At the beginning of 2025, I had this lovely idea to spend maybe a couple of months in Morocco, renting a flat or something, and working from there rather than Norfolk. In the end, it didn’t work out so it got me thinking where I could go for a ride this Spring that was just a bit different and then it hit me: Algeria 🇩🇿
The idea formed and all I needed was the paperwork…
The paperwork
Algeria is quite unlike Morocco in that it really doesn’t have a significant tourism industry; less than a third of the international visitors received by its neighbours Morocco and Tunisia. Maybe some of this is down to the challenges of gaining a tourist visa. I had to create a centimetre thick bunch of paperwork just to apply! They wanted multiple copies of every page of my passport and even a letter from my employer.
Upon visiting the consulate in London, I was disappointed to find I still didn’t have everything I needed as I had not booked accommodation for every night I was planning to be in the country, only the first.
As it happens, Helen Lloyd was also planning a visit to the country, completely by coincidence and chatting with her led me to believe I’d have better luck applying online. And I did - I got the visa I needed in only a few days!
Getting there
My plan was to get the Portsmouth to Bilbao ferry after work on a Tuesday night and then ride across Spain to Valencia where I could catch another ferry to Mostagenem in Algeria.
I’ve become quite a regular on routes to Spain with Brittany Ferries, to the point these days where I’m a Club Voyage member which gives me discounts on crossings and a few other benefits. Definitely worth it if you can do more than one trip a year. The ferry isn’t cheap but it is very, very good. I try my best to get an inside cabin low down in the boat as they tend not to sway around as much in the swell of the Bay of Biscay so much and I slept like a lamb.
22:30 departure, 2 nights onboard and then an 08:00 arrival means not having to find accommodation in the UK or Spain. Just get straight into riding down through the coldness of Northern Spain.
To be honest, I knew it would be a little chilly in Northern Spain but my last transit saw it warm up quickly once over the mountains in the north. This time was different!
I was trying out a new clothing setup for this trip. I have a new Knox Tor Armoured Shirt with its waterproof shell, over a Keis heated gilet and a thin Alpkit merino jumper. I wanted to know if this would give me the layering flexibility I need to be warm on the trip down whilst not sweltering in Algeria.
How little I knew about the conditions I would ride through! I woke up in my overnight location on the way to Valencia to snow! It actually snowed!
As it happens, whilst my hands were a little chilly, my body felt pretty good in this setup. The waterproof shell is a bit of a faff as it doesn’t have a zip but this means it really is waterproof – especially liked as I headed out in further snow, sleet and rain as I dropped height from 1400m around Teruel to the coast.
Of course, by the time I got to the coast, people were in beachwear and enjoying the surf. Not enough time for that, I had a boat to catch…
Filling every trope of Yorkshire people, I decided not to bother getting a cabin as they had “special, luxury” seats for the overnight ferry. Yeah, what they neglected to mention is that the seats are in a room where they play movies all bloody night. Literally, multiple screens showing, of all things, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at 3am. And I had forgotten my eyepatches.
Arrival in Mostaganem
I didn’t really know what to expect on arrival in Algeria but I guessed it would be a more complex immigration than, say, Morocco. I was right.
There were only three bikes on the boat and the other two were locals, as I was expecting. All three of us rode around the queue for immigration in style and started the process.
To be honest, all of the border staff were really helpful and kind. There was obviously some extra caution and, to be honest, confusion about this mad British woman travelling alone on a bike. To be honest, I didn’t blame them!
There was also a little confusion over my job. The moment I had said I worked for Cambridge University (I always drop the “Press” when travelling as that leads to all the wrong conclusions over my reason for visiting) then they assumed I was a Professor. I’m really not!
After stripping parts of the bike apart, going through just about every bag I owned looking for a drone, and questioning from what I assumed was some sort of secret police, I made it through! All I needed now was insurance for the bike.
Right outside the port exit, I was directed to two guys who sat on a couple of wooden chairs with a little picnic table - that was the insurance office.
Unfortunately, the Algerian dinar, being a closed currency, kinda needs me to change some of my Euros before I can buy anything. They couldn’t accept Euros, even though I got the feeling they wanted to, because there were Algerian Police hanging around me still.
Graciously, a guy offered to buy my insurance for me - about 20 Euros worth, as a gift. No asking for my details or Facebook info etc that I’ve had before - he was just doing a kind thing. I had a feeling I was going to like Algeria…
Oh yes - the Algerian Police hanging around. That was because the police inside had decided I needed an escort. You know, for my protection. They were going to escort me to my hotel and then pick me up in the morning for my ride to Algiers. As kind as it may be to have such an escort, I really didn’t want one - it takes away all the fun of exploring.
