Għadira Nature Reserve — Attraction in Mellieha

Amazing nature reserve, we went specifically to look for chameleons. The park can easily be accessed via bus or car, just be aware of the opening days & hours, can be found on their website. The park is free of charge.

We got in at 14:00, immediately when the park opened and it was very quiet. The walking trail is very short, so take your time. In total we spotted four chameleons!

Some advice on how to spot them: Go early to the park when it’s open. We spotted chameleons close to the trail, but when they saw us, some started to move farther away from the trail, making it harder to be spotted by someone else With regards to above, do not touch the animals or get too close to them. You’ll only scare them off They can be found on eye level, or higher. We didn’t see any lower or closer to the ground. Take. Your. Time. After every five steps we stopped to look around a bit. No need to be very quiet or anything. In fact, the first chameleon we spotted was very close to the entrance, and we only saw it because he was slowly moving away from us due to some noise. (Our kid was whining he wanted some candy. As we found our first chameleon because of him, he did get a lot of candy)

Of course, most people actually visit this park for the birds, but that just isn’t my cup of tea to be...

About 5-8 volunteers were available to explain the birds resting here. We encountered little ringed plovers, a white flamingo and a stint. I wouldn't have managed to spot them on my own and used a telescope provided. Two viewing spots are available. The trail between the two lookout spots is labelled with the names of vegetation living there. There are also a number of "bug hotels" on the ground and in the trees. We were very lucky to encounter an organised event for the kids which involved fact finding and a quiz as well as a little prize. All in all, a...

Small but a good alternative to walking near the roadside on the hill. My son spotted a Chameleon in some of the shrubs and it changed from green to brown as it moved down through the shrub. Amazing to see one in the wild. Found out that they were introduced on the Island in Victorian times but escaped some gardens and spread over Malta. Must be rare to see one though because they are...