Mixta Cave opens 68 metres above the sea, and its wide west-facing mouth frames the orange-red sand of Ramla Bay and the green or golden fields behind it.
Landmark, Xagħra. Meridian Dispatch.
Visitors report free entry, no ticket and access at any hour. The land around it is signed private, so keep to the road from the parking bays.
Yes. Inland paths and roads climb from the beach toward the viewpoint area, and a road then leads on to the steps down into the cave.
It is short but rough. The path is uneven and strewn with loose stones and rocks, and quite steep rocky steps lead down into the cave. There is no step-free access.
High in the limestone cliffs on the eastern side of Ramla Bay, Mixta Cave (L-għar ta' Mixta in Maltese) is a natural cave, not a museum piece. Below it lies the island's best-known red-sand beach.
The view out is what sets the cave apart, more than the interior. Walk around inside to find the angle you like best before you take a photograph. There is no tour to join, so you go in at your own pace.
Calypso's Cave, on the western side of the same bay, is a different site, and the two are often confused. Make sure the place you set out for is the eastern cave, reached from the Nadur side.
By car, drive from the Nadur plateau to the end of Triq l-Għassa tal-Maħraġ, a road that is rough and narrow in parts and ends unsealed. The parking bays sit about 300 metres short of the cave, just before a private property closed with a rope.
From the parking bays, follow the road for about 5 minutes to the cave entrance, where a flight of steps descends inside.
Without a car, take a bus toward the Ramla and Nadur side, get off at Qasab, and walk the last stretch along country roads.
After the cave, continue down to Ramla Bay for a short loop on the sand, then head back to the bus stop or the car.
Bring water, snacks, sunscreen, a hat and comfortable walking shoes. There are no facilities on site, so take your rubbish back with you.
Pack a camera for the view over the bay. The best months to come are May, June, September and October.
The Ġgantija temples, dated to as early as 3600 BC, stand in the village where you sleep, and Ramla Bay is a bus ride or a walk away.
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