Hiking in Fomm ir-Rih

Only few weeks ago I was exploring the area of Blata tal-Melh, which is only a stone´s throw away from Fomm ir-Rih. Very beautiful and unique site to explore! Last Friday I was speaking with a friend of mine, thinking out loud where to go on my next adventure and he recommended Fomm ir-Rih. I don´t recall being here before so last Saturday I packed my backpack and off I was.

I drove from Qawra to Rabat, followed the signs to Bahrija, passed through the village and at the end there was a crossroad, turned right, went downhill for about 2km and there was another crossroad where I went right again and ended up at a small car park. That´s the final destination – Fomm ir-Rih. You can also easily use Google Maps to find this place.

Once I got out of the car this was the view I got! I didn´t even start my hike yet and the views were already absolutely amazing! I got here about 9am, it was already pretty hot, so I would recommend to start about 7am if you are planning to come here in the summer months.

The landscape here is unreal. I only walked about 100 metres and it already seemed like I am somewhere else! I love natural creations and this just made me smile! Simply beautiful. Once again, this is a hard-to-reach place, so I was the only person (apart from two guys on kayaks) in the area for the 4 hours I was around.

There is one path way to follow to reach Fomm ir-Rih pebble beach. I was absolutely loving it. I wish I had a proper camera tripod to take a selfie resting on the limestone as the light and shadows created such a magical backdrop. Maybe next time! 🙂

Following the path carefully, the bay will start opening and will get this outstanding panoramic view of Fomm ir-Rih. As the terrain is very uneven, climbing small rocks on few occasions I would definitely recommend hiking shoes, tennis shoes or proper sandals designed for hiking as I ended up with massive blisters, but that was just my stupidity for not wearing proper footwear. Oh well, lesson learnt. 😉

And here it is. The unspoiled, the most isolated and wildest beach in Malta. Fomm ir-Rih pebble beach. The only people on the beach were these to guys who got here on kayaks and went for a refreshing swim.  I can imagine this beach is favorite among divers, snorkeler and people who like secluded beaches beacuse they don´t have to share with hundreds of other sun seekers. The views from Fomm ir-Rih are spectacular and it´s a great spot for sunsets too! Maybe next time I come here in the evening instead. 🙂

If you feel like exploring a bit further you can quite easily reach this large standing stone on the horizon. It´s another maybe 15 minute walk from the beach. The only trouble I had was that there were steps from the beach that got destroyed so it required a bit of climbing and getting dirty, but if you are at least in two, it will be so much easier.

Magical. I don´t know what other word to use. Would you believe that this is Malta? Beautiful wild coast of the Maltese Islands. It might be worth coming back again on a nice winter/spring day when the surrounding areas are green and blooming. As now during the summer months most of the greenery turns yellow/brown due lack of water.

And this is where I finished my hiking adventure this time. I might have continued but I wasn´t wearing a proper hiking footwear and it was getting way to hot. So either come early in the morning, like 7am or leave this trip for the cooler months.

Not to forget, here is the car park that you have to reach to be able to get to the area as Fomm ir-Rih is surrounded by privately own land and this seems to be the only way.