Day 83 of our journey through Europe.

What takes a long time finally becomes good. After waiting almost two weeks for the successful titer test, we were able to pick up the results from the vet in Tarifa. Now almost all requirements for the entry to Morocco were fulfilled. Only the Health certificate of our dogs was still missing, which was directly in the harbour of Algeciras was issued. The formalities were quickly completed, as the documents were issued within a few minutes on the basis of the vet's records and fortunately the dogs did not have to be presented again. We used the following day for preparations. We stocked up on food, filled up with water and got the ferry tickets.

Ferry tickets with Carlos

Tickets for the crossing to Morocco can be booked online, bought at one of the various sales points of the ferry companies, which you can see on the side of the road as you enter Algeciras, or just by going to Carlos go. Who, please? Carlos? If you research various blogs, it seems that there is simply no alternative but to buy tickets from him. And rightly so. We compared and it was much cheaper for us to buy the tickets from Señor Carlos than directly from the ferry operator. We also bought flexible tickets for the outward and return journey, so that both crossings were not limited to day and time. They also give you the customs form (DIN A5 paper), which you can fill out at home. This saves scribbling in the hustle and bustle on the ferry. You can also exchange a few euros for Moroccan dirhams in advance, so that you don't arrive in Morocco completely without cash. Although the exchange rate at Carlos is not the best, it saves time and travel if you don't happen to pass an exchange office. Also SIM cards can be bought from Carlos, but you have to do the activation procedure yourself, which didn't really work for us (a better tip later). As a goodie, he also gives you a bottle of wine and biscuits, so it's an all-round carefree package! We slowly realised why the world buys its tickets from Carlos. Price in February 2023: Open Go & Return ticket: €300 for 2 people with lorry 6.2m long, 3.2m high)

Update: Price at the beginning of 2024: Open Go & Return ticket: €280 for 2 people with lorry 6.2m long, 3.2m high)

With the drone to Morocco

Anyone in possession of a Drone is, should definitely remember that these are in Morocco are strictly prohibited. Import is strictly regulated and requires a complex authorisation. We thought long and hard about what we should do with our drone. Smuggle it and then fly it around Morocco? It was out of the question for us, even if it hurts, because the landscape offers such great photo opportunities. You're simply not alone in Morocco. In a country with such vast expanses, there's always someone around the next corner or bush, be it a farmer, shepherd or whoever. So it's better not to take any risks. The remaining alternatives were Store at the ferry company, in a locker or at a transport company. But hey, don't despair, ask Carlos! He will also store the drone, which is currently unusable, for the duration of the trip and won't charge us any extra for it. We'll see whether we get it back when we return in a few weeks at the latest. (Update: of course we got our drones back)

Click HERE to say thank you.
5 € per Paypal for our Dieselkasse.

Now we were finally going to Morocco and we were a bit excited. Carlos works with the ferry company FRSwhich are operated day and night every three hours by Algeciras to Tangier-Med the new and modern ferry port in the north of Morocco. We joined the waiting queue and waited for the things to come. On the way to the ship, we went through a checkpoint and showed the papers of us humans. Our Four-legged friends were ignored, however, despite loud protests from Youma. She simply doesn't like it when strangers talk to us from the side through the open window. There could be danger. After an hour of waiting, the time had finally come and we could sit down. The guides probably didn't have a concrete plan. At one point, a 40-tonne truck had to turn around in front of us on the ferry, while the following participants acknowledged the procedure with a honking concert. No matter, our Dexter was now crammed in with other lorries on the loading area. Bonne route!

Now it was time on board for the Customs formalities to do. Here again you need the small DIN A5 piece of paper by Carlos, which it is best to have filled out in advance, and the Passports. From now on, French is spoken and the Moroccan official taciturnly stamps the entry into the passport. Dogs are, by the way, allowed at FRS on deck, but only in the outside area, and so we made ourselves more or less comfortable there with the mostly Moroccan truckers. We sailed out and said goodbye to the European continent. The swell was high, the wind strong. Carsten had slight nausea, Masou struggled with fear and clawed his way into the floor of the outer deck. Only the women were fit and kicking. So it was Marion's good fortune to find a group Dolphins playing in the high waves. The crossing passed quickly, taking about sixty to ninety minutes, and Tangier-Med was already in sight. Large Arabic letters painted on a mountainside showed us that we were in the right place. So back to Dexter and wait for the drop-off. Out it was even more chaotic than in. Pull up, wait, one truck turns, the other honks, wait again, pull up again, honk. Salam aleikum Morocco!

Finally, we were out of the ferry and were welcomed across the large square in the Ferry port directed. We drove around a little haphazardly and after a few hundred metres we were not quite sure if we had everything behind us, because we were still missing one important formality, namely the confirmation that we had a Vehicle to Morocco introduce. But more about that in a moment. So the nice officials, who didn't speak French, waved us on and on through the ferry port. But lo and behold, we drove around the next corner and the final terminal for the departure was already in sight. But first our truck had to go to the Scanner. So we drove our Dexter onto a platform, had to get out and a large scanner arm, comparable to the device in a car wash, drove along our vehicle. We assume that they are mainly looking for refugees here. Finally we got the green light and could proceed to the second check. Here we had to show our passports once again and also the Vehicle documents show. There was no further search or questions about weapons or drones. Here we also got the ProofWe will import a vehicle into Morocco in the form of a small document in cheque card format. This small piece of paper must be kept in a safe place, as it is absolutely necessary for leaving the country. If it is missing, you cannot leave Morocco. We have not yet been able to find out what the consequences might be. Afterwards, there was one last checkpoint and now we were officially in Morocco.

Our driving route in this article

With pictures and locations (zoom in and click points).

Watch our journey on Youtube