Natural History & Heritage Park

Admission9.30amto7pm bytickets

(includes entrance to sites within the Park - St. Michael's Cave, Monkey's Den, Great Siege Tun nels, Military Heritage Centre,'A City Under Siege' Exhibition and Moorish Castle). (Facilities closed Christmas Day and New Year's Day,) Adults £7/ Children 5-12 years: £4, Children age 4 and under free, vehicles £1,50, Private vehicles may be restricted at certain times and it is advisable to take a Rock Tour by taxi/mini bus. The Natural History6 Heritage Park can also be reached by cable car(leaves Grand Parade 9-30am5,15pm Monday to Sunday, Last cable down: 5.45pm),

ThefloraandfaunaontheUpperRock

are considered to beof great conservational value. It's a perfect place for birdwatchers, as migratory spe cies use Gibraltar as the shortest crossing between Europe and Africa, but botanists will also be Interested to see over 600 spe cies of flowering plants, including some unique to Gibraltar. Watch out for colour ful lizards, the non-venemous Horseshoe Whipsnake, butterflies and pipistrelle bats. Info on the Rock's flora and fauna is found at the Gibraltar Ornithological and Natural History Society's Information Centre at Jews Gate,

St. Michael's Cave:The cave comprises an upper hall with five connecting passages and drops of 40-150ft to a smaller hall. A further succession of chambers, some at 250ft below the entrance, is reached through narrow holes. The Cathedral Cave is open to visitors and is used as an audito rium for concerts and theatre. The cave was prepared as a hospital in WWII, but never used. A further series of chambers ending in a mini lake is called Lower St. Michael's Cave and can be visited with a guide.

The Monkeys' Den: There are around 160 monkeys in the Park and around 30 can be seen at the Monkey's Den. Often called apes, they are tail-less Barbary Macaques and Europe's only free living monkeys.£500 fine for feeding the monkeys.

The Great Siege Tunnels: Tunnelling in the Rock began during the Great Siege (1779-1783) when France and Spain made an attempt to recapture the Rock while Britain was busy with the American War of Independence, Governor General Elliot offered a reward to any man who could tell him how to mount a gun on the north face of the Rock, It was a Sgt. Major Ince who sug gested tunnelling and there are now over30 miles of tunnels inside the Rock with various exhibitions inside the tunnels.

ITie Military Heritage Centre: Housed in one of the Rock's many historic batteries, the Military Heritage Centre displays infor mation on the development of Gibraltar's military defences through the ages.

A City Under Siege Exhibition: Exhibits depicting the lives of the civilian population during the many sieges, are housed in one of the earliest British building on the Rock, Original graffiti, drawn by duty soldiers to stop themselves falling asleep, is still vis ible, the earliest dating back to 1726.

The Moorish Castle: actually just part of a Moorish town and castle which was built up during the Moorish occupation of the Iberian Peninsula, spearheaded from Gibral tar in 71 IAD by Tarik-ibn-Zeyad ("Gibraltar" is a corruption of the Arabic words "Jebel Tarik" - Tarik's mountain). The part we see today,The Tower of Homage,dates back to 1333AD, when Abu'l Hassan recaptured the Rock from Spain, The tower is an excellent view point.

Natural History & Heritage Park Walks: The recommended walk is St Michael's Cave through toCharles V Wall but walkers should be relatively fit. It is also pleasant walking along the upper rock roads. Fact Files and brochures are available free from all Tourist Board offices.

Botanical Gardens: Opened in 1816, the Alameda Botanical Gardens fell into disrepair but are currently being restored to their former glory. Visitors can enjoy 8 stroll beneath pines, dragon trees and palms, and see many of Gibraltar's native plants as well as exotic species. The shop sells environmentally friendly gifts, plants and seeds, Tel: 72639/74022, Large car park available.

Nelson's Anchorage: Rosia Road 9.30am - 5.15pm Monday to Saturday (last entry at

5pmj. Ciosed on Sunday, Admission, £1,00 (free of charge with Nature Reserve ticket. Tickets for the nature reserve can also be bought at this attraction).

Parson's Lodge: Rosia Road, A narrow limestone outcrop with a labyrinth of underground tunnels surmounted by an impressive battery, which has witnessed the development of coast artillery over 300 years. Once housed three 18 ton 10-inflh rifled muzzle loaders positioned behind a unique sandwich of armour plate and teak, known as'Gibraltar Shields', Open 10am to 6pm every day except Mondays, Adults £2/ Children & GAPs £1. Cafeteria on site.

Rat Bastion Magazine Flat Bastion Road, Geological Research Station and Lithoiogy of Gibraltar. To visit contact: F, Gomez Tel, 44460, P Hodklnson Tel. 43910,

Shrine of Our Lady of Europe (Museum within premises) Europa Road, 10am-7pm Monday to Friday, 11am-7pm Saturday, Sun day and Public Holidays. Closed 1 pm - 2pm.

Trafalgar Cemetery: Trafalgar Road, open 9am - 7pm daily (admission free).

Business Information

Gibraltar Financial Services Commission Tel: 40283/4 website: www.fsc.gi

Chamber of Commerce

Tel: 78376

Federation Small Businesses. ...Tel: 47722

Company Registry

Tel: 78193

Customs Tel: 78879

Dept of Trade & Industry

Useful Numbers

Airport(general info.)

Hospital, St Bernards

Weather information

Tel: 52052

Tel: 73026

Tel: 79700

Tel: 5-3416

Frontier Queue Update Tel: 42777

Gibraltar Museum Tel: 74289

18/20 Bomb House Lane Open 10am • 6pm (Sat, 10am - 2pm), Closed on Sunday. Ad mission: Adults £2/Children under 12 years

£1. Special exhibitions also held at museum premises in Casemates gallery.

Registry Office Tel: 72289

It is possible to get married on the Rock within 48 hours of arrival. A fact taken advantage of by stars such as Sean Connery and John Lennon.

Rock Tours by Taxi Tel: 70052

As well as offering normal fares. Gibraltar taxis provide a complete Rock Tour taking in the Upper Rock, Europa Point and other sites of interest. It is the best way to see the Rock's major features in a short time.

Tourist Board Tel: 74950

Gibraltar National Tourist Board, Duke of Kent House, Cathedral Square, Gibraltar, UK Tel: 0207 836 0777 Fax: 0207 240 6612 E-mail: giblondon@aol,com

John Mackintosh Hall Tel: 75669 Centre of Gib's cultural life, includes a caf eteria, theatre, exhibition rooms and library, 308 Main Street 9,30am -11 pm Monday to Friday. Closed weekends.

Holidays remaining 2006

Christmas Day 25 December

Boxing Day 26 December

Spain ^/xed,' Labour Day 1 May: St John 24 June: St James 25 July; Assumption Day 15 August; National Day 12 October; All Saints 1 November; Immaculate Concep tion 8 December: Christmas 25 December.

Moveable: Corpus Christi,

Ambulance Station Tel:

Gibraltar Services Police:

IS'brbught alive by a troop of soldiers in. 18th century period uniform. The soldiers march from Bomb House Lane at12noon to Casemates. At Casemates they carry out a "Ceremony of the Keys" and then march back up Main Street to the Catherlral of St Mary the Crowneti.