Itinerary Include flights Expand all London to London Day 1 Start Gozo Arrive at your hotel in Sannat. The evening is at your leisure to settle in, unpack and enjoy your first dinner. Meals included: Dinner Day 2 Coastal walk from Mgarr port to the narrow creek of Mgarr ix-Xini Mgarr is Gozo's port, full of traditional and colourful luzzu fishing boats and dominated by the 18th Century Fort Chambray, built by the Knights of St John. The path from here hugs the coast as far as the narrow creek of Mgarr ix-Xini, where Turkish raiders landed in 1551 - the perfect place for a picnic and swim. From here you follow an old mule track up through the hotel's rocky grounds with fine views across to Malta, stopping to explore the remains of a Copper Age temple and Neolithic dolmen. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 3 Walk to Ta'Pinu and Gharb The north-western corner of the island is only accessible on foot, along easy farm tracks. The first stop is the remarkable neo-Romanesque Basilica at Ta' Pinu, a huge national shrine built on the site of a miracle in 1923. Your route then leads through unique ravine-like wieds (wadis) to Gharb with its stunning Baroque church (1699) and traditional stone houses. The final stretch takes you along the striking cliffs of the north coast where you are rewarded with fantastic views across Gozo's famous salt pans. Two walking options: 3.5hr, distance 12km/7.5mi or 4hr, distance 14km/9mi. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 4 Hike to Xlendi Bay The cliffs near Sannat are the highest and most dramatic cliffs on Gozo and in late spring they are alive with Mediterranean shearwaters. The route takes you past breathtaking views towards Comino and Malta and down through tamarisk trees to the gorgeous Xlendi Bay. Then it's up through the terraced fields, bright with poppies and fields of gladioli cultivated in rows like Provencal lavender. Two walking options: 2.5hr, distance 9km/5.5mi or 3hr, distance 10km/6mi. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 5 Free day; optional visit to Victoria or Ramla Beach Today you could perhaps take a ride on one of Gozo's quirky buses to Xaghra to start your morning, as you head towards the Ggantija Tombs, a massive free-standing temple of 6m-high monoliths, and Calypso's Cave. Lunch on Ramla Bay, undeniably the best beach on the island, then perhaps head on to the lively capital of Victoria for the afternoon. The bustling market square, used as a meeting place since Roman times, is dominated by the mediaeval citadel, with spectacular views over the whole island. But the real charm lies in the maze of tiny back streets clustered around the Basilica, with carved stone balconies, flower-decked doorways and statuettes of the Madonna in street-corner niches. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 6 Punic burial site and the Inland Sea The walk today takes you to the west coast and the fascinating Punic burial site at Wardija Point. There's a mythical feeling here, like being on the edge of the world. Narrow stone-walled lanes lead down to bamboo groves and to Fungus Rock (named after the 'magic' plant which grew there) and the Inland Sea. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 7 Qala to Nadur via Dahlet Qorrot harbour and the hidden beach at San Blas Bay. Starting from Qala, it's an easy stroll to Dahlet Qorrot, a tiny harbour with gaily coloured boat houses. Then it's on through fragrant lemon groves, vineyards and past fig and peach trees to San Blas Bay, a hidden beach with gorgeous ochre-coloured sand. Your final stop is Nadur, where the spectacular views at the end of the day are a great finale to your week. Meals included: Breakfast Dinner Day 8 End Gozo Meals included: Breakfast
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Hotel Ta'Cenc - 5 Star Set in 400 acres of private grounds and built in harmony with the natural surroundings, the Ta'Cenc offers complete tranquillity, a friendly atmosphere and delicious Maltese cuisine. Guests stay in tastefully furnished, air-conditioned single-storey stone buildings, each with its own terrace. There are two enormous swimming pools, a hydro-massage Jacuzzi, a fitness centre, tennis courts and a private (rocky) swimming cove. Beauty treatments are also available, as well as WiFi in public spaces. All prices are based on 2 persons sharing, so if there is an odd number of people travelling in your party or you are travelling alone, there will be a compulsory single room supplement for sole occupancy of a twin/double room for the tour duration.
