Comino

The tiny island of Comino, only 2km by 1.7km, is wedged between Malta and Gozo. From the sea, it looks like nothing more than a rocky outcrop but the plateaux harbours enough flora and fauna to earn it the status of a nature reserve and a bird sanctuary. The best time to visit is in the spring when the flora is blooming and it's teaming with animal life.

Little is known about Comino's history before 13th century when it became a parish centred at the little Chapel of Our Lady's Return from Egypt. Remarkably, this tiny church is still standing and, with St Mary's Tower built by the Knights of Malta in 1618, makes up the only two man-made structures on the island. Erecting St Mary's Tower fortified the island and swept away the bands of pirates using the island's many caves and inlets to hideout and wait for unsuspecting ships to pass between Malta and Gozo.

Between Malta and Gozo lies Comino, a paradise for snorkellers, divers, windsurfers and walkers.  The Isle’s Blue Lagoon, with its safe bathing in turquoise waters, makes an idyllic day out by boat.