Buskett Gardens

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Buskett Gardens take their name from the Italian ‘boschetto’, meaning ‘little wood’ and covering 47 hectares, they are the only wooded area that survives from a time when Malta was covered by trees, most of which were cut down to provide timber for ship building or to clear space for agriculture.

Part of the fertile valley of Wied il-Luq, Siġġiewi, Buskett Gardens spread out beneath Verdala Castle, the Grand Masters’ summer palace and hunting lodge, now an official residence of the President of Malta, located between the Roman town of Rabat and Dingli. Buskett Gardens are known for their orange groves but much is left natural, as it was when the Knights used to hunt for rabbits there, giving you the feeling of being in a wood in Italy. Enjoy this sensation with a picnic under the oaks, carobs, white poplars, ashes, elms and Aleppo pines as although the gardens are protected by the Maltese Government in order to protect the endemic and rare flora and fauna there, one is allowed to ramble freely through the groves.

In addition to different trees and shrubs, Buskett Gardens are identified as an Important Bird Area (IBA), being home to many birds, including birds that stop over during their seasonal migration. As you walk by the waterways, watch out for painted frogs, famous for being the only endemic subspecies amphibian of the Maltese islands. With a bit of luck, visitors can watch Algerian hedgehogs and chameleons in their natural habitat.

One of the greenest areas in Malta, Buskett Gardens are at their best in spring but also provide shade from the harsh mid-summer sun and offer a quiet place for a walk in the winter months. The Gardens come alive at the end of June every year, when the Feast of Imnarja is celebrated there on 29 June, the feast of St Peter and St Paul. Thousands of people flock to the gardens the previous evening, to eat the traditional Maltese dish of rabbit stew cooked in wine, listen to traditional folk music and singing, and to enjoy the annual agricultural show the following morning. This centuries-old tradition is so popular that it was said that every bride had the right to demand that her new husband take her to celebrate Mnarja at Buskett Gardens.

Reasons to Visit:
1. Buy delicious local ‘ftira’ bread rolls in Rabat and enjoy a picnic under the orange trees, then take a walk by its little stream through shady glades, the perfect place to take a country stroll.
2. See the fascinating ‘Għar il-Kbir’, a cluster of one large and eight smaller caves that were home to about 100 families until 1835.
3. Beyond the caves, explore a wide area dotted with Roman and Punic graves.
4. Visit Clapham Junction Cart Ruts, the most famous site on Malta and in the world for the very mysterious and puzzling cart ruts.
5. Take a longer walk from Buskett to Siggiewi, a characteristic old Maltese village, with a magnificent church, village square and fine Baroque houses.
6. Hike to Dingli and follow its Heritage Trail to a number of chapels, check out the bars to taste traditional pastizzi and have a home-made cup of tea or a glass of wine. Dingli Cliffs, over 200 metres high, offer an incomparable panorama.

Nearby Attractions:
1. Mdina, Malta’s ancient capital city, home to the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Cathedral Museum Palazzo Falson, the Carmelite Church, Palazzo Vilhena and much more.
2. Rabat, Malta’s Roman city where one can visit St Paul’s and St Agatha’s Catacombs, the Wignacourt Museum, St Paul’s Church, Casa Bernard and much more.
3. Dingli, one of the most beautiful Maltese villages, perched on the most spectacular cliffs on the island.

How to Get There:

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