I had booked a “quite fancy” business hotel for the first night. I’ve done this before in a new country and I find it just gives me a familiar, standardised environment to get my bearings before adventuring further.
The awkward thing was the police had a word with the manager before I arrived to confirm my booking but also to let them know to keep them up to date if I tried to leave the hotel without them. This was going to be a complete pain. I was happy to eat in the hotel that evening but really wanted to wander down to the beach I could see from my room window.
Being ever resourceful, I figured out that, if I went down to the bike in the underground car park and then walked out by the vehicle entrance, the staff couldn’t see me leave – freedom! A quick walk on the beach to stretch my legs after the ferry and I was happy to wander back and see what tomorrow would bring. Maybe walking back in through reception was a mistake, though - I got quite a look off them.
Still, Rachel 1, Authorities 0.
A police escort
I didn’t escape them the next day, though. Reception were quite efficient in calling for my escort as soon as they saw me carrying bags down to my bike and going for breakfast.
To be honest, given it was my first time in Algeria, it was kinda handy having someone to keep an eye on my bike as I changed money and so on. Though, having said that, I didn’t really feel brave enough to say to them that I wanted to change the money on the black market as I would have got a much better rate. Still, I had actual money and that’s kinda handy.
It looked like the money was going to go far, too. Whilst accommodation was a little pricey, food and, especially, fuel was super cheap. I did a little conversion maths once I filled up and I was paying about 25p a litre!
I had kind of assumed that I would have the same escorts all day as I headed east but, once we reached the autoroute, we stopped and waited for someone to take me further down the road. I would rather have taken smaller roads but that’s no fun with an escort so went with the autoroute as it would be over sooner.
Then followed changeover after changeover as I headed east. The fun ones were when the police motorbikes joined in - they seemed to assume I was totally okay with riding at 150 or 160 kmh the whole way. Honestly, I was ;-)
Eventually, though, at one of the changeovers, a sergeant asked me “are you a diplomat?” No, of course I’m not, “I’m just a tourist”. “Oh well, in that case, you can go…”
Freedom!
Oh, it felt so good to be free and do what I wanted! I immediately headed for the smaller roads towards the coast and a Roman settlement called Tipaza. Having negotiated with a local shop to keep an eye on my bike, with all its luggage, I ventured inside and found myself a guide.
The ruins are amazing! Whenever we go to such places in Europe, they are always packed with tourists and you really don’t get to go where you want. My guide definitely had a route in mind but we could largely wander where we liked, not stopped by any barriers or signs telling us where to go.
As it happens, I got a call from the hostel I had booked for the evening, the lovely Hostel Apart in Dar el Beïda, and arranged when to arrive etc.
After I rode over to the hostel, I was greeted by the manager who was so friendly and helpful. Again, Algerian hospitality is absolutely the best!
He arranged for my bike to be stored inside the hostel, right next to where we would be eating later, which was perfect.
Oh, and the food! As it was still Ramadan, nobody, not even me, was eating before Iftar and I was asking where to go. He said that I was very welcome to eat with the staff and it was just incredible. The food was all amazing.
Need to move on
Having now got my taste for a few ruins in my life, I wanted to make my way towards the biggest of them all, Timgad. That was going to need a couple of days to reach. It turns out Algeria was “quite big”. Who knew?
I made a dash further east to Setif, which turned out to be a city quite unlike I was expecting. Somehow, I had got it into my head that Algeria would be a little like southern Morocco and it really isn’t. Setif was a really quite affluent city, with a tram system (yeah, they can manage it Leeds, why not you?) and an incredible shopping centre.
It was interesting arriving at the hotel because, when unpacking the bike, they were keen that I remove all the cameras. I don’t have any cameras on the bike. They were very confused that I wasn’t filming every moment of my journey. Oh, and the idea that I don’t have an Instagram, Facebook, TikTok etc was also a shock.
I think they were so used to seeing people with all these things that it has become the norm. To be honest, I’d rather spend time riding than video editing. Damn, it’s hard enough to get me to write this blog!
The ruins of Timgad
I was now starting to get a little further south into Algeria and it was beginning to look a little more like the countryside I expected - dry and dusty.
I was getting a little more confident in myself and hitting smaller and smaller roads, which was nice. Being able to see more of the country rather than the side of a truck.
Arriving in Timgad, though, was another level of different in itself. Along with the usual modern things alongside the roads were stone pieces that were obviously very old. Yes, we were entering the area around the largest surviving ruined Roman city anywhere in the world.
