Dwejra, the Gozo coast where the sea comes in through a tunnel

If I could keep only one place on Gozo, it would be Dwejra. Within a few hundred metres of coastline you get a lagoon that escapes to sea through a tunnel, an islet the Knights made impossible to climb, an underwater chimney that divers rave about and a 17th-century tower. And the gap where the Azure Window used to stand.

So what exactly is Dwejra?

Dwejra is a stretch of Gozo’s west coast right beside San Lawrenz. The Ministry for Gozo notes that the village lies inland from these formations but doesn’t place them within its boundaries, so neither do I. What’s beyond doubt is the natural value. The EU protects the land, including the Inland Sea and Fungus Rock, in an 86.92-hectare Natura 2000 site, and the surrounding sea in another of 228.6 hectares. On top of that, ‘Qawra/Dwejra’ has been on Malta’s UNESCO Tentative List since 1998.

As you walk around you’ll notice the rock looks like a mosaic of thousands of marine fossils, and there are salt pans cut into the shore. The Ministry warns against going near the edge in rough weather, and I’d add wet ground to that.

The Inland Sea and its tunnel

The Inland Sea is a lagoon formed in a circular hollow in the land, with a quay on one side and a pebble beach on the other. It reaches the open sea through a tunnel about 100 metres long that small boats can use. It used to be a fishermen’s cove, and their huts are still there, but these days the same fishermen are happy to take visitors out through the tunnel to see the coast. On a calm day it’s one of the most peaceful swims on Gozo.

Fungus Rock, the islet nobody could set foot on

The islet rising in front of the tower is Fungus Rock, known in Maltese as Ħaġret il-Ġeneral. A plant believed to be medicinal grew on it, and the Order guarded it so jealously that it smoothed the rock’s sides so no one could climb up. Anyone caught trying faced harsh punishment, and at one time the top was reached by a sort of primitive cable car. Nearby is a small cave cut into the rock that sheltered the watchman, and steps carved into the cliff lead down to the old slipway in the bay.

Put up in 1652 on the orders of Grand Master Lascaris, Dwejra Tower kept watch over both the coast and the islet, and in the Second World War it served as an observation post for western Gozo. The Ministry for Gozo says Din l-Art Ħelwa runs it and that it opens Monday to Friday, on Sundays and on public holidays from 10:30 to 12:30 and 13:15 to 15:30, or whenever its red and white flag is up. As that article carries no date, the flag is the better guide.

The Blue Hole, and diving

Beyond the tower, Dwejra Bay is another sinkhole, deep and lovely for a swim, though the Ministry notes it isn’t easy to reach and boats and yachts often anchor there. Next to it is the Blue Hole, a vertical chimney about 25 metres deep that opens to the sea through a submerged arch. The Ministry says Jacques Cousteau counted it among his top ten dives in the world, and it recommends it for snorkelling too. Close by is Crocodile Rock, a pillar shaped like a crocodile’s head that barely shows on a windy day. To plan a dive, start with my guide to diving in Malta.

The Azure Window, Dwejra’s famous natural arch, collapsed in March 2017. It has its own page, and the key point is simple, you can’t see it standing any more, and what remains lies under water as a dive site.

Game of Thrones, the chapel and getting there

The bay also served as a set for Game of Thrones, hosting Daenerys and Khal Drogo’s wedding scene. By the shore stands St Anne’s Chapel, blessed on 25 July 1963 and designed by Joseph Mizzi from San Lawrenz. It was the last chapel built in the Gozo countryside, and its feast is on 26 July.

If you’re not driving, the 311 bus links Victoria with Dwejra, calling at Għarb and San Lawrenz, and the Gozo hop-on hop-off bus stops here as well. I’d arrive first thing, when the lagoon is still and it’s quiet, and save the return for sunset.