Dwejra

Dwejra is a picturesque location on Gozo’s West coast, known for its “inland sea” (a small bay surrounded by high cliffs) and as the site where the Azure Window once stood. The name Dwejra comes from a small house which previously stood on top of the cliffs surrounding the inland sea.

Dwejra Bay has several unique features and is a popular destination for tourists and local snorkelers and divers. It is home to a rich and diverse wildlife and underwater features. The inland sea at Dwejra is a small bay surrounded by high cliffs and connected by a 60-metre long cave that leads out to the open sea. It was probably formed where a geological fault in the limestone had created a sea cave and the roof then collapsed.Several small boathouses housing the locals’ fishing boats may be found along the shoreline

On calm days fishing boats,( luzzijiet in Maltese), are able to pass through the tunnel. Many boats take visitors for a ride through the archway and then for a tour of the nearby cliffs and other sites, mainly to the Fungus Rock and to the site of the previous large natural arch in the cliffs, called the Azure Window.

Fungus Rock, known locally as Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral (The General’s Rock), is a 60-metre high rock feature which is known for a particular type of flowery plant that was thought to possess medicinal properties in the times of the Knights of St. John. It was therefore considered to be precious and of high value. Unauthorised access was punishable by death or life on the galleys. To make climbing the rock more difficult, Grandmaster de Pinto ordered the sides of the rock to be smoothed over. Despite its common name, this rare species of plant is not actually a fungus. Because the plant is found mostly on Fungus Rock, the location is a nature reserve nowadays.

Dwejra Tower, one of the watch towers built and used by the Knights of St. John, sits on a vantage point overlooking Fungus Rock. It was used as a method of guarding the coast of the Maltese islands against attacks from the sea, and was built in 1651, during the reign of Grandmaster Lascaris. The watch tower was also used to guard Fungus Rock to prevent any unauthorised access and theft of its indigenous species of plant, used as herbal medicine for diseases such as dysentery. Dwejra may be easily reached by public transport from Victoria or by means of a hired car.