Gibraltar (1 day itinerary)

Autumn of 2023 was set aside for our first trip to Spain. I say first because I’m hopeful that we’ll make a return visit; there are still numerous places to discover and explore.

During our stay, we decided to dedicate one day to visiting Gibraltar. We opted to rent a car in Malaga for a week at a very reasonable rate from Malaga Car agency, which provided an excellent rental package including a full insurance. To not be too far from Gibraltar, but also not too far from Malaga for our return home, we chose to spend two nights in Estepona.

Why Estepona?! Truth be told, I opened Airbnb and scrolled through the map until stumbling upon an affordable accommodation option in a fairly convenient location, situated by the sea and approximately an hour’s drive from Gibraltar. Estepona presented just the right fit with nice and clean apartment that comfortably accommodated the two of us for a two-night stay.

Parking and crossing the border

On Friday, we set off towards Gibraltar relatively early. By 8 in the morning, we had already reached the Spanish border leading into Gibraltar. We parked our car in a parking lot on the Spanish side and ended up paying about €16 for 8 hours we spent there. Opting for this seemed the most convenient choice as we noticed that entering the country by car can be time-consuming. The queues are long, and I suspect parking within the country is more complex than in the large parking lots outside Gibraltar’s borders.

The border crossing itself was quite fascinating and exhilarating for us. Contrary to what one might assume about it being tiresome and difficult, it was quite the opposite. Alongside a crowd of people, we strolled by the border, and the customs officer casually glanced at our passports. Most individuals were simply waved through, probably because they were daily commuters crossing in and out of the country.

It’s intriguing that immediately after the border, there’s an airport. According to Google Maps, it’s roughly a 50-minute walking journey to the center, but when there are no planes taking off or landing, pedestrians, scooter riders, and cyclists are allowed to cross the runway. This allowed us to reach the center in just about 20 minutes. Walking along the huge runway was a thrilling experience; we felt a unique sense of liberation and exhilaration at that moment.

Shortly after the runway, we found the main street of Gibraltar full of shops, cafes, and restaurants. During our morning pass, many of these places were still closed.

Rock of Gibraltar

However, this wasn’t an issue for us as our goal was to explore the Rock of Gibraltar in the morning, when there are fewer crowds. And that’s exactly what we did. Having pre-purchased a combined package for the Rock and Dolphin Watch online, we made our way to the cable car station, received our wristbands, and joined the queue for the ascent. A line quickly formed behind us, and with only one cable car accommodating 10-15 people at a time, I imagine there’s significant waiting later in the day.

We bought the tickets on the website https://www.buytickets.gi/, and we paid a total of 62 pounds per person. The ticket for the cable car and the Rock was 37 pounds, while the Dolphin Watch was 25 pounds. Tickets can be purchased separately.

When we reached the top, we started our walk. Firstly, although the view wasn’t the clearest, it was still breathtaking. While we couldn’t spot the African coastline, everything else was visible. The endless sea, illuminated by the sun’s rays, was truly magnificent. We stood there for a while, simply enjoying the scenery.

After admiring the view, we proceeded with our exploration, searching for the monkeys. We were advised not to approach or disturb them as they may bite. We took this warning seriously and were genuinely cautious not to get too close and to be slow around them.

Monkeys can be spotted in a few locations, mostly around their feeding sites. They come in various age groups, from those simply resting to mothers caring for their babies and playful young monkeys hopping around.

We managed to capture some nice photos, watched them for some time, and then took a walk to the cave and back. The entrance fee for the cave is pretty high, and we didn’t expect to see anything extraordinary inside.

Additionally, I was suffering from a cold, so exploring the cave would have been too exhausting for me.

On the way back, there was already a good amount of tourists at the spot where there were many monkeys. The monkeys began to interact with people, and the guides allowed it to a certain extent. Tin and I expressed our interest in having a monkey approach us, but we didn’t want to actively pursue it, fearing we might break rules or provoke them into biting us. However, one monkey surprised me by suddenly jumping onto my head, which firstly startled me but then amused me. It stayed on my head and arm for about 2 minutes, gently playing with my hair, more like grooming. I joked about needing to wash my hair from its saliva once we got back to our accommodation.

These monkeys are incredibly bold and seize any opportunity that presents itself. We witnessed one monkey stealing a girl’s coffee cup, another attempting to open Tin’s backpack, and they already threw numerous hats and caps on the rocks below the fence. Each of us spent a brief moment with a monkey before moving on. It was adorable, but we didn’t want to push it.

We descended back to the center via the cable car and decided to grab a coffee at Costa and take a walk around the main street and square since we had brought our own food and didn’t want it to go to waste. It was charming to wander around, especially later when it was busier.

Dolphin Watch

At 2:30 PM, it was time for our scheduled Dolphin Watch. We headed to the port where the boats were docked and we searched for our designated boat. After confirming with one of the guides that he was indeed from the agency we booked with, he directed us to the nearby office for check-in. After a short wait in the sun, we boarded the boat and set off.

The initial experience was once again intriguing because the port is right next to the airport runway, and just as we were setting off, a plane was landing. Our boat stopped, and the plane touched down barely 10 meters away from us.

As we set off, we weren’t sure if there would be many dolphins or if we would even see any. However, after just 10 minutes of sailing, they started appearing. There were so, so many of them. The boat slowed down and gently cruised through the water, following them. There were both small and large dolphins. Some of the smaller ones were performing acrobatics. That was the sweetest thing to watch, seeing the little dolphin having fun and enjoying life.

It’s indeed lovely to see an animal with which you’re familiar, as every zoo has them, but seeing them in their natural environment, wild and free to live as they truly want and need to. It was truly special.

An hour and a half felt like mere 20 minutes. It was an incredibly beautiful experience that I would recommend to everyone.

Leaving Gibraltar

After the watch, we returned to the port and slowly made our way back to the border. Crossing the border was again a unique experience, passing through the runway, and we crossed the border in an instant. Walking was truly a better option because there was a very long line for cars returning to Spain, whereas we just walked through.

Another point to mention is that immediately after crossing the border, there are buses available to take you to the center if you prefer not to walk. However, if there are no planes passing through at that moment, crossing the runway provides a quick and adventurous route to the center.

The entire day in Gibraltar was fantastic, filled with wonderful moments. If I hadn’t been suffering from a cold, it would have been even more enjoyable because I wouldn’t have felt tired and drained. I admit I had to push myself a bit to follow through with our plans, but I would have regretted it if we hadn’t been there.