The essentials
- Crystal Lagoon sits on the same Comino coast as the Blue Lagoon, in a smaller, rock-ringed inlet where the water is shallow and clear over pale sand.[1]
- The scheduled Comino ferry from Mġarr on Gozo and Ċirkewwa on Malta lands at the Blue Lagoon, with a crossing of approximately 15 minutes each way, and the rest of the island is walked.[2]
- Sea temperature at nearby Sliema is warmest in August at about 26.1°C and coldest in February at about 15.4°C.[3] Malta gets almost 3000 hours of sunshine a year.[4]
- The Santa Maria Caves consist of five caves on Comino, and the cliffs above hold the Yelkouan shearwater, with around 150-220 pairs estimated on Kemmuna.[5][6]
- The private boat tour of the Blue Lagoon, Comino and Gozo starts from US$195 and runs 2 to 4 hours, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.[7]
- Top choice Private boat, both lagoons from US$195 Rating4.98 from 117 reviews[7]Duration2 to 4 hours[7]Guide or hostLive tour guide: English[7]StylePrivate group[7]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[7] Check availability
- Catamaran Blue Lagoon trip from US$63 Rating4.68 from 6,838 reviews[8]Duration5 to 6 hours[8]Guide or hostHost or greeter: English[8]StyleCatamaran with greeter[8]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[8] See this tour
- Crystal Lagoon boat cruise from US$40 Rating4.53 from 7,774 reviews[9]Duration5.5 to 7.5 hours[9]Guide or hostDriver: English[9]StyleCruise with swim stops[9]CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours[9] See this tour
The Santa Maria Caves consist of five caves located on the island of Comino, one of the Maltese islands in the Mediterranean Sea.
Crystal Lagoon: add it to a Comino boat day
Booking tips
On the water
Two lagoons, side by side
Comino is a small, bare limestone island in the channel between Malta and Gozo, and almost every boat that visits it makes for the same place: the Blue Lagoon, the shallow channel of pale water between Comino and the little islet of Cominotto. Crystal Lagoon lies on the same stretch of coastline, inside a curve of rock, and it is where skippers take swimmers who want a second, calmer stop.
The colour is the same trick of light in both bays. The Blue Lagoon's turquoise comes from light reflecting back up through shallow, clear water from the white sand below.[1] Crystal Lagoon has the same bright floor and the same clear water, but the inlet is tighter, hemmed in by low limestone ledges and boulders that drop into the sea on the outside.
Swim a few strokes out and you are over sand. Swim along the edge and the rock is close enough to touch, with small fish hanging around the weed and the shaded corners. Inside the inlet the surface is usually calm, while the open sea beyond the rocks is a different world of chop and swell. That contrast is what makes the bay feel like a pool rather than open coast.
Why Crystal Lagoon feels quieter
The Blue Lagoon carries the weight of Comino's visitors. In peak summer, in July and August, Comino's Blue Lagoon receives between 2,500 and 3,500 visitors per day.[12] Ferries, catamarans, cruises and private boats all converge on that one pale channel, and by mid-morning it looks like a car park on water.
Crystal Lagoon does not have that traffic. The scheduled Comino ferry from Mġarr on Gozo and Ċirkewwa on Malta lands at the Blue Lagoon, with a crossing of approximately 15 minutes each way.[2] To swim at Crystal Lagoon you arrive on a boat trip or a private charter, or you walk over from the Blue Lagoon side of the island.
It also sits differently in the landscape. The Blue Lagoon is a wide, open channel. Crystal Lagoon is a pocket, hidden behind the rocks until you are almost inside it. Boats come and go rather than settling for the day, and the bay can be busy at noon and empty an hour later.
Turquoise water over pale sand in a rock-ringed inlet on Comino's coast.
What it is actually like
You usually arrive from the sea. The boat noses through a gap in the rock wall and the bay opens up in front of you: a scoop of bright water with a sandy bottom, a low cliff on the far side and a jumble of boulders where the limestone has cracked away. There is no promenade and no pier, just rock, water and the noise of an outboard ticking over.
Swimming here is easy. The water is shallow over sand close to the shore, deepens gradually and stays clear enough to see your own feet, which suits nervous swimmers and children with an adult beside them. Snorkellers should hug the rock walls and the shaded corners where the fish gather. Strong swimmers can head out towards the swell beyond the inlet, but the calm water is the point.
Water temperature swings a lot between seasons. In nearby Sliema the sea is warmest in August at about 26.1°C and coldest in February at about 15.4°C.[3] Air temperatures follow the same curve: the daily mean in Malta ranges from 12.6°C in February to 27.5°C in August, with an annual average of 19.5°C, based on 1991 to 2020 climate data for Valletta.[13] Malta also gets almost 3000 hours of sunshine a year, making it the sunniest country in Europe.[4]
Can you reach Crystal Lagoon without a boat
You can walk there, if the ferry has already brought you to the island. The crossing from Mġarr and Ċirkewwa to the Blue Lagoon takes approximately 15 minutes each way.[2] From the Blue Lagoon side, rough paths cross the limestone towards Crystal Lagoon on the western coast, with the Santa Marija Tower and Santa Maria Bay along the way.
