Group trek to Wied Babu

Wied Babu is arguably the lushest valley in Malta.  If you’re a nature lover and you’re up for a challenge, this blog is for you! And where can you find this valley? It is located on the outskirts Zurrieq just before you reach the Blue Grotto. This is where you can easily park and start this trekking adventure by admiring the never fading beauty of the Blue Grotto.

When you turn your back to Blue Grotto you will instantly see Wied Babu in front of you. Go back to the main road and keep on going down towards the town of Zurrieq for maybe 100 metres.

While walking you can look at Wied Babu from above and if you look closely, you will be able to see the path. This is exactly where you will be passing though in about half an hour.

There is no official entrance or a sign stating this is the way to Wied Babu, so every now and again you have to look over the railing until you spot this metal ladder. Yes, you have to climb over the railing and go down the ladder. This is the start of this trekking adventure. There are actually two paths. The upper one and the lower one. You can easily explore them both.

I chose to follow the upper trek first, there isn’t much to see on the way, as you can see below, but there is a pretty amazing view point at the end.

How awesome is this? A little window to the Wied Babu! When you look though it you will see the very bottom of the valley where it meets the sea. Just be careful that you don’t slip, it’s very steep there. I’ve done this part on another occasion, when I was alone. Therefore I’m wearing two different outfits in this photo blog, not because I’ve changed half way though! Haha.

Now let’s go and explore the lower trek passing right though the heart of Wied Babu. Are you ready? I would start by recommending the right footwear, trekking shoes or sports shoes that have a good grip. At times you will feel like a mountain goat and the next moment you’ll know how the prince felt trying to get to the Sleeping Beauty though the field of thorns. I’m just saying that because I was wearing shorts and sleeveless top and at the end of the trek I looked like I was attacked by a tiger!

When you see these steps you will know that you’re on the right path. Below you can see the point where I got stuck trying to reach the bottom of Wied Babu by myself. For some reason I though that this part of the path is super slippery and came to a conclusion that I shouldn’t continue myself. I was probably overly scared, but I’m happy that I came again with couple of friends as there will be places further down the route where we would help each other. So definitely recommend not to go alone.

I don’t remember the last time when I was in Malta literally surrounded by vegetation. We were all awed by the vastness of the flora. It is so refreshing to see something like this on a tiny rocky island.

Here is our little group of crazy explores. Me, Elena (loyal readers, you already know her from other adventures), Rossella and Peter. We got a man with us to protect us and go first into the unknown, however that wasn’t always the case! I believe women are more courageous! Sorry Peter! But don’t worry we give you another change. 🙂

The trek so far isn’t super challenging, but there are parts, like the one below, where you are walking on a wall of stones with just bushes on each side. Balance is essential here. Nothing too dangerous though, it’s only like 2 metres deep so the fall would’t hurt as much as all the thorns piercing your body! Just kidding.

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself! This picture was a must! This is a massive iconic boulder that’s lying right at the foot of one of the best climbing walls in the valley. We met four rock climbers during the 2,5 hours in Wied Babu. So if this is the kind of sport you like and wondering where can you go rock climbing in Malta, try this, not exactly over crowded!

I love this photo of Rossella and I had to use it for the cover of this photo blog. The scenery was just picture perfect and she stood out so beautifully in her pink top. And the perfect balance of greenery and steep rocks is just amazing.

As I already mentioned, going in as a small group was definitely the better option for this adventure. As you can see below there were couple of moments where a helping hand was appreciated.

Now, look carefully at the picture below. Specifically in the top left corner. Do you see that window that I visited as part of the upper trek? This is what it looks like from the bottom of the valley and you can see that the window is literally on the edge. Magnificent views.

You have to admit, there is something special about the Maltese rock. It has character. It is inquisitive, fascinating and playful in its shaping. I don’t know how about you, but I just want to instantly turn into a professional rock climber and explore every single inch of the rock.

Now, are you ready for a little bit of rock climbing? At this point, the path that we were following literally disappears under the carpet of vegetation. Here you have to keep right and walk on the rocks for couple of metres. It’s safe, nothing to fear.

Keep on looking down, where the original path was as it will reappear again! I know it is not very clear, but you can see that there is a path between the bushes and the rocks. In the yellow circle, if you look really close, you can see a perfectly camouflaged rope of beige colour. This is your way down to the valley. The photo might not show it well, but you have to get to the rope first, as it is not at the top. It is a bit steep here, so get on your bum, and go down slowly until you reach the rope.

It’s not as difficult as it may look. The footholds and handholds are good. You will reach the path before you know it. If you need some encouragement, one of my readers said that her 10-year old daughter did it. So of she managed, so can you!

It seems like a whole new world has opened up before us! We’re getting really close to the mouth of the valley and you can feel the humidity. The stones get more slippery so extra caution is in place here.

We’ve spent about 2,5 hours exploring Wied Babu. Trying to reach every opening, a tiny cave and exploring different paths, but I still have a feeling if we would go again, we would still manage to discover new hidden ‘corners’.

This is the most physically challenging part. It’s not really tough, but enough to necessitate use of all four limbs. Again, boots or sport shoes with a good grip yay, flip flops nay.

If you’re seeing this view, you made it! This is the most magnificent view you will see in a while! And the water is so unbelievably blue. It’s mesmerizing! The water was calm, so we could easily go for a swim, but the jellyfish put us off a little bit. However it stays on my wish list, to come back with my goggles and snorkel and go for a little exploration swim.

At this point you might be getting worried about climbing back all the way up to the main road. It’s much faster than going down, that’s for sure, and within 30 mins we were exactly where we started.

Below I’ve tagged on GoogleMaps the exact place where we started the trek. This is where you have to climb the railing and go down the steel ladder. It’s really not that hard to find.

I hope you enjoyed this blog and you will visit Wied Babu in the near future.