In March 2020 the Moroccan authorities had closed the maritime border with Spain due to a political dispute over Western Sahara. Ferries to and from Morocco continued to run from Sète, France and from Genova, Italy until November 2021 when the high incidence of Covid in Europe caused the Moroccans to close all borders with Europe. In February 2022 Morocco reinstated air travel but, bizarrely, not the maritime links. Those who were desperate to return to Europe were able to leave their vehicles in Morocco and travel home by air – we chose to stay despite rumours that the maritime borders would remain closed until April.
Our ferry to Genova for the 12th March was cancelled and we rebooked for the 21st March – with no guarantee the ferry would run. We heard there was a special repatriation ferry leaving Morocco for Marseille on the 12th March but we decided not to try and get on it, preferring to return to Tiznit and then back to Sidi Ifni to await developments.
