Cave of Darkness Ghar Dalam

This cave is an extraordinary prehistoric cul de sac containing the bone remains of animals stranded on Malta at the end of the ice age.

The cave was first scientifically investigated in 1865 but was not opened until 1933. The most important and irreplaceable relics, including four tusks of a dwarf elephant and the skull of a Neolithic child, were stolen from the museum in 1980.

What is unique about Ghar Dalam are the bone deposits of long-extinct fauna, such as dwarf elephants, bears and hippopotamuses, which date back approximately 180,000 years.

Together with the even earlier deposits of bone-free material, they offer a window of understanding into the Pleistocene era.

The illuminated cave is 145 meters long, with one entrance where you can see across the valley to what was the other end of the cave. The most interesting part is the free-standing layered sandwich section that shows part of evolutionary history.

Ghar Dalam is undoubtedly the best maintained site in Malta. There is a well-kept garden and a small museum on the premises.