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Reviewed October 2018 Rosemary Gregory Trip: Self-Guided Walking on Gozo - Calypso's Isle great gozo A great holiday. Ta chenc is a lovely hotel. Single storey buildings with very spacious room and bathroom. A fabulous choice of food at breakfast with plenty of choice for dinner. Staff very friendly and helpful. Gozo is laid back with a very good public transport system to get you to start walks. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Seeing the ancient monuments and magnificent churches along with stunning scenery. What did you think of your group leader? NA Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Not a huge choice for vegetarians at dinner in the hotel. Is there anything else you would like to add? The written instructions for the walks provided by headwater were very clear and easy to understand. The best walk instructions we have come across. We were very impressed by the speed and efficiency of responses to queries to headwater.
Reviewed January 2017 Beverley Thorpe Trip: Self-Guided Walking on Gozo - Calypso's Isle Gozo go slow An ideal escape, even in the winter months when the sun is not so reliable. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? I'm really pleased to look at the map of Gozo and know that I have walked virtually all of it. The walk booklet led me across the island in all directions but knowing that it was very hard to get lost gave me more freedom to explore 'off piste'. What did you think of your group leader? Not applicable Do you have any advice for potential travellers? The Ta Cenc hotel was very welcoming and the rooms comfortable and heated! The spa was a bit tired but the heated pool a must. Staff were lovely. Winter in Gozo was okay but it would have been even nicer in the spring. As a single female traveller I felt very safe. Is there anything else you would like to add? Remember - you can't get lost on Gozo!
Reviewed March 2016 Judith Pickthall Trip: Self-Guided Walking on Gozo - Calypso's Isle Gozo; self-guided walking holiday Feb.2016 Excellent Hotel (La Cence). Lovely weather Walking was excellent. Food great. Peopl,e very nice and very friendly. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Cliff walks. What did you think of your group leader? N/A Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Go to Gozo Don't hire cars. Use the buses - the service is cheap and covers everywhere, regularly. Is there anything else you would like to add? It is a wonderful place, full of historic interest (esp. the Victoria Citadel, and the ancient tombs at Gjigantes The beach at Ramala Bay is as impressive as advertised, but the whole place was shut.
Reviewed March 2015 Mair George Trip: Self-Guided Walking on Gozo - Calypso's Isle Exploring Gozo - Calypso's Isle Great holiday to take in Feb to get away from wet cold UK. Easy walking with a beautiful coastline, hilltop villages and lots of churches to visit. The hotel was amazing, with cottage style rooms in the gardens, delicious food and a great Spa & Pool. The local bus stopped outside and we used the local buses to walk in different parts of the island, so convenient and very good value. We did all the suggested walks, we saw some beautiful views and the route notes were all excellent. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Arriving at San Blas bay having walked down a very steep hill, the beauty of the small, sandy, rocky cove in the sunshine was breathtaking. It was well worth the effort of the descent and subsequent ascent (by a different route) (Bays and Towers walk- we did it on our last day too and had seen almost all the island) What did you think of your group leader? N/A self guided Is there anything else you would like to add? Wish we had stayed an extra day to visit the Medina in Malta!
Reviewed September 2014 Jacqueline Faccenda Trip: Self-Guided Walking on Gozo - Calypso's Isle Calypso isle Lovely hotel even if had to share with film crew. Staff helpful and attentive. Pool very relaxing Enjoyed the spa and facilities What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Hard to answer this What did you think of your group leader? Not applicable Do you have any advice for potential travellers? Make sure no film crew in residence! Is there anything else you would like to add? Plan to explore other than walking really enjoyed the boat trip round the island and swimming in the sea. Reply from Exodus Reply from Exodus We would like to thank Jacqueline for her review. We were very sorry to learn that her holiday was affected by the film currently being shot in the area surrounding her hotel and we have responded to her directly on the matter.
