Tours - Land / Sea, Gibraltar

4 more images

The most famous animals in Gib are without doubt the apes, but the warm waters of the bay are rich feeding grounds for a good number of dolphins. Tours last about 90 minutes and you are almost bound to see some of these wonderful creatures.

If you are making the trip from Spain I strongly suggest you park your car in La Linea and walk across the border. It can easily take well over an hour to drive across!

3 more images

The Alameda Wildlife Park started in 1994 as a collection of parrots, land tortoises and monkeys all confiscated from illegal traders who were passing through Gibraltar. The local Customs authorities handed these animals to G.O.N.H.S., (Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society), who did their best to help.
At first there weren’t ideal enclosures to house them all but, with help from G.O.N.H.S. volunteers and with the permission of Wildlife (Gibraltar) Ltd, a number of cages were built at the Alameda Gardens.
Soon there was concern about not being able to take care of future confiscated animals through lack of space, so, what used to be the Alameda Miniature Golf park was cleared up after many years of neglect and modified into a small conservation park, again, through volunteer help.
Although the main purpose of the Wildlife Park was to house confiscated animals, it became apparent that, if finished properly, it could also be open to the public to make people aware not only about illegal animal trade but also about local wildlife conservation. So this park also became important for the care of species that are considered for future re-introduction to the Gibraltar Nature Reserve, like for instance, the red fox or the raven.
The opening to the public also meant that any income from entrance fees would all go towards the care of these animals, that is, food, medicine and building materials for enclosures.
Lack of funding has meant that most of the cages and plant beds have been done by a few dedicated volunteers
With dedication and help from volunteers and sponsors, we can help these animals live a full interesting life and also help our local wildlife.
Why not visit us and see how far we have progressed!

"Dolphin Adventure is simply the best way to see Gibraltar's dolphins, wild and free. Let us take you on an adventure into the world of these enchanting animals. Gibraltar is famous, the world over, for its ever present dolphin population, with transient dolphins visiting the bay for food, shelter and to breed in their hundreds. Your Dolphin Adventure captain and crew know best, through years of experience, these dolphins' habits and favourite playgrounds!

10 Good Reasons to Choose Dolphin Adventure

* 360 degrees frontline viewing guaranteed for everyone
* Experienced, professional, qualified crew
* Maximum of 12 passengers - no over crowding
* Sun, shade and shelter
* Live commentary
* Toilet facilities and refreshments on board
* Fully licensed by the Gibraltar Government
* Friendly personal service
* We respect dolphins and their environment
* Our business is your pleasure

With regular departures from Gibraltar's finest marina, Marina Bay, you can relax and soak up the Meditteranean atmosphere in the comfort of one of the many fine bars and restaurants that line the waterfront, before or after your trip"

Taken from a leaflet I picked up when I was last home

This is how you feel when you arrive here and are bombarded with offers of 'Rock Tours. The rock is preferable to the hard place and as I mentioned in the intro , well worth seeing. As one of our party was nervous about taking the cable car, we opted for one of the mini-bus tours. The one we chose was selected on basis of convenience, price and friendliness of the tout. The tout who also turned out to be the guide/driver was what we would call 'a bit of a chancer' in Ireland' and gave a somewhat biased but amusing overview of Gibralter. The minibus was small with just three rows of seats so we all got a good view on ascent and descent. Stops were made during the ascent to let people take photos and the first stop proper was to see some of the local apes at close quarters. Here our friend brought the phrase 'performing monkey' to whole new heights and encouraged his little flock of happy tourists to have their photo taken with apes on their heads. Later we visited the war tunnels and the spectacular caves, so all in all this tour was good value and did exactly what it said on the package.

4 more images

Our 2 hour tour just touched the surface of Gibraltar. History abounds and goes back over a thousand years before the Moors took control. The British have been in control for several hundred years and the landscape is dominated by their naval activities.

Bland Travel was the operator of our tour and the bus driver was also our guide. He gave an excellent commentary and the bus stopped at the major sites giving us plenty of time for photos.

We stopped at St. Michael's Cave for 30 minutes, entrance to the cave was included and well worth making the effort. For those who did not wish to enter the cave there were brilliant photo opportunities of the town and harbour as we were half way up the "Rock".

The British Armed Forces are stationed in Gibraltar. The official name is the Gibraltar British Forces. The territory has become a primary training area because of the terrain and climate. Many ships with their units use Gibraltar as a transitory stop for R & R.

1 more image

This strange angled set up of a canon can be found in Casemates Square.
The inscription says “Much difficulty was experienced during the Great Siege in firing down onto the Spanish works on the Isthmus. Lieut Koehler invented this depressing carriage which was mounted at Princess Royal Battery in February 1782 after experiments in the presence of General Elliott”.

"Spacious, modern, strong, fast, stable, gentle, secure, comfortable. to go further and quicker to the Straits! Full commentary on-board about dolphins' behaviour and habits.

* 35 years of dolphin show!
* Limited number of passengers (like a private boat)
* Extravagantly better and more fun!

ATTENTION - IMPORTANT

In La Linea, on the Spanish side of the border, you may see signs for "Dolphin Safari" which is nothing to do with us but a different operation who decided to call themselves the same name as us for some reason (probably because of our excellent reputation for over 35 years). It obviously causes confusion...so. make sure that you are heading to cross the frontier and actually enter Gibraltar where we are and don't get hijacked by anybody! Our boat is called 'Goldfin'.

Our brand new 40 foot twin engined power launch, especially designed for the job - watch dolphins or whales with enjoyment- It's the absolute tops in terms of efficiency, fun and excitement as we cruise off to find our friends as quickly as we need thus giving maximum dolphin or whale watching time, contrary to others so slow that even the underwater glass viewing concept is a source of disappointment.

If you wanted to come with us and an agent has booked you with another company ASK for your money back as they have sold you a product you didn't want. We are not a tourist trap of a large quantity turnover but an eco-system friendly type personal experience wanting better quality of fun and offering you the new and very latest"

Taken from a leaflet I picked up when last home.