St Michael's Cave

The best time to visit the caves is during one of the magical concerts, ballets or drama performances. But as well as being a unique and functioning auditorium it is also a place full of history. Even Romans have records of visiting the caves, and from this time on there were claims that it was bottomless – somehow linking the rock to the African continent. Blasting at the walls of the cave revealed further caves and small pools. It’s also interesting to observe the ancient stalagmite which has fallen under its own weight, which lies in the corner of the cave.

Barbary Apes

Gibraltar offers you the only chance in the entirety of Europe to see free living monkeys. More specifically, the tailless Barbary Macaques monkeys, which are more commonly found in Morocco and Algeria. The monkeys are mostly found around the Great Siege Tunnels and are very used to visitors and so it is possible to get close to them. However, it must be remembered that they are semi-wild creatures and so may bite if frightened and so touching them is strongly discouraged, especially when they are with infants.

There are around 160 monkeys living on the island, and they are under government care. They do a fair bit of caring themselves, spending over 20 per cent of their time grooming each other. They are also unique in the monkey world because of the amount of time they spend looking after their young, including on the part of the males – you will often see male monkeys carrying the babies or watching them closely. On average it is possible to observe these fascinating primates for around a third of the day. At other times they are ‘monkeying’ around elsewhere, so if at first you don’t spot many of them around the Great Siege Tunnels, then keep your patience and hang around until they show their faces.

Dolphins

Dolphin watching, or dolphin spotting even, is a popular past time amongst visitors to the rock and the locals. But its not just dolphins that one can spot, you can also see Sperm Whales, Humpback Whales and Long Fin Pilot Whales. Whether sitting on the beach, or walking along a seaside road with binoculars in hand, its amazing to be able to see such majestic creatures in their natural habitat passing by the rock.

Birds

For those ornithologists amongst you then the migratory season is a wonderful time of year. The vegetation which exists on the rock is unique on the Iberian peninsular and so it proves the perfect home for many different species of bird on their passage north or south. Many fly as far north as Russia and as down far south into the African continent and so you can expect to see a vast array of exotic and interesting species

Botanical Gardens

The botanical gardens are yet another treat on this magical rock. In amongst the array of flora you can also find many interesting memorials, such as the Elliott Memorial surrounded by an array of armament or the Wellington Memorial, which was funded by a garrisons own wages in honour of the Duke of Wellington. One can also find an Italian style garden with interesting fountains and an open air theatre which, during the summer months, host any number of events from musical performances to beauty contests.

Beaches

If you want a trip to the United Kingdom but don’t fancy the rainy weather then Gibraltar might be a good compromise. With over 300 days of sunshine a year it is understandable that often the beaches are packed with locals, day trippers from Spain or tourists from further a field. You have a pick of three beaches: the large and popular Eastern Beach, the smaller Spanish-like Catalan Bay and the quieter more serene Western Beach.