beauty of Wardija Punic Temple. If you want to have that same experience, keep reading.
If you’re ever in Malta, you really should consider giving Wardija a visit and maybe even sleeping there, overlooking the Mediterranean Sea and feeling the wind on your skin.
Disclaimer: since I took the photos in this post with my smartphone when I was visiting Malta in 2017, the quality won’t be great. I’m sorry about that, but there’s really not much I can do about it until I go back to Wardija.
Today, I’ll go over everything you need to know to experience this for yourself. How to get there, what to do, and why you should do it.
Let’s start with the basics.
What is Wardija Punic Temple?
The thing is, I’m not quite sure.
According to Wikipedia, Wardija Punic Temple – also known as Ras il-Wardija among the locals – is a promontory on the southeast coast of Gozo.
If you’re not sure what that means, that’s okay. Neither am I. I’d describe Wardija as a temple, a cave, an archaeological site – anything but a promontory. But that might just be because English is not my first language.
When my Airbnb host, Daniel (who’s now running a successful co-working space in Valletta, by the way), told me about this place, I was instantly sold to the idea.
Bonus: sign up to Airbnb through this link and get up to $40 of travel credit for your first booking!
He told me that someone who stayed in his Airbnb a few weeks before I did had discovered this place and had spent the night there. And so, Daniel told me everything I needed to know before sleeping at Wardija.
Now, I’m here to pass on my knowledge to you.
Make sure you bring some kind of blanket and something to sleep on, like a towel.
Here we go.
How to get to Wardija Punic Temple
On the map below, you can see the exact location of Wardija Punic Temple. While this can be useful in and of itself, I’d also like to give you a little bit of explanation about how I got there, and how you can get there, too.
Getting to Wardija by car
Arriving at this place is substantially easier if you have a rental car – or, better yet, if you’re from Malta and you have your own car available.
If you don’t, scroll down just a little bit and read more about getting there with public transport.
If you do, here’s what you want to do, supposing you’re coming from Malta’s capital, Valletta.
- Drive to Cirkewwa, in the north of the main island;
- Take the ferry from Cirkewwa to Mgarr (don’t worry, you can take your car);
- Drive from Mgarr;
- Follow the route pictured below to get from Mgarr to Wardija;
- Walk the last part.
Getting to Wardija by public transport
Preface: I would recommend departing from Valletta in the early afternoon if you want to be able to see the sunset. Not only that, but the last part of your journey would be quite dangerous without any sunlight.
That being said, you should look up when the sun sets on the day of your big adventure and leave at least four hours before that.
- Take bus 42 (bound for Cirkewwa) from Valletta terminal B6 to Cirkewwa Alight;
- Walk to the passenger terminal at Cirkewwa;
- Take the ferry from Cirkewwa to Mgarr (which will cost €4,65 for a one-way trip);
- Take bus 323 (bound for Victoria) from Vapur to Victoria Bay 4;
- Transfer to bus 311 (bound for Dwejra) from Victoria Bay 1 to Dwejra;
- Follow the route pictured below to get from the last bus stop to the temple.
Side note: I’m aware that it’s a 40 minute walk, but it’s worth it. Trust me on this one.
Before starting your big trek from the Dwejra bus stop, you may want to consider doing a few things.
Firstly, take a look at the old site of the Azure Window. The steep rocks, the crystal blue water and the sharp cliffs in the background all look amazing and are worth some time.
You’ll be able to see this site from up above when you’ve arrived at Wardija, but it’s that much more impressive up close.
Secondly, have some dinner at the Azure Window restaurant. Unless you brought your own food, this is going to be your last meal until you get back to the civilised world tomorrow morning. (I had the pepperoni pizza and it was great)
What to do around Wardija Punic Temple
To be honest, there’s not a whole lot to do here.
But there are some pretty great things that you can do here, and not in a lot of other places.
First of all, admire the views. Since there’s not much to do around you anyway, why not take some time to really take in the landscape around you?
I’ll just let the pictures do the talking here.
The photo above is the view from down below, looking at what used to be the Azure Window. Although it collapsed in a storm in 2017, it’s still gorgeous.
Aside from the actual image quality, this is one of my favourite shots I’ve ever taken. And that’s only partly because I have some very fond memories when looking back at this.
Next up: watch the sunset.
Just outside the temple, there are a few places where you can sit down, unwind, and enjoy the view of the sun setting over the ocean.
After the sun has set, now it’s time to really start doing things you’ve never done before.
Put on some good music and dance. Sing and dance like nobody’s watching.
You’re 40 minutes away from the nearest bus stop, so, chances are, nobody IS watching.
Finally, once you’ve danced your heart out – or once your phone battery dies, like mine did – it’s time to go to sleep.
Sleeping in a Maltese temple
When I was at Wardija, it took me about an hour to fall asleep. I had noticed beetles crawling out of a crack in the wall, and that unsettled me a bit. But if I can sleep through that, I’m sure you can, too.
I woke up around 6 am, and then again around 7 and around 8. I finally decided to get up around 8:30, and while I was brushing my teeth, a Spanish man and his daughter were hiking around. We talked for a little while and they were on their way.
Finally, I got back to my Airbnb by following the same route in reverse.
And that, dear friends, is the story of how I slept in a temple on top of a Maltese cliff (and how you can do the exact same thing).
Some more things to keep in mind:
- Wardija Punic Temple and the land around it are privately owned, but it’s very unlikely that the owner will have anything against you staying there if you ask him for permission. His name is George Spiteri.
Disclaimer: I tried to contact Mr Spiteri to ask for permission to post this article, but he hasn’t responded so far. If he does end up responding and doesn’t give me permission, I’ll delete this post.
- As I mentioned earlier, there might be beetles crawling around the temple. If you’re very scared of them, I wouldn’t recommend going for this experience.
- Since this place is privately owned, please be respectful. Leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures.
- If you end up sleeping in Wardija, it can get cold, especially if the wind is coming at you head-on. Bring enough clothes and blankets to keep you warm through the night.
Would you ever do something like this? If you wouldn’t, what do you feel is stopping you?
Thanks for reading!
-S
PIN IT!
Ingvil Larsen
September 5, 2024 at 11:38 amI have talked with the owner and he does not want anyone to camp at this site. It is a privately owned place and it is a sacred energetic place. The owner once had to call the police when there suddenly was tents and foreigners occupying the place. Now, the route from Dwejra is also closed for hiking.