Cap Spartel Lighthouse and the Meeting of the Seas

Cap Spartel is the headland about 12 km west of Tangier, in northern Morocco, where the Strait of Gibraltar meets the Atlantic Ocean. The white lighthouse, built in the 19th century, stands on the cape and serves as the main foreground subject. Visitors can photograph it from the road and the surrounding clifftops, with the ocean stretching to the horizon on the west and the strait on the east. On clear mornings, the coast of Spain is visible across the water, and the so-called meeting of the seas appears as a faint line where currents and colours differ. Sunset is the most popular time, when the sun drops into the Atlantic and warms the lighthouse walls from the west; facing the lighthouse from the south or east, the evening light falls on its front. September to November tends to have the clearest air, while summer haze can reduce visibility and winter brings storms and dramatic waves. The headland is windy at any time of year, so a stable tripod and a windproof layer are important. Crowds are modest in the morning and build toward sunset, particularly in summer and at weekends, with a small area of cafes and viewpoints near the lighthouse where tripod positions are limited. Public access to the headland is free, though the lighthouse interior is not open for general visits. Tripods are not formally restricted, but drones require national authorisation and the site is near a lighthouse and military-sensitive coast, so flying is inadvisable. A wide-angle lens captures the cape, and a telephoto zoom helps with distant ships and the Spanish coast. Nearby cafes provide restrooms and water.