Self-guided activities in Gibraltar
|
Great Siege Tunnels / The Galleries
A unique feature of the Rock is its system of underground passages, known as the Galleries or the Great Siege Tunnels. Over 30 miles of tunnels that conceal everything from fancy staterooms to soldiers' barracks from World War II. They were originally carved out to defend Gibraltar from invasion from the mainland during the Great Siege of 1779.
Gibraltar Museum
Learn about the fascinating history of Gibraltar's British rule in a museum built on the site of 14th-century Moorish baths. The museum also educates visitors on the cultural and military history of Gibraltar, the Strait of Gibraltar and its hinterland.
Website
Apes Den
Discover the natural habitat of the tailless Barbary Macaques, the only wild primates in Europe. Legend has it that the British will keep the Rock only as long as the Apes remain. The Queen's Gate at The Apes' Den is home to the most popular troop of Barbary Macaques on Gibraltar, where people can get especially close to the monkeys. They will often approach and sometimes climb onto people as they are used to human interaction. Nevertheless, they are still wild animals and will bite if frightened or annoyed.
Located on the way down from Top of the Rock of Gibraltar to Michael's Cave, near the middle cable car station.
Apes can also be seen in the area at the top of the Rock.
Europa Point
The southernmost point of Gibraltar is a flat area occupied by a small cluster of attractive buildings: the Ibrahim-al-Ibrahim Mosque, the Roman Catholic Shrine of Our Lady of Europe, and a lighthouse.
The lighthouse was built by Governor Sir Alexander Woodford between 1838 and 1841. It was fully automated in February 1994 and its loom can be seen over a distance of 27 km. It is the southernmost lighthouse for which Trinity House is responsible, and the only one outside the UK.
On a clear day the Point offers breathtaking views of the sea, and beyond & a glimpse of North Africa.
St. Michael's Cave
St Michael's Cave is the name given to a network of limestone caves located in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve of Gibraltar, at a height of over 300 metres above sea level. Its name is derived from a similar grotto in Monte Gargano near the Sanctuary of Monte Sant'Angelo in Apulia, Italy, where the archangel Michael is said to have appeared. The cave was created by rainwater slowly seeping through the limestone rock, turning into a weak carbonic acid which gradually dissolved the rock. Through this process, tiny cracks in The Rock's geological fault grew into long passages and large caverns over thousands of years.
The largest of the chambers, named the Cathedral Cave, currently serves as an auditorium.
The cave formations are colourfully lit and visitors can read displays documenting the caves' history.
St. Michael's Cave can be reached by car, taxi, cable car or by foot.
Guided tours of Lower St. Michael's Cave can also be arranged through the Gibraltar Tourist Board giving a minimum of three days prior notice. The tour lasts approximately 3 hours.
Website
The Moorish Castle
The Moorish Castle is a relic of the Moorish occupation of Gibraltar, which lasted for 710 years. It was built in the year A.D. 711, when Tariq ibn-Ziyad, the Berber chieftain first landed on the Rock which still bears his name.
The principal building which remains is the Tower of Homage, a massive building of brick and very hard concrete called tapia, the upper part of which housed the living apartments and Moorish bath of the former occupants.
The Tower of Homage is the highest tower of the Islamic period in the Iberian Peninsula, and the Castle's Qasbah is the largest in the area.
