Cape Spartel
The point where the Atlantic meets the Mediterranean, under an 1864 lighthouse.
Duration
45 min – 1 hr 30 min
Best time
At sunset
Open
Every day
Entry price
Free
Cape Spartel marks the north-west corner of Africa, where the Atlantic and the Mediterranean meet. The lighthouse, built in 1864, was funded jointly by several European powers and by the Sultan of Morocco — an unusual arrangement, which said much about the strait's importance.
Visitors are readily shown a line of colour in the water said to separate the two seas. It sometimes exists, but it is a front of currents and sediment, not a boundary: the two water masses mix over tens of kilometres.
Getting there
Fifteen kilometres west of Tangier, at the end of the Montagne road. A taxi negotiated together with the Caves of Hercules, which are on the same route.
What to bring
- Headlamp
Rules on site
The lighthouse only opens at limited hours and access to the lantern is often closed. The wind at the cape is strong and constant, even in fine weather.