Beside the extension of Valletta, that should have been inscribed decades ago, the Coastal Cliffs are certainly the most interesting tentative site of Malta but, as Ralf writes, it needs more precision. Nonetheless, about half of the coast of the two main islands consists of very impressive high cliffs reaching up to 130m above sea level, mainly along the southern coast. These huge cliffs are impressive from every angel: from the boat, from the plane or from various viewpoints and they contribute a lot the Malta’s history as an island fortress. The high cliffs extend often for kilometers and seems hard and undestructable but at their bottom you find everywhere seacaves of various sizes that show that the unrelenting sea over time dissolves even this hard limestone. 

The cliffs are not as varied as the inscribed Jurassic coast in southern England but they are equally impressive. Here some of the best places we found: Il-Ħnejja with the blue Grotto. Fantastic is a little hike around Dingli cliff view point with bronze age remains and views in all directions! On Gozo we had unforgettable views from the Ta cenc Cliffs sunset point and from the Cliffs in the extrem NW, especially for sun set. 

The nomination of Qawra should really be part of this nomination since it is one of the most spectacular spots of Gozo's coast line. We found spontaneously a man in a boat who took as from the inland sea trough the small opening out on the sea at sun set time! This is also the place of the famous lost Azure window that I hat visited as a kid about 30 years ago and even stood on top of it. When this collapsed a few years ago nothing was left remaining not even the pillar! When we came back from the boat ride it was too dark to explore much more but I got up early the next morning to come back and explore Dwejra Bay with ist fungus rock. I also drove to the Wied il-Mielaħ Window in the north, the smaller but still standing version oft he lost Azure Window. 

There is no doubt that the high cliffs are the main natural highlight on the Malta Islands and that they definitely should be protected. And this is even more important as the island are densely populated, new buildings sites everywhere and protection measures seem everything but strict. Nowadays, that minor caves get inscribed all over for an obscure cave flee or a gypsum nobody has ever heard of this should be a easy inscription since it certainly offers endemic species and is so much more attractive for visitors.

And while I think that the high cliffs are the main goal of this nomination the flatter coastlines of the NE-coast are also often highly attractive: Some areas like the NE corner of Malta or the N-coast of Gozo are filled with salt pans. Most of them lie in irregular, handmade shapes directly at the sea and offer endless possibilities to walk around them and take photos. They are certainly not unique to Malta but I haven’t seen them in such numbers anywhere else. They certainly deserve protection and the attention of every visitor.