We’ve talked about kayaking several times since we’ve been in Malta. Comino would be a really fun place to explore via kayak, but surprisingly, there only seems to be one option for doing that and for whatever reason, we didn’t choose that option, I think because we didn’t want a group tour. Via TripAdvisor, Christine found a kayak rental place in Bugibba. After checking Friday’s weather forecast for wind speed (don’t want to kayak in open water when there is much wind!), we called and reserved 2 kayaks for a half-day on Friday.
We took the #212 bus to Bugibba, our first real close up look at Bugibba. We whipped through Bugibba on the Hop on Hop off with Eve and Michaela one day. It is popular with tourists on holiday. We also had cappuccino in Bugibba on our walk around the Salini salt pans and through the Salini National Forest and on to Mellieha. So, it was kind of nice to see this village up close.
We got off the bus just at the jetty where Bugibba Kayak Hire is located. Andrew, the guy who owns the business, met us and talked us through where to go, how long it should take to paddle to various places, and how to safely use his sit on-type kayaks. He equipped us with life vests and dry sacks and helped us into our kayaks. And we were off across St. Paul’s Bay to go explore St. Paul’s Island. Andrew showed us a map and some pictures of various locations and we were interested in a tiny little cove where he said we would be able to get out of the kayaks onto the island.
Here’s a map showing where we kayaked. From the Bugibba jetty to St. Paul’s Island is a mile or so. Of course, we didn’t exactly go in a straight line, either. There was a bit of wind and so we kind of zig zagged our way across the bay.
We did have a breeze in our faces, so the paddling was a bit strenuous. And it was a lot farther across the bay than it appears. It took us close to an hour to paddle to St. Paul’s Island. We paddled close to a blue fin tuna fish farm where feeding the fish was underway.
As we got close to St. Paul’s Island, it was quite amazing to see how tall the island is. The rock towered overhead. All along the base of the rocks were little nooks and crannies, mini caves, where chunks of rock has fallen into the water.
As we were paddling along the island, Christine noticed that along the waterline were these very orange sea creatures clinging to the rocks. It was difficult to photograph because they could only be seen after the wave lapped the rock and receded, otherwise, the waterline was above them. So after about a dozen attempts to capture it at just the right moment, I got these two blurry pictures or whatever it is that is clinging to the rocks.
We then headed to where Andrew said there was a tiny little cove at one end of the isthmus where the two parts of the island connect. We paddled over and found the little cove, very little, and didn’t think we would be able to get out of our kayaks there. Nearby was a concrete boat pier with sort of a ramp there. However, upon an attempt to get out there, it was too slippery. I then manage to get out using the ladder at the end of the pier, but then all of a sudden huge swells came and were banging the kayak along the pier as I was trying to get it in a position where I might be able to hoist it out of the water. It was quickly becoming a disastrous attempt and Christine helped me to get back into the kayak. We paddled back over to the little cove and made an attempt there, which was successful. We sat on our life jackets on a little pebble beach under a rock overhang and ate lunch. It was nice to be out of the sun.
After lunch, I went scouting for a way to climb up out of the cove to get to the top where we could explore the island. I needed to find a way that was doable for Christine. With track scouted, brave Christine made her way up the track and we could then easily walk a concrete walkway up to the St. Paul statue.
Once up on the island, we had beautiful views around the bay. And we were with St. Paul.
From behind the statue we looked across a channel to a place called Selmun Point. It was a beautiful stretch of mostly smooth limestone. Once we saw that, we knew that would be our next destination.
But, we had only booked a half-day for the kayaks and we were running out of time in order to be able to paddle back across the bay. So, Christine called Andrew from St. Paul’s Island and asked if we would be able to extend our kayak rental to all day. Fortunately, we were, so we had a lot more time to go exploring.
So back into the kayaks we went and we paddled around St. Paul’s Island into the channel between the island and Selmun Point. We were surprised to see how eroded St. Paul’s Island is on that side and really how close to the edge the statue now is. There were also some interesting caves along the back side of the island.
