Il-Ġolf l-Iswed

Il-Ġolf l-Iswed — roughly 'the black gulf' in Maltese — is a secluded coastal cove tucked within a national park along the cliffside near Valletta. A rough dirt track runs along the shoreline and arrives at a point where the karst rock drops sharply into a natural inlet of crystal-clear water. The spot sees very few visitors and has no formal facilities, lending it a quietness unusual this close to the Maltese capital. Halfway along the path stands a boarded-up abandoned shack, the only trace of prior human activity in an otherwise raw stretch of coast.