Comino
Wild Island
3.6km² of pure adventure. No cars, no shops, no compromise. Caves, Blue Lagoon, 400 years of history and the Order of Maltazars, 26 secrets to discover.
3.6 km²
Area
26
Locations
~1,475
Max points
0
Cars
4
Hollywood films
400+
Years of history
🎮 Explorer game · GPS · Free · No app
⚔️ Join the Order
🚤 Book a boat📍 GPS · Works in browser
How to experience Comino?
🚤
STEP 1
Choose pickup
Cirkewwa (Malta) or Hondoq Bay (Gozo), 25 min cruise
📱
STEP 2
Start the game
Enter nickname, start session, map loads in 3 seconds
📍
STEP 3
Explore
GPS or QR code at each location. 26 targets, 9 categories
🏕️
STEP 4
Stay or return
Tal-Ful camp (free) or last boat at 4pm
🚤
Transport: Joyride Watersports
The only operator with pickup from both islands: Gozo and Malta
Joyride Watersports Gozo
354 opinii · 4.7★ · Travelers' Choice 2025
⭐
Return ticket ~€15 · Self-drive boats, jet ski and kayak rental also available
⚔️ Order of Maltazars: 26 secrets
Get there. Rise in the ranks. Works in browser, no app needed.
🏖️
Beaches
3
~25 pts
🏛️
Monuments
4
~50 pts
🚤
Caves
4
~100 pts
🗿
Ruins
3
~75 pts
🎬
Film spots
3
~65 pts
👁️
Viewpoints
4
~30 pts
📖 Comino Stories
Discover the fascinating story behind every location, from ancient caves to Hollywood film spots.
💎3 min read
Ghemieri Window
Ghemieri Window is a small natural rock arch on Comino, a miniature version of the former Azure Window on Gozo. Visible from the sea during a boat trip around the island.
🏖️4 min read
Blue Lagoon
The Blue Lagoon — Malta's icon, where turquoise water with visibility up to 30 metres forms a natural pool between Comino and Cominotto. Since 2023, a 4,000 daily visitor cap protects this fragile ecosystem.
🏖️3 min read
Santa Marija Bay
Comino's only sandy beach — Santa Marija Bay with natural shade from tamarisk trees. For centuries this was where the island's small community gathered, and today it's paradise for families.
🏖️3 min read
San Niklaw Bay
San Niklaw Bay — home to Comino's only hotel (1962-2019). The abandoned Comino Hotel buildings still stand over the quiet bay that once buzzed with life.
🐠3 min read
Crystal Lagoon
Crystal Lagoon — a hidden lagoon on Comino's west coast with underwater visibility up to 30 metres. The lesser-known sister of Blue Lagoon, accessible only from the water.
🐠3 min read
Cominotto Beach
Cominotto — an uninhabited islet of just 0.01 km² with a tiny beach. The closest thing to a "desert island" in Europe, reachable by swimming from the Blue Lagoon.
🏛️4 min read
Santa Marija Tower
Santa Marija Tower (1618) — the mighty watchtower of the Knights of Malta with 6-metre-thick walls. Comino's most important defensive structure, restored by Din l-Art Helwa volunteers.
🏛️3 min read
Santa Marija Chapel
The oldest structure on Comino — Santa Marija Chapel from 1296. Over 700 years of history on an island that never housed more than 40 families.
🏛️3 min read
Santa Marija Battery
Santa Marija Battery — a British fortification with 6 guns defending the channel between islands. Two 24-pounders and four 6-pounders protected the southern approach to Comino.
🗿4 min read
Isolation Hospital Ruins
British quarantine hospital from the 1890s — soldiers returning from cholera epidemics spent weeks in isolation here. Later a school, shop, pub. Abandoned in the 1960s.
🗿3 min read
Pig Farm Ruins
Pig farm ruins from 1979 — after the African Swine Fever epidemic, Comino's isolation became an advantage. A new herd was bred here, far from infected animals on Malta.
