1-Day Adventure Itinerary in Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a better adventure destination than most people realise. The Upper Rock is a proper rocky ridge with genuine scrambling on the Mediterranean Steps, the bay is productive cetacean water, and O'Hara's Battery at the summit gives you a vantage point that most visitors never reach. One hard day gets you all of it. The day starts before most people are awake. Take a taxi to the Jews Gate trailhead on the southern end of the Rock and start the Mediterranean Steps as early as you can manage. The path climbs steeply on limestone slabs and loose rock, gaining most of its altitude in the first forty minutes. There are sections that require using your hands on the rock face. By the time you reach the ridge, around ninety minutes after setting off, the bay below is usually still in morning shadow and the Spanish coastline stretches out to the east in early light. It is, without question, the best viewpoint in Gibraltar. From the top of the Steps, follow the ridge north through the Upper Rock Nature Reserve. The macaques at Apes Den are a welcome break after the climb. Continue north to O'Hara's Battery at the highest point of the Rock at 426 metres. The battery was armed with a 9.2-inch gun in World War Two and the gun emplacement and magazine are still largely intact. The Gibraltar Cable Car is currently closed for refurbishment, so descend on foot via the Upper Rock road (about 40 minutes) or take a taxi down. Refuel at Casemates. In the afternoon, the dolphin-watching trip from Marina Bay takes you out into the Strait where the feeding activity is most concentrated. Most tours cover both the bay and the approach to the Mediterranean on a single 90-minute circuit. If conditions allow, some operators offer kayak trips along the base of the Rock's eastern face, which gives a completely different perspective on the limestone cliffs from sea level.