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Gibraltar Cruises & boat tours

Our most recommended Gibraltar Cruises & boat tours

Gibraltar: Dolphin Watch Cruise & Cable Car Fast Track Combo

1. Gibraltar: Dolphin Watch Cruise & Cable Car Fast Track Combo

Make the most of your time in Gibraltar with a combo dolphin-watching cruise and entry to the Gibraltar Cable Car. Cruise through the Strait of Gibraltar on a catamaran and search for dolphins with a marine biologist guide then climb to the top of the Rock of Gibraltar in a panoramic cable car. On this tour from Gibraltar, begin on a dolphin cruise onboard a yellow catamaran. Expert guides provide live commentary and a marine biologist describes everything that you’ll encounter. Learn about dolphins and we can protect these special creatures. They are sighted on 99 percent of the tours. At times, you can see pods of 40 to 500 dolphins. Watch common, striped, and bottlenose dolphins swim up to the boat and play. They sometimes put on a spectacular display of leaps directly at your feet. Tours depart 4 times each afternoon from Marina Bay, where you can relax and soak up the Mediterranean atmosphere both before and after your trip. Each tour takes in breathtaking views of both the African and European coastline and the legendary Pillars of Hercules. One of Gibraltar's highlights is riding to the top of the Rock by cable car, the best location to spot the famous Barbary apes. A pack of wild apes, the famous Barbary macaques, will give you an entertaining acrobatics performance. Hide all plastic bags to avoid robbery and keep a friendly distance, especially if the young ones are around. Relax with a beverage and light snack while enjoying the spectacular vistas. The Top of the Rock Souvenir Shop is also packed with unique gifts unavailable in town. From the terraces of the top station, gaze over the town below, look north towards the Sierra Nevada over the Costa del Sol and east over the blue Mediterranean Sea, and take in the views south across the Strait of Gibraltar to the Rif Mountains of North Africa. You’ll have views of 2 continents, 3 countries, and the meeting point of 2 great bodies of water.

Gibraltar: Dolphin Watching Tour

2. Gibraltar: Dolphin Watching Tour

Naturally playful and inquisitive, dolphins are some of the most delightful creatures in the world, and nothing quite compares to seeing them in the wild. Gibraltar is home to no fewer than 3 species of dolphin. They come to feed off the abundant supply of sardines, mackerel and flying fish that swim in the waters of Gibraltar’s bay. On this excursion you will be in an uncrowded and friendly environment, on board the catamaran “Dolphin Adventurer.” You will get live commentary and the service of expert guides who will explain everything that you see. Each tour takes in breathtaking views of both the African and European coastline, as well as the legendary Pillars of Hercules. But it is the dolphins that are the main event and they are sighted on 99 per cent of the tours. Often you will witness pods of between 40 and 500 dolphins. Watch common, striped and bottlenose dolphins swim to the boat and play. They sometimes put on a spectacular display of leaps and splashes right at your feet. It truly is a magical experience. Tours depart four times each afternoon from Marina Bay, where you can relax and soak up the Mediterranean atmosphere both before and after your trip.

From Malaga: Gibraltar and Dolphin Sightseeing Boat Tour

3. From Malaga: Gibraltar and Dolphin Sightseeing Boat Tour

Enjoy the journey along Malaga and the Costa del Sol in a sightseeing bus tour while listening to your guide tell you anecdotes and curiosities of this British colony. Explore Gibraltar on your own and with a guide, then sail the Mediterranean in search of the many dolphins that roam the area. Arrive in La Linea and cross the border into Gibraltar. Enjoy some free time to visit Casemates Square and the botanical garden of the Alameda. Stroll through the Marina Bays, or take the chance to walk along Main street. Follow the directions of your guide to get to the square and find your way to the port of Gibraltar to board your boat. Once aboard, feel the breeze and catch sight of different types of Cetaceans that inhabit the area. Navigate the calm seas for about an hour and a half and find the place where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean. Search for dolphins here, and catch sight of their majesty and intelligence, playing in the water. The guide on board will tell you about the most relevant curiosities and characteristics of the species that you encounter, the particularities of the Strait, declared Unesco World Biosphere Reserve. After the tour, you will have again free time to continue your visit in Gibraltar, where you can take the opportunity to have lunch. Meet in the midafternoon for your return journey to the pickup point.

