Chartering a boat is the best-value thing a group can do in Malta. The reason is timing rather than luxury. On your own boat you choose when to be at the Blue Lagoon, which is the single variable that decides what the day is like.
What you are paying for
You set the departure time
Arriving at the Blue Lagoon at eight or at five is a completely different experience from arriving at eleven with everyone else.
Split between four or six people, it often costs little more per head than a day boat.
The Blue Lagoon
Skippered or bareboat
Skippered means somebody else handles the boat and knows where the good coves are. Bareboat needs the right licence and experience.
For most visitors, skippered is the sensible answer.
Boat trips
Half day or full day
A half day covers Comino and back. A full day reaches the quieter coves, the caves and Gozo.
Weather cancels charters rather than rain, so read the terms before you pay a deposit.
Wind and sea state
What you are choosing between
- Skippered charter
- A boat with a skipper who knows the coast and the conditions. No licence needed. The local knowledge is most of the value.
- Bareboat charter
- You skipper it yourself, which requires an appropriate licence and experience.
- Small boat hire without a licence
- Low-powered boats can be hired by unlicensed users within defined limits. Check what the limit is before planning a route around it.
- Half day or full day
- A half day covers Comino and back. A full day reaches the quieter coves and Gozo.
Fuel, mooring fees, the skipper and any food are sometimes in the headline price and sometimes not. Get the total before comparing two quotes, because the gap is frequently larger than the difference in the advertised rate.