Tanja
Go to Africa. As you step off the boat, you realize that the crossing (less than an hour) has taken you further culturally than did the trip from the US to Spain. Morocco needs no museums; its sights are living in the streets. For decades its once-grand coastal city of Tangier deserved its reputation as the “Tijuana of Africa.” But that has changed. The current king is enthusiastic about Tangier, and there’s a fresh can-do spirit in the air. The town is as Moroccan as ever...yet more enjoyable and less stressful.
Though Morocco certainly deserves more than a day, many visitors touring Spain see it in a quick side-trip. And, though such a short sprint through Tangier is only a tease, it’s far more interesting than another day in Spain. A day in Tangier gives you a good introduction to Morocco, a legitimate taste of North Africa, and a nonthreatening slice of Islam. All you need is a passport (no visa or shots required) and €65 for the round-trip ferry crossing. Your big decisions: where to sail from; whether to go on your own or buy a ferry/guided tour day-trip package; and whether to make it a day trip or spend the night. Of these, the biggest decision is:
With a Tour or on My Own?: Because the ferry company expects you to do a lot of shopping (providing them with kickbacks), it’s actually a bit cheaper to join a one-day tour than to buy a round-trip ferry ticket. The question is: Do you want the safety and comfort of having Morocco handed to you on a user-friendly platter; or do you want the independence to see what you want to see, with a more authentic experience, fewer cultural clichés, and less forced shopping? There are pros and cons to each approach, depending on your travel style. My preferred approach is sort of a hybrid: Go to Morocco “on your own,” but arrange in advance to meet up with a local guide to ease your culture shock and accompany you to your choice of sights (you can book a tour with the ferry company and pay for the “VIP” option). While this costs a bit more than joining a package tour, ultimately the cost difference (roughly €10-20 more per person) is pretty negligible, considering the dramatically increased cultural intimacy. Doing it entirely on your own (no guide at all) can be a great adventure, but potentially more stressful.
Time Difference: Morocco is on Greenwich Mean Time (like Great Britain), so it’s one hour behind Spain. It typically observes Daylight Saving Time, but its summer hours last about two months less than in Europe. Morocco “springs forward” in late April (about a month after Spain) and “falls back” in late September (about a month before Spain). Therefore, during the summer months, Morocco is either one hour (if they’ve changed) or two hours (if they haven’t changed, or have already changed back) behind Spain. In general, ferry and other schedules use the local time (if your boat leaves Tangier “at 17:00,” that means 5:00 p.m. Moroccan time—not Spanish time)...be sure to change your watch when you get off the boat.
Terminology: Note that the Spanish refer to Morocco as “Marruecos” (mar-WAY-kohs) and Tangier as “Tánger” (TAHN-hair, with a guttural h).
While the trip to Tangier can be made from various ports, only the ferry from Tarifa takes you to Tangier’s city-center port, called the Tangier Medina Port (Spaniards call it the Puerto Viejo, “Old Port”). Boats from Algeciras or Gibraltar dock instead at the Tangier MED Port (Spaniards call it the Puerto Nuevo, “New Port”), about 25 miles east of the city center. (Note: Confusingly, because the city-center port is being remodeled, some Moroccans call it the “new port”—exactly the opposite of the Spaniards.) Tangier’s city-center port has been closed to cargo shipping, and is in the midst of a massive renovation and beautification project, set to be completed in 2015, which will extend the pier to accommodate large cruise ships and create a marina for yachts. Most sources indicate that ferries from Tarifa will continue to use the city-center port, though it’s possible (temporarily—due to construction at the port) that Tarifa ships could be sent to the MED port. I’ll describe the trip assuming you’re sailing from Tarifa to Tangier’s city-center Medina Port—the most logical route for the typical traveler.
Ferry Crossing: Ferry company FRS (tel. 956-681-830, www.frs.es) makes the 35-minute crossing from Tarifa to Tangier about every other hour from 9:00 to 21:00. Prices are roughly €37 one-way and €65 round-trip. Return boats from Tangier to Tarifa run from about 7:00 to 21:00.
Tickets are very easy to get: You can buy one at the port, through your hotel in Tarifa, from a local travel agency, or at FRS’s ticket office in town. You can almost always just buy a ticket and walk on, though in the busiest summer months (July-Aug), the popular 9:00 departure could be booked up with tours. Boats are most crowded in July (when Moroccans in Spain go home for Ramadan) and in August (when the Costa del Sol groups come en masse). A few crossings a year are canceled because of storms or wind, mostly in winter.
Procedure: The ferry from Tarifa is a fast Nordic hydrofoil that theoretically takes 35 minutes to cross. It often leaves late, but you’ll still want to arrive early to give yourself time to clear customs (making the whole trip take closer to an hour). You’ll go through Spanish customs at the port and Moroccan customs on the ferry. Whether taking a tour or traveling on your own, you must get a stamp (available on board) from the Moroccan immigration officer. After you leave Spain, find the customs desk on the boat, line up early, and get your passport and entry paper—which they keep—stamped. If you’re coming back the same day and know your return time, the immigration official may also give you an exit stamp (for your return from Morocco), which prevents delays at the port at departure time. The ferry is equipped with WCs, a shop, and a snack bar. Tarifa’s modern little terminal has a cafeteria and WCs.
