Ninu's Cave

Landmark

Landmark · Xagħra, Malta 36.0513°N 14.2648°E

Why you should go

Ninety seconds on Ninu's Cave

Time needed

15 minutesA very small cave

Effort

4 m downA short flight of steps

Access

Triq JannarXagħra, Gozo

Entry

Is there an entry fee at Ninu's Cave or is it a donation?

One guide describes entry as free, with a small donation appreciated. Terms can vary, so visitors ask the member of the household who opens the door before going down the stairs.

Children

Is Ninu's Cave suitable for children?

In most cases, yes. The cave is small and the visit is short, which suits families. The steps down and the enclosed chamber are worth knowing about in advance for any child or adult in the group who is uneasy underground.

Xerri's Grotto

Ninu's Cave or Xerri's Grotto, is it worth doing both?

Yes, where time allows. Xerri's Grotto is a similar small show cave in Xagħra, about 300 metres away, so the two fit easily into one walk through the village, together with the windmill and the temples nearby.

One small limestone chamber, hung with stalactites, lies under a family house in Xagħra, and the family walks you through their home to reach it.

What makes it special

Ninu's Cave is a single chamber of upper coralline limestone, roughly 20 by 8 metres. Stalactites hang densely from its roof and stalagmites rise from the floor, with other delicate calcite formations between them.

The shapes of that dripstone are what the cave is known for. They grew over the ages as rainwater filtered slowly through the limestone. The cave came to light when a local resident digging a well under his house broke through into it.

Many of Gozo's better-known caves sit in the sea cliffs. This one lies inland, under the village itself, so you reach it on a short walk through the streets of Xagħra rather than from the coast.

Visiting

Before you go, check the opening hours, since published times vary. If the front door is shut, ring the doorbell. A member of the household then takes you out to the back of the house and down the stairs into the cave.

At the foot of the stairs, a short path runs across the chamber floor. That path is the whole visit, with stalactites overhead and stalagmites on either side as you walk it, before the same stairs lead back up.

Tips

Treat the cave as a short stop on a walk round Xagħra rather than a trip of its own. Ta' Kola Windmill is about 300 metres away and Ġgantija about 500 metres, so you can reach both on foot once you are back out in the street.