After a few days in the Spanish city of Malaga or Marbella, wouldn’t it be amazing to venture beyond the borders of the country and investigate the small British-governed territory of Gibraltar.
Private Tour of Gibraltar
The private tour consists of four stops which takes approximately one hour and forty-five minutes.
- Pillars of Hercules
- St Michael’s Cave
- Top of the Rock with Skywalk & Monkeys
- The Great Siege Tunnels
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The Pillars of Hercules
One of the attractions of this tour is The Pillars of Hercules. At the Pillars you will enjoy the views of North Africa Morocco. You will see where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Mediterranean Sea, this being the only entrance to the Mediterranean. You will be above Europe Point, the end point of Europe.
According to Greek mythology Hercules had to take on twelve tasks. One of these tasks was to bring the cattle of Geryon from the west to Eurytheus.
On his journey Hercules had to cross the Atlas Mountains. Rather than climbing over these mountains, he used his great strength to smash through them and as a result, he brought the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean together.
After he had achieved this task, the result was what is now known as The Pillars of Hercules. This became the Rock of Gibraltar on the northern side and Jebel Musa in Morocco on the southern side.
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St Michael’s Cave
The next site is St Michael’s Cave. Which sees thousands of visitors a year wandering through its huge caverns with just a few steps and easy access. This amazing, natural phenomenon created by rainwater slowly seeping through the limestone rock, turning into a weak carbonic acid which gradually dissolved the rock millions of years ago.
In 2021 St Michael’s Cave introduced a new lighting upgrade for the very best experience of the cave’s natural beauty, called The Awakening. Enjoy St Michael’s cave like never before!
An immersive light and sound installation expressing layer upon layer of history fused with the rock. The ancient cavern lays dormant. The Awakening illuminates’ sculptures older than time and reawakens their hidden story.
Of over the 150 caves that have been discovered in the Rock of Gibraltar this is the most visited with over one million visitors per year. The cave is situated at over 300 metres above sea level.
In 1942 during the second world war blasting was in process inside this cave in order to allow for more ventilation. The cave was to be used as an emergency hospital. During the blasting, a discovery was made of a deeper system of caves which is now known as Lower St. Michael’s Cave.
The Awakening
In 2021 St Michael’s Cave introduced a new lighting upgrade for the very best experience of the cave’s natural beauty, called The Awakening. Enjoy St Michael’s cave like never before!
An immersive light and sound installation expressing layer upon layer of history fused with the rock. The ancient cavern lays dormant. The Awakening illuminates’ sculptures older than time and reawakens their hidden story…
Book your day trip to Gibraltar
Top of the Rock
Skywalk Glass Viewing Platform & Monkeys
Next, we will go to the top of the Rock, and there we will do 2 things: The glass viewing platform called The Skywalk, and visit the monkeys.
The Skywalk is a former military lookout transformed into a state-of-the-art glass platform and walkway giving spectacular views across the Mediterranean. An unbroken 360º panoramic viewpoint. Enter the 360º environment and get a feel for the freedom and exhilaration you will experience at The Skywalk.
From the Skywalk, several minutes’ walk and we will spend some time with our famous Monkeys at Upper Apes Den (The same height level as the cable) The Barbary Macaque Apes are the only ones to be found within the continent of Europe. They reside at the upper rock nature reserve of Gibraltar.
At present there are over 200 apes in 6 packs that roam through the upper rock. Legend has it that in 1942 the population of apes fell to just 7 and the Prime Minister of Great Britain (Sir Winston Churchill) ordered that the population of the apes be immediately replenished because as long as there are Barbary Macaques Apes on the Rock of Gibraltar it will remain under British rule.
The Great Siege Tunnels
From the top of the rock, we will drive to the north side of the Rock to visit the Great Siege Tunnels, something not to be missed. This site explains a lot of the history of Gibraltar under siege. The tunnels were carved out of the rock by hand during the Great Siege which took place between 1779-1783. This was done in order to defend Gibraltar against the Spanish and French forces who were trying to recapture Gibraltar from the British.
Whilst tunnelling it was decided that a horizontal hole be blasted in the rock face in order to improve ventilation for the workmen. On closer examination it was realised that a gun could be put in place to bear down on attacking forces.
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Moorish Castle and Old Town of Gibraltar
On the drive down from the Upper rock Nature Reserve we will see the outside of the Moorish Castle, you will be able to see the history and battle scars due to cannon ball shots against the castle between the wars of the Moors and the Spanish. The Moorish Castle is a medieval fortification in Gibraltar which is made up of a number of buildings.
The Moorish Castle stands proudly on the Eastern elevation of the Rock, a proud symbol of the long and colorful history of the Rock of Gibraltar originally built in the 1160CE. It was ransacked by the Spanish between 1309 – 1333. This ‘Tower of Homage’ was rebuilt in the 14th century by Abu-l-Hasan. You’ll be able to look closely to see the cannon dents in the castle walls.
As we exit the nature reserve park we will drive through the old town of Gibraltar.
Finalizing the Tour wherever you wish in Gibraltar, if interested in visiting the rest of the town and Main Street, we can supply you with a map and a guideline of what to visit in the pedestrianized areas of town and the best way to get back to your destination.
Book your day trip to Gibraltar
Gibraltar border control
Folks often ask us concerning Gibraltar border control, mainly after Brexit. Fortunately, Skift has reported that Gibraltar is discussing to join Schengen so travelers from these countries don’t need to present their passport or ID when entering Gibraltar.
Nevertheless, until talks are resolved, you can anticipate long lines to go into and leave Gibraltar from La Linea.
It is suggested that one does not go to Gibraltar before the morning rush hour has passed in order to avoid having to queue with the approximately 1600 Spanish workers who are crossing the boundary each day (which would make the wait even longer for those who need to go to work).
The Gibraltar border has a video feed of the line up at the crossing which can be seen here. In addition, they tweet images of the queue waiting to enter (@gibraltarborder) on a regular basis.
At Costa Excursions we make things easier for our customers. We park our van just outside the border, we cross the border walking, at then meet our guide just at the other side of the border where the tour will start.
Needed documents for crossing the land border between Spain and Gibraltar
If you are a resident of the EU, Schengen or the UK, you must present your EU identification card or passport in order to croos the border between La Linea and Gibraltar.
Certain citizens require a visa for admittance into Gibraltar, however if you have a Schengen visa, that could be valid as well. You can easily ascertain whether a visa is required and what the specific entry regulations would be for your nationality by typing in your passport information HERE.