I guess items from the city and its surroundings would get re-used over the last couple of thousand years and that was what I was seeing.
Going into the ruined city was an experience you could simply never have in Europe. Quite apart from the fact that it only cost a euro or two, the place was empty! It was a ruined city about the size of a medium UK town. I think, maybe, I saw three other visitors.
Being so big and so quiet made it all into a really great experience. I was able to just sit and soak it all in. I was able to let my mind wander and imagine what it must have been like to live there 1600 years ago. Wonderful.
One mistake I did make, though, was going too early in the day. I should have waited until dusk. Maybe I wasn’t quite ready to be out at that time, I don’t know. Would have helped the photos enormously, though.
Going south to go east
From Timgad, I had a few choices about what to do next. I could head back north and cross into Tunisia via the main crossing near the Mediterranean or I could head south and then head through the desert to the small crossing at Talib Al Arabi and then head towards Nefta in Tunisia.
Why would I want to do this, other than desert? Well, Nefta is where the original Star Wars film was shot and that’s a good enough reason. Let’s do it!
I headed through the mountains on some truly amazing twisty roads to Biskra then turned south down to El Oued for an overnight stay in a real desert city.
The journey south of Biskra definitely felt far more serious than anything else so far. I was really in the desert and messing up could easily get serious. Yes, I was on a busy road but the trucks were definitely on a mission and dunes were encroaching onto the road on a regular basis. Hitting a sand dune at speed would be unpleasant.
To be honest, though, it was kinda beautiful. Sand literally as far as I could see in all directions, save for the thin strip of tarmac and the regular phone masts.
Another hotel that was incredibly welcoming greeted me in El Oued. Honestly, I can’t believe how well I was looked after in the country. Really, such a lovely place.
The next day, I headed northeast on the RN16 for the border. Of course, it was yet another case of the third degree on my movements and much paperwork. And this was just on the Algerian side to get out of the country!
Getting into Tunisia was, in comparison, a breeze. Maybe only 45 minutes. As an added bonus, it seemed that the vehicle insurance that was bought for me in Mostaganem covered not just Algeria but the whole region.
Tunisia
Heading towards Nefta, I stopped to take a photo of some camels at the side of the road and then realised what I could see in the distance across the salt flat - it was the “Lars Homestead”. That’s the set used for the home of Luke Skywalker as he grew up, and shown at the start of the film.
I looked at the track to get out to it but, given I was carrying baggage, didn’t fancy getting stuck in the sand/salt far from the road when travelling solo. Never mind, I always like to save something for next time I’m passing by…
I was able, after dropping bags at a hotel, to ride up to Sidi Bouhel Canyon, where that famous scene of R2D2 being attacked by the Sand People was filmed.
Having arrived, I was somewhat surprised to discover it wasn’t some sort of “attraction” and there was nobody around. So, with nobody to stop me, I rode my bike up the canyon.
Heading north through Tunisia, I could see how it was similar in many ways to Algeria but also really quite different. There was definitely a far greater focus on tourism here. Anywhere you stopped would attract attention and tourist sites were, mostly, busier.
I did stop at a couple of campsites on my way north to Tunis and that really helped to finish off the trip nicely.
Tunis itself was a fabulous place. I really enjoyed a look around.
The ferry to Marseille was a little worn out, I must say. I genuinely worried if it would break down on the crossing.
France
Brittany Ferries decided to change the schedule of the return ferry from Santander to Portsmouth so that I wouldn’t be able to get home in time to be at work. This made me think that, should I be able to leave my bike somewhere, I could jump on a plane and come back for it when Europe warms up a bit. I didn’t need another day of snow…
Greg Harvey, a friend in the Drupal community, offered use of his mother in law’s new AirBnB in Uzès and a little spot to leave the bike, if we could get it in there. I jumped at the offer!
The place is absolutely gorgeous and decorated perfectly. Greg and I somehow managed to manoeuvre the bike into the little alcove and lock it up.
A tour of the town showed it to be equally beautiful. Definitely somewhere I want to go spend more time in soon. Of course, I would get that opportunity as I would have to come back for the bike. And that will be a whole other blog post to write.
Dinner with Greg and his wife Kuki was lovely - It feels like I’ve not seen either of them in a long time.
Honestly, you need to book the AirBnB. It really is a lovely place in a lovely town. Public transport from Marseille Airport is pretty easy. You will love it.
Reflections on the flight home
I’m really glad I took the opportunity to do this trip when I did, especially in Ramadan. I got to experience a country that isn’t quite as attached to tourism as Morocco and connect with people at a special time of year.
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