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hitchhiking the ferry is not possible anymore (?)
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'''Algeciras''' is an industrial port-city in southern [[Spain]], in the region named [[Andalusia]]. It is one of the main ferry crossings to [[Tangier]], [[Morocco]], and from which it is often possible to hitchhike with truckers ("camioneros") onto a boat to Morocco, without having to pay a ticket. Many drivers have the right to bring a passenger along with them, so it is both legal and free for them to take you along. Beforehand, you will see many trucks waiting in the many parking lots surrounding the port. The easiest way to find a ride is to simply ask, and continue asking everyone you see until you find someone who is leaving on the next [[hitchhiking a boat|boat]]. The last ferry of the night departs around 24:00, and each ferry loads about an hour before departure. So, to be on the safe side, you should arrive no later than 21.00 if you´d like to try for the last ferry of the night. There are basically two ways of getting a lift. Walking around and asking truck drivers is one option, you will meet many of them on their way between town and the truck parking lot, a little south of the main terminal, where the military port is. Stand near the roundabout (see maps) and ask people, but they might go hours or days later. If you want to get a quicker ride, it's better to try your luck in the terminal itself. Follow the signposting for the trucks to Tangier (same as for the P.I.F. parking lot). If you feel you are running around areas where no pedestrians should be, don't worry, authorities seem to be quite relaxed. Walk until you come to a roundabout where the signposting for Tanger (trucks) and P.I.F. parking lot lead different ways, there should be a little police control - but they don't seem to care. You can walk around that roundabout and the adjacent parking lot, asking for a lift. most trucks there are going to Morocco, and should leave in the following 1-2 hours.
Some drivers are actually willing to take more people into their truck than they are allowed, but don't bet on it, it's better to split up if you are hitching with more than 1 person. Once on the ferry, you can expect a free meal and coffee (if your driver is nice and shares the coupon with you), and sometimes even a shower and a room.
Remember that the ferries do not go to Tangier itself, but to Tangier-Med, a port 40 km to the east of Tangier. There is a Bus to Tanger right by the Port, which costs 7MAD (0,70€), but hitchhiking is obviously possible as well.
UPDATE: As of March 2016, renovations of the port seem to be complete. There doesn't seem to be a parking lot where Trucks to Morocco are waiting in the port, but you can just walk all the way through to the quay and ask around there. This has the added advantage that your ride should usually leave on the next ferry, as this is already where everybody is boarding the boat. Right before the last Police checkpoint, there can be quite a queue of trucks, whom you can also ask, but nobody seems to care if you walk past the checkpoint either. Next to the checkpoint there is also a parking lot, but the trucks there are coming from the ferries and are not going to Morocco.
If you are planning on buying a ferry ticket to Morocco, consider sailing out of the little-known port of Motril, which is an hour and a half south of Granada. If you don't want to make the detour all the way to Algeciras, the boat from Motril to [[Melilla]] costs about the same as from Algeciras to Ceuta (€36 for adult, €32 for ages 17-21). Drawbacks: Ferries leave only once a day, and the trip is several hours long (although you may enjoy the cruise). [[Melilla]] is a bit out of the way, but if you plan on heading straight for [[Fes]] or Tazekka National Park, it may be a good starting point.
=== Formalities ===
Police might send you away if they find you walking the last metres of the road leading to the quay because you are bypassing the passport control, but once you're on the last, big parking lot where everybody is waiting to board the ferry, noone should bother you, as you're already past all checkpoints.
If you don't have a passport from a Schengen member country, things might be more complicated for you. Using the method described here, you will bypass the passport control on the european side and thus not get an exit stamp, which you might need for different reasons. So it would be wise to find out in advance if you need an exit stamp, in which case you would need to find a truck '''before''' passing the checkpoint.
Customs and [[border crossing]] patrol will take place on the ferry. You should bring your passport and a pen to fill out the form that you will be given. Sometimes, you have to ask the staff for guidance, since the border personnel expect you to come to them, rather than for them to come to you. You should take care of all passport-stamping before the boat arrives in Tanger because you will have to present your stamped passport page to the authorities before leaving the port.
=== Personal Experiences ===
It took [[User:N0id|n0id]] two hours to find a ride in August 2009. Without a basic knowledge of French it would have been much harder. Many trucks already had two drivers, only a few didn't. Truck drivers on the ferry told him that it was much harder to hitch a ride from Tangier to Algeciras, due to the drivers' fear of getting busted for drug-trafficking and the tight security at the port in Tangier. On the other side, security will let you sleep in the ''gare maritime'' in Tanger (New Port) if you arrive after 23:00 because there won't be any buses going to Tangier city anymore.
[[User:DamnthatTelevision|DamnthatTelevision]] got a ride with the first camion he saw, and crossed the straight with the Moroccan driver, who also bought dinner and let him sleep at his place in [[Tangier]]. French was crucial, moroccan hospitality is legendary.
