Dingli Cliff

You may already have done your homework, so the fact that Malta is a small, hilly island slanting south-eastwards may not come as a surprise. Thank goodness for that slant, though, as it means most of the western coast has high cliffs and the panoramic views that go with them.

Dingli Cliffs, the sheerest and undoubtedly the most popular, are a must for people intent on walking, jogging and abseiling. They offer other opportunities, like the less hectic pastime of discovering and cataloguing wild flowers, butterflies and even snails, at least those that have not already been plucked away for tomorrow’s traditional Maltese dish of aljoli or stuffat.

The cliffs are named after the nearby village of Had Dingli where it is no cliché to say time has stubbornly stood still. A walkabout in the whole area will also be rewarding in the sense that you are just half an hour away from the town of Rabat, with its public gardens, early-Christian catacombs and Roman remains, and the old Capital, Mdina, the Silent City.

Nature-lovers may find more time for the Island’s largest wooded area, between Dingli Cliffs and Rabat, known as Buskett, originally a hunting ground for the Knights who had also made it a point to let loose a number of exotic animals they could eventually hunt amongst the trees. Have no fear, the animals are long gone, but this beautiful green spot offers peace and serenity as well as some lovely surprises like natural springs, orange groves, castles - one of them with its resident ghost - and grandmasters’ lodges.

Back up on the edge of Dingli Cliffs, one can watch the farmers extracting fruit from impossible earth as the lone isle of Filfa, a bird sanctuary, shows up almost clumsily across the horizon, a mere five kilometres off the coast.

You will need to do a bit of walking if you are heading to Dingli Cliffs by bus as the route stops in the town of Dingli and you will have to get to the cliffs themselves by foot. Then again, you shouldn’t let that stop you taking in this magnificent sight. The bus you are looking for is the number 81.