Il-Hofra tal-Mellieħa


Useful Information

Location: St Paul's Bay, Northern Region, SPB 9028, Malta.
Highway 1 north towards Mellieħa, exit to Mistra Bay, car par at end of road. Follow trail uphill on the right 150 m/5 minutes.
(35.956447, 14.390234)
Open: no restrictions.
[2025]
Fee: free.
[2025]
Classification: KarstCollapse Doline KarstCollapsed Cave SpeleologyKarst Cave
Light: bring torch
Dimension:
Guided tours: self guided
Photography: allowed
Accessibility: no
Bibliography:
Address: Il-Hofra tal-Mellieħa, St Paul's Bay, Malta, Tel: +356-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then.
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History


Description

Il-Hofra tal-Mellieħa (The Mellieha Pit) looks quite unspectacular at the first glimpse, like an abandoned limestone quarry. But that’s the big underestimation of this site. Actually it is a quiote spectacular site, a collapse cave or roofless cave. The karst cave which once existed here has no roof any more, because it was weathered away. Now it forms a sort of irregular gorge which is about 100 m long and up to 40 m high. There are still walls on both sides, but at the first glimpse there are no speleothems. However, there is an uncollapsed passage of the cave which might be visited. It seems the floor is covered by cave sediments with a high amount of clay, otherwise the dam which was built into the doline makes no sense. This dam keeps rainwater inside the cave, but only if the underground is impermeable. In other words, the dam is a good argument for the claim that this is a natural roofless cave and not a quarry.

The doline is easy to find, although it is not signposted. There is a trail which connects Mistra Bay in the north with CPD Xemxija Fire Station, St Paul's Bay, in the south. From the car park in front of the fire station keep right along the wall From Mistra Bay you may also turn right after the end of the wall, to reach the lower end of the doline.