Reviewed August 2014 Tricia Simon Trip: Self-Guided Walking on Gozo - Calypso's Isle luxury hotel to return to after lovely island walks a week of luxury and lovely walks on this quiet and relaxed island What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? walking through the beautiful spring flowers with the pounding sea in our ears. Amazing cliff walks the food in the hotel was amazing. heated pool was great. walking through the local's fields and being given freshly picked oranges to enjoy at lunch What did you think of your group leader? self guided - good map and notes, helpful and very friendly locals if needed Do you have any advice for potential travellers? getting the local bus is easy, get a map from the ferry/bus station in the capitol and buy a week ticket for just a few euros so that it is easy to hop on and off. There is a hotel shuttle to Victoria but the local bus is also convenient. take clothing that will still fit after a week of 3 course meals and enormous, well stocked buffet breakfast. Is there anything else you would like to add? Gozo is where the people from Malta go on holiday and it is very quiet and relaxed March was sunny but windy so was unusually cool but very green
Reviewed April 2014 Bonnie Hechtkopf Trip: Self-Guided Walking on Gozo - Calypso's Isle The Adventure of Being Lost in Gozo I was given much misinformation when booking this tour. I am not fond of running into loose dogs, when alone on trails. I was told that no reports had been made of participants encountering dogs and that there was a leash law on the island. I was accosted by dogs on 3 separate walks in a week. Other fellow walkers had the same experience. Exodus outsourced everything to Headwaters and there seemed to be little if any communication between the companies. I was told that I would be the only one on the trip, although I was told at an earlier point that there would be 8 others. Why book a tour, if you will be totally alone? The walking tours book was useless. I was unable to complete any of the walks as indicated. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? I loved the walk along the cliffs to Xlendi, until the winds starting picking up and I couldn't find the path down to the village. The prehistoric megaliths in Ggantija and Mjandra were awesome! What did you think of your group leader? There was no group leader. A man named George handed us some paperwork, coordinated our departure schedule and then disappeared. Do you have any advice for potential travellers? My advice is to book the hotel on your own and buy a walking trails book on Gozo. The book provided by Exodus (Headwaters) was totally inadequate and who knows if it has ever been updated. All of the walkers using this book were lost and called the book "rubbish". You will save money and have less wasted time and frustration by booking on your own. I was provided with no value add by booking through Exodus. I feel totally ripped off, since I could have booked the hotel with meals and transfers for less than half of what I paid to Exodus. I never got to see many of the sites that I walked my butt off to see. Is there anything else you would like to add? I heard from some fellow travelers that in the past Headwaters had always provided them with a quality product, but that they were very disappointed by our tour. I seemed to be the only one who had not booked directly through Headwaters. I was also told that Headwaters had been sold and that that might explain the poor quality of our walking guides. Not a good excuse, but this is what was mentioned. Reply from Exodus Reply from Exodus We are aware that there may have been some confusion over Bonnie’s expectations on this self-guided departure and we have contacted her directly about this. We are very confident in our route notes for this trip; they are checked on a regular basis and there have not been problems with them before, but we regret that Bonnie was so disappointed.
Reviewed April 2014 Ruth Morgan Trip: Self-Guided Walking on Gozo - Calypso's Isle Calypso's Isle We’ve just returned from a week in the stunning Ta’Cenc Hotel on the cliffs of the south coast of Gozo, which was a last-minute booking and proved to be an excellent choice. We had a very comfortable room which opened out onto the poolside, in this well designed single storey complex of rooms and trulli, in its own landscape of limestone and flowers. While the weather was quite warm and sunny, there was always a breeze (or more) which stopped us using the pools, but there was also a spa with warm in/outdoor pool and all facilities – the perfect end to a day of walking. The food was superb, with buffet breakfasts and four course dinners, and the service was immaculate. The holiday is self-guided and we did most of the walks suggested by Exodus, sometimes bumping into other hotel guests on the way; the walk notes we’d been given were so detailed we never got lost. But we did miss the group activity that are such a feature of the previous Exodus group holidays we’d been on and that people benefit enormously from. The hotel had a courtesy bus into the main town Victoria, from where local buses went out to all the villages, so we either caught them or walked from the hotel. The cliff walks were amazing and the flowers a myriad of colours; the views were stunning. The limestone quarrying and the salt pans fascinated us but we were upset by the evidence everywhere of the shooting of migrating birds. Being early in the season, some of the villages were sleepy, but there are many fine churches and archaeological sites to visit, as well as the citadel and museums in Victoria. We liked the folklore museum in Gharb and it was good to hire bikes and explore the villages (though the drivers are crazy!). It would have been easy to have a day on Malta by bus and ferry but we had no time. What was the most inspirational moment of your trip? Climbing steep rock-cut steps out of Xlendi bay among all flowers of all colours, to catch the view at the top. The view from the bell tower in the church at Xewkija and the bells tolling right above our heads! What did you think of your group leader? Self-guided.
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