Lonely Planet

When the Phoenicians first colonised theislands scattered in the Mediterraneanjust south of Sicily, they named their newdiscovery Maleth, meaning ‘haven’ or ‘safeharbour’. Many thousands of years later,Malta – which many experts believe derivesits modern name from the Phoenicianmoniker – is still every bit the maritimeparadise those early colonisers found.The best way to take in the full scope ofthe archipelago’s coastline is to hop on aboat. There are a number of operators onthe islands, with tours ranging from shortexcursions to Comino island’s Blue Lagoonto longer daytrips around Malta’s myriadcaves and coves (joyridewatersports.com).Anyone wanting to take to the waves in amore adventurous fashion will also be spoiltfor choice, as the islands offer a range of wateractivities, including sailing, SUP-boarding,jet-skiing and para-kiting. Group kayakingdaytrips are popular alternatives to boat toursand are a great way of getting close to Malta’spretty shorelines (gozoadventures.com).There are plenty of opportunities to seeaquatic fauna at close range around thearchipelago, too. Snorkelling is popularamong families with young children, whileadults and older children can try their handat diving. There are a number of dive centres,several of which offer visitors the chance to gettheir PADI qualification (divemalta-gozo.com).Visitors to Malta will find adventures worth writinghome about both on and off its beautiful shoresTaste of the oceanTr y the always-excellent catch ofthe day at Bahiarestaurant in Lijabahia.com.mt