🗿2 min read
Abandoned School
Abandoned school from 1948 — single-room, where one teacher taught children of all ages. Closed when the last families left the island.
🏛️3 min read
Comino Cemetery
Comino's cemetery — silent witness to generations who lived and died on this small island. A few dozen headstones tell the story of a community that no longer exists.
🚤3 min read
Popeye Cave
Cave from the Popeye film (1980) starring Robin Williams — the famous octopus scene shot in a natural grotto. Accessible by boat, hidden in Comino's northern cliffs.
🚤2 min read
Santa Marija Caves
Santa Marija Caves — a natural rock arch over deep-blue water, formed when a grotto's roof collapsed. A spectacular diving and kayaking point.
🚤3 min read
Monte Cristo Cave
Monte Cristo Cave — a hidden lagoon inside the island, where "The Count of Monte Cristo" (2002) was filmed with Guy Pearce. Historically a hideout for pirates and smugglers.
🚤2 min read
Blue Lagoon Cave
Blue Lagoon Cave — a hidden beach inside a cliff accessible by kayak. A small, sandy cove sheltered from the wind, known to few tourists.
👁️2 min read
Elephant Rock
Elephant Rock — a natural rock arch shaped like an elephant, one of Comino's most photographed spots. Marine erosion sculpted it over thousands of years.
👁️2 min read
North Cliffs Summit
North Cliffs Summit — highest point of the Comino Loop trail with panoramic views of Blue Lagoon, Gozo, and Malta. Shearwaters — an endangered seabird species — nest here.
🏕️2 min read
Tal-Ful Campsite
Tal-Ful Campsite — the only official and completely free campsite on Comino. Sleeping under stars on an island with no artificial light, with sounds of waves and shearwaters.
🦅2 min read
Yelkouan Shearwater Colony
Yelkouan Shearwater colony — 50-80 pairs of this endangered species nest in Comino's cliffs. BirdLife Malta runs a conservation and ringing project here.
👁️2 min read
Salt Pond Overlook
Salt pond overlook — natural salt pans that attract rare migratory birds in spring. Paradise for birdwatchers and nature photographers.
👁️2 min read
Comino Loop Viewpoint
Comino Loop — the famous 8.8 km trail around the entire island. The highest point of the route offers views of all 25 Maltazar locations.
🎬3 min read
Film Location: Troy (2004)
Brad Pitt as Achilles at Blue Lagoon — the Greek army beach landing scenes from Troy (2004) were filmed on Comino. 5 planned days turned into 5 weeks.
🎬2 min read
Film Location: Count of Monte Cristo (2002)
Filming location of "The Count of Monte Cristo" — a viewpoint above the cave where escape scenes were shot. The 2002 film starring Guy Pearce.
🎬2 min read
Film Location: Swept Away (2002)
Madonna and Guy Ritchie on Comino — "Swept Away" (2002) filmed on the island's beaches. Their last collaborative project before the high-profile divorce.
🏕️
Stay overnight: Tal-Ful Campsite
The only official campsite on Comino
Camping rules:
- ✅ Fabric tents only
- ✅ Free, no permit required
- ✅ Authorised by ERA
- ❌ No open fires
- ❌ No permanent structures
- ♻️ Pack out all waste
Comino Camping Package (via Joyride):
- ⛺ 2-person tent (Coleman)
- 🛏️ 2× sleeping mats
- 💡 Headlamp
- 🗺️ Comino map with QR codes
- 📞 Joyride emergency contact
🌙 Overnight on Comino unlocks the "Night Owl" title +50 pt bonus in the Order!
🥾 3 trails to hike
From 30-minute walks to multi-day expeditions
⛰️
🥾Moderate
Comino Loop
📏 8.4 km⏱ 2 h
The classic loop around all of Comino — from the Blue Lagoon through caves, the watchtower, to Santa Marija Bay and back. The island's best trail, perfect for a 2-hour walk.