The wind must really whistle through the channel between the island and the mainland because the limestone is totally bare and very smooth at Selmun Point. (Sorry about the foggy photos; by this time condensation, we think, clouded the lens.)
We had another challenge landing and getting out of the kayaks. The rocks are so slippery from algae that getting a foothold is quite difficult. But we managed, and we were ready for a swim in the inviting water.
We had a wonderful swim around the edge of a point and across to a place where there were great, large sandstone boulders. We tried to get out of the water there, but it was too slippery. We found some steps cut into the rock and we clamored up to the incredibly smooth sandstone that has been bleached almost white. Rather than swim back to our kayaks, we walked back across the limestone. In one place we saw the remains of ancient salt pans.
It was a good thing we arrived back at the kayaks when we did because what little tide there is was coming in and some of our things that we left on the limestone were starting to get wet. We decided it was time to pack up and keep paddling. Getting in to the kayaks here was really a challenge. I’m glad no one was videoing for Funniest Home Videos, or else we would have won the $10,000. It was so slippery and trying to get the kayak angled so that Christine could get in was really difficult. But, eventually, we were both in our kayaks and paddling away. Selmun Point is a really fantastic place, and maybe we’ll get back there again before we leave.
We kayaked down along the shoreline towards Mistra Bay. There were places where the cliffs have eroded into the sea. In one place, I said to Christine that the red cliff sections reminded me of places we saw in Utah. It was a pretty paddle through a little bay that had a white bottom, kind of like the Blue Lagoon. The water was beautiful.
Andrew had told us of a place where there were caves that we could paddle into, so we headed back across the bay to the Bugibba side, but farther southwest of the jetty. Once again, we were facing the wind, which had shifted, so we had a bit of a strenuous paddle as we headed down towards Xemxija Bay. Half way across, I asked Christine, “who’s idea was this, anyway?” By now, after paddling a lot, our arms and wrists were very tired. But we forged on and came to a small headland slanting down into the bay. And in and around it were some really wonderful caves. There were 3 large caverns that were connected inside by a couple of different channels. So, once inside a cave, you could paddle around in the channels into another cavern. It was really cool. There also was a window through the rock nearby. On top of the headland was an old pillbox watch tower that the Brits had built during the war. Going through the rock window you could see stairs leading down from the ceiling, no doubt a secret escape route. We had a lot of fun winding our way through the cave channels and I’m so glad we stuck it out to paddle there. It was definitely worth it.
It’s probably crazy to have a cellphone out taking pictures while kayaking, but we sure took a lot of them, including of each other at the same time.
We were lucky, though. We both returned with our cellphones, and other than have a few foggy pictures, we managed to hang on to the phone and not drop them in the water.
After the caves, it was about a 45 minute paddle back up the shoreline to the jetty.
Although, at first the wind was now at our backs, by the time we were in eyesight of the jetty, the wind turned again and picked up, so we were heading directly into the wind. The swells were splashing in and soaking us as we paddled hard to get back. Andrew was standing at the end of the jetty as we approached, a nice sight. I asked him why, after 5 hours of paddling, the final 500 yards were the hardest. He just laughed and said, “you’ll sleep well tonight.”
It was a very fun day and we were exhausted, but happy. To treat ourselves, we went to a very nice restaurant at the edge of the bay, sat on the terrace enjoying Sangria and Cisk, and basked in the last of the sunshine. Christine had a really good paella and I had pasta pesto. After dinner, we walked along the Bugibba version of the Sliema esplanade. It was a lovely evening and the tourists were out in force around the town square where many, many outdoor bars and restaurants are. We found the Bugibba bus terminal and had about a 15 minute wait for our #212 back home. Once on the bus, happily seated, we had a hard time not nodding off. It was dark by the time we arrived back at our flat and we were happy to be home.
It was a long, tiring day, but one that will stick in our minds as one of the most fun days we’ve had in Malta.
You girls are crazy! Looks like a great time.