Hiring a Guide: Even if you’re visiting Morocco independently, I recommend hiring a local guide to show you around Tangier.
Tangier MED Port: Ferries from Algeciras and Gibraltar (and, potentially but unlikely, ferries from Tarifa) arrive at the Tangier MED Port, 25 miles from downtown. While this wastes time (it’s about an hour each way from the boat to downtown Tangier), the connection is simple: A free shuttle bus picks up passengers at the Tangier MED Port terminal and brings them right to the entrance of the Tangier Medina Port, in the city center. Remember that if you’re coming from Tarifa, your ship will most likely dock at the Tangier Medina Port.
Returning to Tarifa: It’s smart to return to the port about 30 minutes before your ferry departs. If you didn’t get your passport’s exit stamp on the way over, you must wait in line to get it stamped at the Tangier ferry terminal before you board the boat.
Taking a tour is easier but less rewarding than doing it on your own or with a private guide. A typical day-trip tour includes a round-trip crossing and a guide who meets your big group at a prearranged point in Tangier, then hustles you through the hustlers and onto your tour bus. Several guides await the arrival of each ferry in Tangier and assemble their groups. (Tourists wear stickers identifying which tour they’re with.) All offer essentially the same five-hour Tangier experience: a city bus tour, a drive through the ritzy palace neighborhood, a walk through the Medina (old town), and an overly thorough look at a sales-starved carpet shop (where prices include a 20 percent commission for your guide and tour company; some carpet shops are actually owned by the ferry company). Longer tours may include a trip to the desolate Atlantic Coast for some rugged African scenery, and the famous ride-a-camel stop (five-minute camel ride for a couple of euros). Any tour wraps up with lunch in a palatial Moroccan setting with live music (and non-Moroccan belly dancing), topped off by a final walk back to your boat through a gauntlet of desperate merchants.
Sound cheesy? It is. But no amount of packaging can gloss over this exotic and different culture. This kind of cultural voyeurism is almost embarrassing, but it’s nonstop action.
The day trip is so tightly organized that tourists have hardly any time alone in Tangier. For many people, that’s just fine. But frankly, seeing a line of day-trippers clutching their bags nervously like paranoid kangaroos reminded me of a self-imposed hostage crisis. It was pathetic.
You rarely need to book a tour more than a day in advance, even during peak season. Tours generally cost about €60 (less than a round-trip ferry ticket alone—they make their money off commissions if you shop, and get a group rate on the ferry tickets). Prices are roughly the same no matter where you buy. While some agencies run their own tours, others simply sell tickets on excursions operated by the big ferry company FRS. Ultimately, it’s the luck of the draw as to which guide you’re assigned. Don’t worry about which tour company you select. (They’re all equally bad.)
Tours leave Tarifa on a variable schedule: For example, one tour may depart at 9:00 and return at 15:00, the next could run 11:00-19:00 (offering a longer experience), and the next 13:00-19:00. If you’re an independent type on a one-day tour, you could stay with your group until you return to the ferry dock, and then just slip back into town on your own, thinking, “Freedom!” You’re welcome to use your return ferry ticket on any later boat (FRS has departures generally every other hour).
You can pay extra for various add-ons. For an extra €15 per person beyond the cost of a standard tour, they will arrange a “VIP tour” for up to four people—you’ll get a private guide and vehicle, plus lunch. This is actually quite economical, especially if you’re traveling as a foursome and would prefer a more personalized experience.
If you want a longer visit, it’s cheap to book a package through the ferry company that includes staying in a Tangier hotel for one night (only €30-35 more than the regular tour, €10 extra in peak season, includes guiding and 2 lunches and 1 dinner). If you stay overnight, the first day is the same as the one-day tour, but rather than catching the boat that afternoon, you take the same boat—on your own—24 hours later. There’s also a two-day option that includes no guiding or meals (€25-30 more than regular tour, €12 extra in peak season).
Booking a Tour: If you’re taking one of these tours, you may as well book direct with the ferry company (see contact information earlier, under “Ferry Crossing,” or visit their offices at the port in Tarifa), or through your hotel (you’ll pay the same, but the hotel gets a commission; if you know you want to visit Morocco with a tour, ask your hotel to book it when you reserve). There’s not much reason to book with a travel agency, but offices all over southern Spain and in Tarifa sell ferry tickets and seats on tours. In Tarifa, Luís and Antonio at Baelo Tour offer my readers a 10 percent discount (daily in summer 7:00-21:00, across from TI at Avenida de la Constitución 5, tel. 956-681-242); other Tarifa-based agencies are Tarifa Travel and Travelsur (both on Avenida de Andalucía, above the old-town walls).