⛰️
🎒Moderate
Family Adventure — Comino & Gozo Trek
📏 12.8 km⏱ 9 h 30 min
Multi-island trail linking two islands in one day. Morning Cave Safari and Comino Loop, afternoon coastal trek in Gozo from Mgarr Beach via Xatt l-Ahmar to Mgarr ix-Xini fjord.
⛰️
🥾Moderate
Comino Snorkel Trail
📏 2 km⏱ 3 h
Comino's best snorkeling spots — from Crystal Lagoon through caves to San Niklaw Bay. All you need is a mask and fins.
Comino Almanac
The deepest Comino knowledge collection — from 1296 to today. 4 Hollywood films, 400 years of history, wild nature.
Blue Lagoon from above
Santa Marija Tower and Comino panorama
Aerial view of Comino island
Santa Marija Bay — Comino's quiet beach
Santa Marija Chapel (1296)
Comino cliffs — the wild side of the island
Sources: Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA), Unsplash (CC0), Wikipedia (editorial)
Did you know?
8 surprising facts you won't find in standard guidebooks
MYSTICISM
Abraham Abulafia — founder of Prophetic Kabbalah and one of history's most influential Jewish mystics — was exiled to Comino from 1285–1291. Here he wrote "Sefer ha-Ot" (Book of the Sign), his messianic prophecy.
ETYMOLOGY
The name "Comino" derives from the Arabic "kammon" — cumin. The warming spice once grew wild across the entire island. Arabs ruled here for 200 years (870–1091) and left more than just a name.
WWII
The 1942 Italian operational plan "C3" included a Comino landing as an auxiliary to the Malta siege. It aimed to encircle the island from the west and cut off supplies. The plan was never executed.
CANNONS
The cannons of Santa Marija Battery lay dumped in a rocky gorge for over 200 years. In 1997, an HMS Illustrious Royal Navy helicopter recovered them in cooperation with the Armed Forces of Malta.
POPULATION
Today only 2 people live permanently on Comino. A priest holds mass in summer only; a policeman commutes by ferry. In winter the island is effectively uninhabited for entire months.
PIG FARM
From 1979 to 2011 a pig farm operated on Comino's SE corner, rebuilding Malta's pig industry after African Swine Fever. Today it's the island's most surprising ruin — rarely known to tourists.
RECORD
At peak season Blue Lagoon sees up to 4,000 visitors daily — over 2,000 times the island's permanent population (2 people). Hence the visitor cap and QR registration system since 2025.
QUARANTINE
Comino's isolation hospital ("Il-Palazz") operated continuously from the 1890s to the 1960s. For half a century it isolated sailors from the Levant, Africa and the Middle East from the rest of Malta.
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🎒 What to bring to Comino?
There are no shops on the island. Prepare in advance.
💧Water (min. 2L per person)!
🥪Food (no shops on island)!
☀️SPF 50+ sunscreen (reapply after swimming)!
🥾Hiking boots (NOT flip-flops!)
🤿Snorkel mask and tube
🏖️Towel and swimwear
🔦Torch for caves
📱Charged phone (GPS + map)
❓ Frequently asked questions
Can I camp on Comino?▼
Yes, only at Tal-Ful (authorised by ERA). Free, no permit required. Fabric tents only, no fires, pack out all waste.
When does the last boat leave?▼
From Cirkewwa (Malta): last return ~4:00pm. From Mġarr (Gozo): last ~5:00pm. Off-season schedules reduced.
Is there food or a shop on the island?▼
No permanent shops. In summer 2–3 kiosks near Blue Lagoon sell snacks and ice cream (expensive). Bring your own food.
How do I visit the caves?▼
Most caves (Popeye Cave, Santa Marija Caves, Monte Cristo Cave) are accessible by boat or kayak only. Rent a boat via Joyride.
