Ferry to Oran and travel along coast of northern Algeria possible without a guide?
 

I would like to take a ferry from Spain to Oran in northern Algeria, then travel by motorbike across northern Algeria to Tunisia.
Is this possible without a guide?
As an American, can I get a visa in Morocco or Spain for Algeria? Or must I send my passport home via FedEx to have a visa agency in the USA do it for me?

I have seen this type of question asked before and nobody ever knows for sure what the answer is. Hopefully someone will know, as the Algerian embassy in the USA is useless and told me a guide is not required anywhere in Algeria.

... as the Algerian embassy in the USA is useless and told me a guide is not required anywhere in Algeria.

If that's what they think (not correct) and they issue you a visa with none of the strings we have here in Europe (agency invites, etc) then go for it. You may need to advance book one night in a hotel and show them the proof. Once in Oran ride out confidently and hope for the best!

Ch

You are right I should have done this but now am in Morocco.
Do I need an agency invite just to take the northern highway? I have a hard believing that all the passenger vehicles coming on the ferry from Spain have guides waiting for them at the terminal.
Does anyone know for sure about the north?

Do I need an agency invite just to take the northern highway?
No but you may need proof of a hotel booking to get the visa.

I have a hard believing that all the passenger vehicles coming on the ferry from Spain have guides waiting for them at the terminal.

We 99.94% of them will be Algies going home so obviously not. Maybe you are not aware that north Algeria is not really a regular holiday destination like Maroc and Tuni - great country though it is.

"Where was our guide?" was the first question they asked in Algiers port last year (http://www.sahara-overland.com/Sfiles/tessalit.htm - first time I've been that way for many years). They were quite taken aback at the sight of a tourist in a 4WD (in the 1980s it was normal). As we were heading down to the desert (where guides are required) we had a guy waiting outside. If I were staying in the north I would have argued that one was not required.
Less busy Oran port is a better choice to enter.

Coming out of Algiers airport as I've done a few times recently - no one asks questions and you can go as far as you can get away with - north would be no prob I imagine. Riding a bike expect plenty of (friendly and even concerned) checkpoint action.

Note that NE Alg - towards the Tuni border - is a relatively 'hot' area.
See News: May 14 http://www.sahara-overland.com/news

good luck

Ch

Thanks, great information as always Chris. Does anyone know though if I can get my visa issue in Casablanca as a US citizen? And since they claim to require an airline reservation, what do I do about that? Has anyone done this without a tour agency helping and without an airline reservation?

They ask for an airline ticket because there are no direct road or rail connections from morocco to Algeria (I THINK!!), so they take it you want to fly. Try asking at the embassy directly and explaining your problem. But they may insist you get it with an airline reservation or in the last country if you say you intend going overland by another route i.e. from France or Niger.

There used to be that thing going a few years ago where you needed an airline reservation to get a Mauri visa. You got a ticket from a travel agency, got the visa and then the travel agency cancelled the ticket, charging you between 10 and 25% of the ticket price. Not every travel agency did this, one of the few was opposite the central train station in Rabat.

The embassy is probably in Rabat, though there may be a consulate in Casa. If you think it's going to be difficult it may be worth trying the full monty at the start, i.e. shirt, tie, neat trousers, wash, shave, and maybe an introductory letter from your embassy. A lot of people laugh at this but I lived in Africa for years and dropped the "scruffy murphy" appearance when I had anything official to do, seemed to get things done a lot faster like this.

But remember there is no land route from Morocco to Algeria ( afaik), so flying may be your only option.

Kevin

As your treading on a lightly worn path, it's worth saying that it's 'best and sensible to obtain a visa before spending money on a non refundable ticket' or something.

This way you may end up with a visa without a ticket, or at least a good indication of the likelyhood of obtaining one.

Dress well, and learn a few lines in Arabic - not the usual tourist ones will help I would imagine.