Ta' Ċenċ, where the plateau simply stops at the sea

You don’t come to Ta’ Ċenċ for a monument. You come to walk the southern rim of Gozo, a scrubby plateau that ends abruptly in a vertical wall above the sea. Nobody has tamed it, and that’s the appeal, with no kiosks and no paid viewing platforms.

What exactly are the Ta’ Ċenċ cliffs?

Ta’ Ċenċ is the plateau that stretches south of Sannat, and its cliffs are where that plateau meets the Mediterranean. The Ministry for Gozo describes them as the highest on the island. It doesn’t publish a height, though, and I’d rather not quote a number without an official source behind it.

The landscape is Maltese garigue, low aromatic scrub growing on limestone with hardly any soil. The Ministry talks of rich flora and fauna, and the EU agrees twice over. Ta’ Ċenċ is a special protection area for birds covering 152 hectares and a site of community importance covering another 140, both within the Natura 2000 network.

Dolmens and a temple up on the plateau

Nature and prehistory come as a package here. The plateau holds sparse remains of the L-Imramma temple and three dolmens, which the Ministry describes as a roughly shaped limestone slab resting on blocks stood on end on three sides. There are no fences and no information boards, which is part of their charm, but it also means treating them with care. I wouldn’t climb on any of them.

From the eastern edge of the plateau you look down into the Ħanżira valley, a steep-sided ravine that separates Sannat from Xewkija and runs down to the cove at Mġarr ix-Xini. If your legs are up to it, plateau in the morning and cove in the afternoon is one of the best days out in southern Gozo.

Top or side on, from Xlendi?

Both work. From the top you feel the drop and the wind. From the west, the Xlendi Walk above Xlendi gives you views across to Ta’ Ċenċ and to the Sanap cliffs, which belong to Munxar. With only one afternoon to spare, I’d go to Xlendi, have dinner there and save the plateau for a morning on another day.

Don’t expect any facilities at all. There’s no visitor centre, no toilets, no water and no shade. The nearest help is Sannat itself, home to the Ta’ Cenc Hotel, one of Gozo’s two five-star properties.

Getting there and staying safe

You reach the plateau from Sannat, on foot or by car as far as the track allows, and there’s nothing to pay. Neither the Natura 2000 database nor the Ministry spells out what is or isn’t permitted on each patch of ground, so I’d follow the usual rules for any protected site. Stick to the paths, leave the plants alone and take everything home with you.

There are no railings along the edge. In a strong wind, with children or when the rock is wet, I’d keep well back. Spring, when the countryside is at its greenest, and autumn are the best seasons. In July and August I’d only go first thing or around sunset.

If you want more of Gozo’s coastline on the same trip, the west has Dwejra, with the Inland Sea and Fungus Rock, and on the main island there are the Dingli Cliffs.

Ta’ Ċenċ on Malta’s protected map

What I find most interesting is that this corner isn’t an isolated case. Since 1998 Malta has listed its coastal cliffs on its UNESCO Tentative List under the generic heading of ‘Coastal Cliffs’, though the entry I read doesn’t say which stretches it covers. And the EU’s Natura 2000 network protects several lengths of cliff on both Gozo and Malta, with Ta’ Ċenċ among those named individually. To me that’s the best guarantee the edge will stay as it is.

For a full day in the south, here’s how I’d string it together. Set off from Sannat across the plateau first thing, drop down the gorge to Mġarr ix-Xini for a swim, and finish at the Xewkija Rotunda in the late afternoon, by car. It’s a long day but an unhurried one, and it shows you the wildest part of the island properly.