Yes, There Are Monkeys in Spain: The Wild Macaques of Gibraltar

Aug 5
4 min read

Updated: 5 days ago

Yes, there are wild monkeys in Spain, well, Gibraltar, close enough. Only one place, but it is a spectacular one, and if you have kids, this might be the easiest wildlife encounter of your entire trip.

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The only wild monkeys in Europe

The Barbary macaques of Gibraltar are the only wild non-human primates in all of Europe. There are roughly 300 of them, living in five troops across the Upper Rock Nature Reserve, and they are completely unimpressed by tourists. They have been here for centuries and they know it. Nobody is entirely sure how they got there. The leading theory is that the Moors brought them from North Africa around 711 AD; the British, who took control of the Rock from Spain in 1704, proceeded to actively manage and protect them. Today they are cared for by the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society and are considered a protected species.

There is also a famous local legend: if the macaques ever leave the Rock, Gibraltar will cease to be British. Whether you put stock in that or not, the British government has historically taken it seriously enough to maintain the population through even the most difficult periods.

Where to see them

The most reliable spot is the Apes' Den, near the middle cable car station at Queen's Gate, where one troop tends to congregate and can be observed at close range. But the macaques roam freely across the entire Upper Rock Nature Reserve, so sightings are not limited to one spot. If you take the cable car to the top, you will almost certainly encounter them along the way or at the summit.

A Rock Tour, the shared taxi-van excursion that is the standard way to see Gibraltar's highlights, includes a stop at the Apes' Den along with St. Michael's Cave, the wartime tunnels, and the views from the top. For families it is the most efficient and relaxed way to do it, and every reputable tour operator includes the monkeys.

Practical tips (especially with kids)

A few things worth knowing before you arrive, especially if you are bringing children.

They are wild and they will steal things. The macaques are used to people and utterly fearless around food. They have learned to associate backpacks and bags with snacks and will reach in without hesitation. Keep food zipped away and bags closed, and brief your kids before you get out of the car.

Do not feed them. It is prohibited and also genuinely harmful to the animals, regardless of what other visitors might be doing around you.

Do not touch them or try to get them to come closer. They are not tame, and mothers with infants in particular can be unpredictable. Watch, photograph, enjoy, but give them space.

Early morning and late afternoon are when they are most active. If you want to see them doing something other than sitting on a wall looking bored, go at those times.

Getting to Gibraltar from Spain

Gibraltar is accessible from La Línea de la Concepción, right on the Spanish side of the border. And crossing just got significantly easier: in July 2025, the EU and UK signed a new treaty and the physical border fence was removed, ushering in Schengen-style free movement. For EU citizens and Spanish residents, crossing now requires only a national ID card, no passport stamp. The old queues and the fence itself are gone.

One thing that has not changed: Gibraltar is still a British Overseas Territory, not part of Spain or the EU, and the currency is still the pound (euros are widely accepted). The airport border checks move to a new model, but sovereignty is unchanged. What has changed is that crossing is now far more relaxed than it used to be. Many people base themselves on the Costa de la Luz or the Costa del Sol and make Gibraltar a day trip. From Tarifa it is about 40 minutes; from Málaga, around an hour and a half.

Where to stay

For the macaques, you don't need to stay in Gibraltar itself. Most visitors come as a day trip from the Costa del Sol or the Costa de la Luz. If you do stay on the Rock, the town below is compact and walkable. Here are places to stay nearby:

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Make a bigger trip of it

Gibraltar pairs naturally with Tarifa for whale and dolphin watching, and the whole area sits at the edge of Andalucía, with the white villages of the interior within easy reach.

For more Spanish wildlife: flamingos and exactly when to go, brown bears in Somiedo, where to whale watch in Spain, and the Iberian lynx.