Birds and insects

If you are into bird watching in a big way, the area around Gibraltar is probably the best place in Europe to see those birds you have always wanted to catch a glimpse of. Here you are literally 12 miles from Africa and many migratory birds stop off here before their final flight to the warmth of the African winter. If bird life really interests you, then you need to buy the appropriate books. You may even want to venture slightly further afield to the Cota Donana in Cadiz province where bird watching holidays are organised in the National Park.

While talking about wildlife it is worth mentioning at this point that overall on the Costa del Sol there is not too much to worry those with phobias. Insect life is not as bad as it is on other parts of the Mediterranean coast. Yes, you will find spiders but they are not huge although there are a few species which can give quite a nasty bite if disturbed. There is a surprising lack of moths in the evening. If your phobia is beetles they can be found and in some of the older established areas there may be cockroaches but there is not a real problem.

There are snakes but apparently there are no venomous snakes in Spain.