[[User:Traveling_Charles|Traveling Charles]] used this information and hitched the ferry in May & June 2013. Since they were two people, they were unsuccessfull asking the trucks waiting in line to board the boat and many of the drivers said no, as they can only take one person. But they asked the guy who was in charge of loading the boats and he was the key for getting a ride as he said he'''2014 IMPORTANT UPDATE'''d help them and basically gave permission to one of the drivers to take two people and so the driver who had previously said no, was then happy to take them now that he had the permission. [[File:Hh-maroc-camion.jpg|left|300px|thumb|right|[[User: I tried to hitch Amylin|Amylin]], inside a truck , hitchhiking onto the ferry from [[Algeciras]], [[Spain]] to [[Tangier|Tanger]], [[Morocco August 2014 ]], April 2008.]] ==== 2016 and there were major onward (post-renovations going underway all ) ====[[User:Payne]] reports, from hitching the ferry to Morocco in April 2017: There are more or less two ways to hitch the ferry. You will either ask around in the portparking area, meaning there is no longer a nice easy parking lot where truckers park before getting on or wait at the entrance gate for the trucks boarding the shipsferry. It took me almost 10 hours You are not assured to get an exit stamp of searching but I finally got someone by standing by the road near Schengen Area through any of those options. The first roundabout South of the boarding platform. There is a parking lot station/ticket boots leads you to the south parking area where you will see lots of truckersall the trucks wait before boarding, but DO NOT go herealso after coming out of the ferry that arrived from Morocco: good opportunities to head out very far into Europe will arise from asking around there (within an hour, as it is only for truckers coming off I could have hopped into 2 trucks headed all the boatsway back to Paris, one truck to London, and there are lots of guards who one to Italy)! Multiple parking areas will shoo be awaiting you away. Here Enter the area through the opening in the fence, right before the gates where truckers exit the area, about 50 meters from the roundabout. It is rough instructions perfectly legal for you to be in there and to get ask around for a ride (words of the Portuary Police themselves). However, do not talk to the spot I found: Walk towards trucks on the road as the act of soliciting a ride is actually illegal in the main terminal port (where words, again, of the public buys ticketsPortuary Police). Take I take it that "soliciting a ride" only applies to a left and follow running vehicle on the Tangers/Truck signsroad. You should pass will have better chances to find a big warehouse ride if you walk through that first parking area and eventually cross into the second area (just north of there is another opening in the warehousefence back there) come . The whole point of this is just to a little gas stationavoid walking through the exit gate. Just next Use the license plates to find out in which language you should try to communicate with the gas station in front of drivers. If you catch a trucker that still hasn't submitted his forms to the cement deviders authorities, it is apparently possible that he might be able to get you an exit stamp if you give him your best chancepassport, but it would then be possible that you would have to wait a few days around. Trucks pass there on A truck boarding the ferry has already done all the paperwork, which is why you end up skipping the way Spanish Border Authorities. If you want to try the other option, you should head into the boarding, building and often times park find out when the next ferry is leaving: trucks will start driving through the ferry's entrance gate (first roundabout North of the boarding building) as early as an hour and relax for a bithalf before the ferry leaves. It's not ideal On the ferry, but it a man sitting in a chair with a computer in front of him will workbe doing the Entrance Stamp to Morocco. The situation should change rapidly as He will not be there throughout the renovations continuewhole trip, so if take care of that as early as possible once you hitch it please update this section -[[User:PhysicsHipster|PhysicsHipster]] are on board. My understanding is that the ticket for trucks is valid for up to 2 persons inside the cab, and its price doesn't vary based on whether or not both places are used up. It also includes a free shower and free meal on board.
==== 2020 and onward (post corona) ====March 2023: My girlfriend and me ([[User:Traveling_Charles|Traveling CharlesDeepGroove]] used this information and hitched the ) tried to hitchhike a ferry in May & June 2013but did not succeed. Since they were two people, they were unsuccessfull asking the trucks waiting A truck driver in line to board the boat and many front of the drivers said no, as they can only take one personfirst checkpoint told us that this is not possible since Corona. But they asked Drivers must bring papers and everybody on the guy who was truck had to be officially in charge of loading that papers. And somehow that's not possible for hitchhikers. The harbor policeman at the boats and he was the key for getting a ride as he first checkpoint also said he, it'd help them and basically s not possible. We gave permission to one of the drivers to take two people and so the driver who had previously said noup at that point. Would be interested, was then happy to take them now that he had the permissionif someone made it since Corona.
== Coming from Morocco ==
Arriving by ferry from Morocco you should have tried to locate a ride on or before the ferry. If this failed (as it did in my case) you arrive at the ''passengers port''. Go past the places where there are long distance buses and you'll come to a crossing. Follow the signs to whatever direction you're going to. If your going direction Malaga (many people going long-distance here) follow the signs to Malaga saying "Salida Norte" for a couple of minutes and you'll see the huge shipping port. Keep on walking until and you come to a roundabout 'll be on the main road out of the Port, where there will be many trucks going in slow speed and many all cars from all over Europe coming from the ferry. Although these cars tend to be fullferries are passing.
If you're going far make sure the driver drives on Playa del Sol or some other motorway and don't avoid them because they aren't free.
Around the harbour are plenty of supposedly "cheap hotels" for around 10€/night. However, the waiting hall for the ferries is open 24/24h, is actually safe, controlled and also some other people (locals/homeless/travelers) sleep in it. If you don't find a lift for the ferry or a long lift for Europe, it is better to sleep there and try the next day instead of moving somewhere else.
[[Category:Andalusia]]
[[Category:E5]]
[[Category:E15]]
[[nomad:Algeciras]]