The walk is short but not smooth. Expect uneven rock, loose stones, low scrub and almost no shade, so carry water, wear shoes with grip and start early in summer. Comino is tiny and sparsely built, so there is little to interrupt you between one bay and the next, and the quiet is part of the day.
The other way in is by boat. The private boat tour of the Blue Lagoon, Comino and the sea caves starts from US$195 for the group, runs 2 to 4 hours, includes swim stops, has a live guide in English, wheelchair access, a separate entrance that skips the line, free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance and the option to reserve now and pay later.[7] A catamaran trip to the Blue Lagoon, beaches and bays is from US$63 and takes 5 to 6 hours.[8] A cruise to Comino, the Crystal Lagoon and the Blue Lagoon is from US$40 and runs 5.5 to 7.5 hours.[9]
from US$195
The private boat tour to the Blue Lagoon, Comino and Gozo is rated 4.98 from 117 reviews and runs 2 to 4 hours.[7]
The Santa Maria Caves
The Santa Maria Caves consist of five caves located on the island of Comino.[5] They open out of the cliffs near Santa Maria Bay, and boat trips on this coast put the bay and the sea caves on the route, slowing down so passengers can look at the rock arches, the dark entrances and the colour of the water inside.
Comino is a bird sanctuary and nature reserve, a Natura 2000 marine protected area.[11] Its cliffs are home to the Yelkouan shearwater, with around 150-220 pairs estimated to nest on Kemmuna.[6] Keep your distance from nesting ledges, keep your voice down near the rock, and leave the caves alone while the birds are breeding.
On the skyline above the water, Santa Marija Tower is a defensive structure built in the 17th century as part of the Knights of St John's fortification efforts, completed in 1618 during the reign of Grand Master Alof de Wignacourt.[14] It is an easy add-on to a boat day or a walk, and it gives you a landmark to steer by when the coastline starts to look the same in every direction.
Fitting Crystal Lagoon into a trip
The simplest plan is a trip that stops at both bays. This is the classic Blue Lagoon and Crystal Lagoon, Malta day out, with two swims and the sea caves in between. Read the itinerary before you book: the routes that include Crystal Lagoon list it separately from the Blue Lagoon, and some put Santa Maria Bay, Elephant Rock or the sea caves in between.
Half a day suits one long swim and a look at the caves. A full day gives you the Blue Lagoon, Crystal Lagoon, the cliffs and a stretch of Gozo. A Gozo and Comino islands tour covering the Blue Lagoon and the sea caves is from US$35 and runs 7 hours.[10] A private boat charter with a group of your own is from US$195 and runs 2 to 4 hours.[7]
Timing matters. Ferry and tour boats run through the middle of the day, and the Blue Lagoon takes between 2,500 and 3,500 visitors per day in July and August.[12] Early departures and late afternoon trips get calmer water and softer light, and the private boat tour can be reserved now and paid for later, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.[7]
A note on names
Crystal Lagoon and Blue Lagoon are two separate bays on the same island. A route that lists both is not padding its itinerary. You really do stop twice, in different water, with a different depth, a different outlook and a different set of neighbours on the rocks.
In Maltese, Comino is Kemmuna, and the island's official population is 4.[15] You will also see Cominotto, the islet beside the Blue Lagoon, named on some routes, and Santa Maria Caves used as the catch-all name for the sea caves on this stretch of coast.
Whatever you call them, these are protected places. Comino is a bird sanctuary and nature reserve, a Natura 2000 marine protected area.[11] The Blue Lagoon has also appeared as a film location in several big-screen productions.[16] Take your litter back with you, leave the seagrass and rock pools alone, and give the cliff-nesting birds room.
Daily mean air temperature in Malta
Daily mean air temperatures for Valletta, Malta, based on 1991 to 2020 climate data.[13]
What the boat trips cost
From prices in US dollars for the private boat tour, the Comino cruise, the catamaran trip and the Gozo and Comino islands tour.[7][8][9][10]
When to swim at Crystal Lagoon
Planning your lagoon day
Decide what you want from the day
One long swim at Crystal Lagoon, or a full circuit of the Blue Lagoon, the caves and Gozo. That choice picks the trip for you.
Pick a route that lists both bays
Check the stops. Trips that name Crystal Lagoon separately from the Blue Lagoon give you two swims instead of one.[9]
Go early or late in the day
Midday brings the ferry crowds to the Blue Lagoon and full moorings everywhere. Morning and late afternoon are calmer.
Pack for hot limestone
Water, sun cream, a hat, shoes with grip and a bag for litter. Shade is scarce and the rock holds the heat.
Leave the reserve as you found it
Comino is a Natura 2000 marine protected area and a bird sanctuary, so keep off nesting ledges and take everything home.[11]
Swim both lagoons on a private boat
from US$195Reserve now & pay later
