What’s That Tiny Island Between Malta and Gozo?

It’s called Comino, the smallest island in the Maltese Archipelago but a fascinating place to visit all the same. Named after the cumin seed, the island boasts just two permanent residents.

The entire island is a nature reserve and bird sanctuary, a totally unspoiled slice of the Mediterranean nation that hasn’t changed in hundreds of years. And the perfect place for an outdoor adventure focused day trip organized by MiMalta.

The island’s incredible turquoise colored Blue Lagoon is one of Malta’s favorite places to swim, snorkel, or anchor your boat for a lazy day on the water.

Along the island’s north shore is a spectacular sea arch called Għemieri Window. Nearby are the Santa Maria Sea Caves, some of them explorable by boat and others accessible only via scuba diving because they are completely submerged.

Another great dive site is the wreck of the Patrol Boat P31, a naval vessel that was purposely sunk in 2009 to create an artificial reef that attracts a wide variety of Mediterranean marine life.

There’s stuff on land, too. Like a ruined 18^th-century fortress called Il-Batterija ta’ Santa Marija and the brawny Torri ta’ Santa Marija, a watchtower built in 1618 by the Knights Hospitaller to help protect the coastline from marauding Barbary pirates. Nearby is an abandoned hospital where plague victims were quarantined during that same era.

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