This ferry departs from the city of Tarifa, which is the southernmost point of Spain, and is 100 km from Algeciras. But you won’t have to get to Tarifa on your own – the ticket price includes transportation to its main port, where you will be safely put on the coveted ferry.
As for the cost, the ticket price is not very “biting” – only 42 euros. At least for Europe, it is not very expensive.
Before boarding, you need to go through border control and get a departure stamp. In my case, everything went quickly and without any unnecessary questions, as in many others – leaving Europe is not entering, where they can even blink. And many others were not detained, stamped and released.
Then we began to dive into the ferry.
What I didn’t like at the entrance was the small locker with three shelves for suitcases. Naturally, it didn’t fit everything, and since I wasn’t in a big hurry, I had to put my bags right next to it, leaning against the wall.
And then we went on board.
There was a spacious hall, several bars with coffee, food and drinks on both sides, and a bunch of people, some of whom were already lined up for another, Moroccan border control. They stamped even faster there than at the Spanish control – Moroccans are Moroccans. Smart guys.
After getting our entry stamp for Morocco, even though we hadn’t entered it yet, everyone headed to take the free seats – there were plenty of them in the spacious hall. I sat by the window and watched.
We set off. The day was clear and hot, Spain began to slowly dissolve in a mysterious haze, its coast became less and less visible, it was a little sad in my soul – Europe, in which I spent almost a year and a half, had ended, and remained somewhere there, on the other side of the Strait of Gibraltar.
Well, nothing, I’ve been waiting for Morocco for all these years and a half with childish trepidation, and throughout the entire period I repeatedly mentally returned to one of my favorite eastern countries, which I first decided to visit on a recommendation completely by chance.
So my longing for Europe quickly subsided. And I admit, I didn’t miss it very much – I didn’t particularly like it either. In one of the next articles, I’ll tell you more about my trip there – don’t miss it!
As for Gibraltar, at some point we went out into the open sea, and the shores were not visible at all. I was very surprised, because I thought it was only 14 kilometers (that’s the number the Moroccans always told me). But it felt 2.5 times longer.
Plus, we sailed to Tangier, the northernmost port of Morocco, for at least an hour. Well, maybe 50 minutes, but no less. Overall, everything was quite comfortable, no additional services on board.
Sooner or later, strong waves would hit Gibraltar (because that’s where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean). They came quite unexpectedly, and just as unexpectedly, I started to feel dizzy. I’d never noticed anything like that before.
Anyway, after about an hour, the white mosques and buildings of the ancient Medina of Tangier appeared. I immediately felt a warmth spread in my chest – finally the long-awaited Morocco.
I remember the feeling I had after stepping off the ferry onto the Tangier pier – it was as if my soul had settled into place. In Europe, for some mystical reason, I always felt out of place.
It’s a strange feeling. It’s not for nothing that the West is called “soulless” 🙂
This is the story of my crossing Gibraltar on the ferry from Spain to Morocco.