Mysterious Malta

Day 2 - 14 March

Morning introduction to the mysterious temple culture of Malta and the many enigmas that it has generated. We will then visit the small Bugibba temple in the grounds of the nearby Dolmen hotel.
In the afternoon we will visit the capital city of Valletta, named after the famous Grand Master of the Knights of Malta, who successfully repulsed the Turks during the siege of 1565 against overwhelming odds. It is a city steeped in history and offers a wonderful glimpse back in time. We will visit the museum and the Malta Experience.

On this day we will travel across the sea by ferry to visit the adjoining island of Gozo, which holds the most impressive of all of the Malta temples at Ggantia. The facade stones of this temple are over six metres in height. We will also visit the Callipso cave, the capital Victoria, the Dwejra window and Xlendi Bay.

Day 4 - 16 March

Morning visit to the temples of Skorba and Ta’Hagrat that lie close to each other. These temples date to an early phase in the megalithic culture of Malta being first developed around 4600bce. They display a common feature of the trefoil apses found in many of the temples sites. We will also visit a site known as Clapham Junction that contains many of the mysterious cart ruts that are found in many places on the island. After these visits we will go to see the fortified citadel of Mdina, the old capital of Malta made famous in the siege of 1565. We will return visiting the famous Mosta Dome, the third largest in Europe, of church of the Assumption.

Day 5 - 17 March

A leisure day for swimming, diving or shopping. There will be an optional visit in the afternoon to the Dolphin Park, where there will be an opportunity to view or swim with the dolphins.

One of the most extraordinary of the Malta temples is the underground temple of Hal Saflieni also known as the Hypogeum, which is hewn out of the solid rock and is created on two underground levels that descends to a depth of some 10 metres. Each level has an extensive number of rooms. This site lay hidden for many years and was not re-discovered again until 1902, when some workmen accidentally broke into one of the chambers. We will then travel on to visit the Tarxien temple, which is one of the best preserved in all of Malta. Afternoon free.

Day 7- 19 March

As this is the Spring Equinox we will have an early morning visit to the beautiful temple of Mnajdra, which is aligned to the Equinox sunrise. We will then visit the famous the temple site of Hagar Qim and Mnajdra, which lies close by on the western edge of Malta. Their impressive siting with extensive views out to sea make these two of the most extraordinary temples of Malta. Work at Mnajdra suggests this was orientated to significant solar alignments and the ground plan at Hagar Qim resembles the cross-section of a skull. After the temples we will visit the Ghar Dalam (dark cave) and the Marsaxlokk (fishing village).

Transfer from Bugibba to Luqa, Malta's international airport and then flight back to London