03 Jul 2023
After looking at the tours available on my cruise and not seeing anything that caught my attention, I went on my cruises group page and started asking about tours in Gibraltar. There were groups being put together through Gibraltar Inside Out Rock tours, so I decided to look at what they offered. I tend to get car sick, and have an aversion of taking long private tours so that I know I will be back on the ship in time. I had an issue in Costa Rica once – never again! So, I found the Tunnels Tour, which lasted four hours, and thought it was perfect. I combined almost everything I wanted to see while in Gibraltar. Carl with Inside Out was great at communicating with me. He told me that I would be responsible for putting together a group, which I was quickly able to do through my Facebook group and arranged the booking. Easy peasy. Payment was due at the end of the tour.
Several weeks after booking, I discovered That the WWII tunnels were closed for refurbishment. Carl assured me that even though the tunnel was closed, we would still have our tour and an alternate location would be included instead. This is why I was glad I booked an independent tour – many of the ship tours that focused on the WWII tunnels were cancelled, where ours was not.
Being a “tour leader” I put together a group through our group page. I wish it went as smoothly as it should have. Even though I shared all the information with my group, they must not all have gotten the memo – most decided to skip or did not pay attention. One walked right by the sign with my name on it, which I verified that they saw. Needless to say, I might not do this type of group again unless I know everyone ahead of time.
Paul, our tour guide, was awesome. He was a native of Gibraltar, and painted a great picture of his life there, and really explained why the citizens of Gibraltar want to stay under British rule, which I 100% understand!!! We visited-
-The Pillars of Hercules – two rocks that jut out of the Straits of Gibraltar, one on Gibraltar, the other the tip of Africa in Morocco. On a clear day you can look across the 8-mile stretch of water to the other rock.
- St Michaels Cave – very cool cave that is illuminated and has a cavern big enough for concerts.
-Top of the Rock – monkeys everywhere!! Great viewing platform and a trail that takes you up to what must have been some type of jail or prison at some point. It was foggy that day but was still a great hike.
-Great Siege Tunnels – miles of tunnels that were developed during the great siege and used again during WWII. A great way to see how the British kept control of the area.
-Windsor Bridge – cool suspension bridge that was a great photo spot of the harbor below.
Drop off was in town just off one of the main tourist streets with a straight shot down and around to the ship. Was quite a walk to the ship if you have mobility issues. Overall, would recommend Inside Out, and Paul (he was awesome), and will use them again if I’m back in Gibraltar!