Gibraltar: Dolphin Cruise

4. Gibraltar: Dolphin Cruise

Join a dolphin-watching trip across the Bay and Straits of Gibraltar, on board a state-of-the-art trihedral hulled boat, which allows for greater maneuverability to move with the dolphin pods. You will see dolphins so close you can almost touch them, typically just 18 inches from an outstretched hand. Full live commentary will be provided throughout the trip and sailings typically last 1-hour to 1.5-hours. Look out too for whales, although be warned that these sightings are very rare. Whales have much larger lungs than dolphins and can stay under the surface for over an hour, traveling a greater distance before surfacing. Dolphins have smaller lungs and surfaces regularly spend the majority of their time on the surface, making it easier to spot them.

Bay of Gibraltar: Dolphin Cruise

5. Bay of Gibraltar: Dolphin Cruise

Cruise into the enchanting world of dolphins on this 1.5-hour adventure in the Bay of Gibraltar. Gibraltar is famous for its ever-present dolphin population, with transient dolphins visiting the bay for food, shelter, and to breed in their hundreds. This 1.5-hour cruise provides the best way to see Gibraltar's dolphins, wild and free. The boat's captain and crew know the dolphins' favorite playgrounds, and can often locate pods as large as 200 or more. Move around freely aboard the boat to enjoy complete 360° views of the dolphins as they swim, leap, surf on the bow wave, and perform natural acrobatics. The dolphins will be close enough that you will hear their splashing, breathing, and even the sound of their sonar whistling as they communicate with one another. The Bay of Gibraltar is also a favorite place for nursery schools of dolphins, and it is very common to see baby dolphins rising to the surface alongside their mother as they come up to breathe. You may even see whales, turtles, and sunfish, or the breathtaking sight of shoals of bright blue flying fish as they try to escape the jaws of chasing dolphins.

From Seville: Gibraltar Dolphins Watching Day Trip

6. From Seville: Gibraltar Dolphins Watching Day Trip

This day-trip from Seville provides you with an opportunity to spot a variety of beautiful animals. Sailing for about 2 hours in the waters of the straits, look out for numerous species of dolphins in the wild, in a respectful manner. The fascinating experience sails through the Strait of Gibraltar, an area declared an International Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2006. The area provides an added thrill when friendly inhabitants of its waters, dolphins, approach the boats to exhibit themselves and satisfy the curiosity of tourists. In the Strait of Gibraltar, an area declared a Biosphere Reserve, there are 7 different species of cetaceans that, depending on their migratory routes, the abundance of food, and reproduction periods, live permanently or spend some time in this privileged marine area: the meeting point of the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. After the cruise, spend the rest of the day in the amazing city of Gibraltar.

Sotogrande: Boat Ride through La Alcaidesa & Cala Sardina

7. Sotogrande: Boat Ride through La Alcaidesa & Cala Sardina

A 90-minute tour where, setting sail from the Sotogrande Marina, we will sail along the La Alcaidesa urbanization and then head towards Cala Sardina, with spectacular views of Africa and the Rock of Gibraltar. Setting sail from the Marina of the luxurious and exclusive port of Sotogrande with our catamaran "Pura Vida" we will sail along the Trocadero beach club and the Alcaidesa urbanization to admire its impressive golf course and then we will head to Cala Sardina where we will be able to observe the seabed of its transparent waters.

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What people are saying about Gibraltar

Overall rating

4.3 / 5

based on 43 reviews

Great hour or so spent on the boat. It took us a while to spot the dolphins but when we did they didn’t disappoint. Crew were really friendly and helpful. Ticket included the cable car to the top of the rock but it doesn’t include entrance to the rest of the rock and it’s pathways and the monkeys. So be aware of this as you’ll need to pay extra when you get up there if you want to walk around. It cost £16 extra each for these tickets once we got up there.

We had a fabulous time the dolphin cruise was amazing and the cable car ride with view from the top of the rock absolutely astounding and real value for money. Also we did not have to queue as long since we paid in advance so it really was worth it all around and we had a fabulous time!!!

The transportation was great (big, clean bus with a very personable guide), plenty of free time in the city, friendly and knowledgeable boat guides that quickly found dolphins to observe.

It was a very nice and calming experience. We saw common dolphins. The staff was friendly.

It was very exciting. Worth to visiting. I recommend the tour