On top of the Rock of Gibraltar

On the southwestern tip of Europe on the Iberian peninsular is a rock, in fact it’s The Rock. The Rock of Gibraltar. It’s a monolithic limestone promontory, which essentially means it’s a single massive rock raised above the surrounding area made of limestone (you’re welcome).

I took a cable car up to the top of The Rock of Gibraltar. There are 2 price options, the cheaper option takes you to the viewing platform only. The more expensive option includes access to the trails of the nature reserve (and the monkeys).

The view from the viewing platform was amazing. You could look over to Europe on one side and Africa on the other. The photo below shows the town of Gibraltar below the rock, and the southwestern coast of Spain to the right. I was lucky, I had a pretty clear day. There was no Viento de Levanta blowing through the Strait of Gibraltar that day.

From the trails within the nature reserve, I was able to see across the Mediterranean to Morocco. Just look through the tree branches and you see a mountain range. That’s Africa.

The Rock of Gibraltar is famous for its monkeys. They are called Barbary Macaques and are the only wild monkeys in Europe. Don’t be surprised to see them while walking on the trails.

No one knows exactly when and why the Barbary Macaques came to Gibraltar. They are known to live in Africa and have been in Gibraltar for a long time.

What I do know though is that they seem to like just hanging around, watching tourists (and occasionally trying to steal some of their stuff out of their backpacks), and enjoying the magnificent views.

Check out my impressions of my first four hours in Gibraltar.