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The Complete Guide to Travelling to Morocco as a Solo Woman in 2024

I’ll be honest: travelling solo through Morocco was tough.

My four weeks in the country were challenging, exhausting, frustrating and disheartening — and yet, they were also full of joy, awe, wonder, and rewards.

Morocco is one of my favourite countries but it was also one of the hardest to travel in.

It’s hard to explain. How can one of my favourite countries in the world have left me with such unenjoyable experiences that I cut short my time there by several weeks? I don’t know either.

But I loved Morocco. I loved my time there. I loved the places I wandered through and the people who proved that Moroccans can be kind and welcoming and helpful. However, I was so frustrated that the local men I met acted in a way that made my trip far less enjoyable.

I’m frequently contacted by women who feel that same pull as I did to visit Morocco, but who have also been put off by the negative articles and sexual harassment horror stories. They reach out looking for reassurance, wanting advice, and looking for information on how to have a safe, trouble-free trip.

The problem is I didn’t have a trouble-free trip, and I can’t offer reassurance that travelling through Morocco will be easy. But at the same time, just because I had a challenging time in the country doesn’t mean that anyone else will too. That’s why it’s tough writing articles like this — I don’t want to put anybody off visiting Morocco but I do want to share my personal experiences.

So here, then, is an account of the struggles and joy I experienced from travelling through Morocco — and the advice I would offer women who are looking to travel there too.

The Best Destinations to Visit in Morocco as a Solo Woman

I spent a full month in Morocco, and chose to visit Marrakech, The Sahara Desert, Essaouira, Casablanca, Chefchaouen and Tangier over that time. I deliberately skipped visiting Fes because I had heard nothing positive about the city from any women I ran into on the road.

I Loved Marrakech

I arrived in Marrakech fully prepared to dislike such a chaotic city, but fell in love from the second I arrived. Yes, it was noisy, busy, and polluted, but it was also beautiful, exciting, and fascinating to spend time in.

The touts were more persistent than I’d experienced in most places around the world, but it wasn’t stressful and I wasn’t bothered by it. I even managed to negate some of the tension by hiring a local guide to show me around. My guide helped keep the touts at bay as we navigated the medina with minimal hassle. He helped me to get my bearings, and I experienced and saw a lot more than  if I had been alone.

The following day, without a guide, I found simple wanderings to be slightly challenging but I never once felt like I was in any real danger. I experienced mild annoyance from the touts as they desperately tried to sell things to me, but they always left me alone if I didn’t engage. I simply avoided eye-contact, walked as if I knew where I was going, and they soon moved on to someone else.

The Sahara Desert was Incredible

I would count my tour to the Sahara Desert as one of the best things I’ve ever done in my life. Sitting atop a sand dune and watching the sunset was a life-changing experience, and sleeping beneath the Milky Way hours later was even more breathtaking than I’d expected. I believe everyone should venture into the desert at least once.

It was on this tour to the desert that I experienced my first taste of harassment. My tour guide made me feel uncomfortable at several points by continually reaching out to touch my arm and attempting to separate me from the rest of the group. At one point, he offered to take me up into the Atlas Mountains to camp after the tour, insisting I’d love the perfect night sky and friendly Berber people.

Perhaps he was just being friendly, but as a solo woman traveler, you have to be cautious when you travel, and I wasn’t going to take any chances. I made sure to keep close to other members of my tour group and he soon decided to leave me alone.

If you’re going to venture into the desert, I highly recommend booking a tour online before you go, so that you can check the reviews and vet the tour guides in advance. This tour is the one I took and I had a magical experience while I was there.

Essaouira was Both Calming and Stressful

Essaouira felt like a breath of fresh air after the mayhem of Marrakech — a hippie town full of rumours that Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones had made this their home throughout the 70’s. I love laidback beach towns like this and I love my classic rock so it immediately felt like the perfect place for me to be. It was mellow and beautiful and took only a few minutes for me to decide to extend my stay in town.

I spent my first few days relaxing on the beach, bemused to see everybody sunbathing while covered from head to toe. I got lost in the photogenic medina by day and spent my evenings fascinated by the local fisherman trying to sell their freshly-caught fish to passing people — there were dozens of hole in the wall restaurants just a few metres away that would happily cook your fish for you right there.

When I wasn’t out exploring, I was sunbathing on my hostel’s roof terrace, napping in a hammock or drinking amazing mint tea. Essaouira was amazing.

And then everything changed.

A music festival came to town, bringing with it hundreds of thousands of tourists as the population increased from 60,000 to 400,000 overnight. The increase in people brought with them a much tougher experience with the touts — they became aggressive and wouldn’t take no for an answer. I couldn’t sit down and have a meal without a local man approaching me and sitting down to chat.

Often, I’d leave the beach to head back to my hostel only to find a teenage boy following me and trying to talk. My guard was up and I didn’t say much, sad that I felt unable to trust them. They would follow after me, getting increasingly angry as I kept my head down and refused to participate — “Just talk to me!” they’d yell. After a while, I’d turn around and ask them firmly to leave me alone. When I relented and had a conversation with them, they became lecherous and inappropriate, and I struggled to get away.

I suddenly had hassle from men in the street, too — telling me they liked my “American tits”, whispering in French in my ear and then calling me a whore when I hurried away. I have to mentioned that I was completely covered up and couldn’t have worn any more layers at this point, beyond throwing a blanket over myself. I was avoiding eye-contact and not engaging with anybody — I don’t know what else I could have done to not attract attention. I could no longer sit and enjoy a meal without several men sitting down with me and trying to convince me to go back to their house for a “local experience”.

My time in Morocco was beginning to sour and I was exhausted.

Casablanca Brought More of the Same

Still worn out from my time in Essaouira, I reached Casablanca, and was on guard, stressed, and ready to burst into tears at any moment. Fortunately, there were no incidents because I spent the entire time in my hotel room recovering.

Leaving only to buy food, I found myself each and every time with at least one guy following me and asking me questions and getting angry when I acted as if I had not heard.

I wasn’t sure what I should have been doing: engaging the men resulted in lechery and a struggle to escape, ignoring them made them angry and aggressive. I was starting to long to leave the country.

However, I had just one more place I wanted to visit.

Chefchaouen was a Welcome Respite

Chefchaouen was one of my favourite places in Morocco, and one I could have spent months living in. The entire town was painted a gorgeous baby-blue colour, the locals were friendly and welcoming and there was absolutely no hassle or abuse. It was bliss and I spent an entire week exploring the tiny alleyways, hiking in the mountains, and eating delicious tagine.

When my cab dropped me off outside the old city at the wrong gate and I couldn’t find my hostel, a local teenager approached me and made it his mission to help me out. In any other city in Morocco, this would be a sort-of scam, where a local helps you find your way and then asks you for a sum of money in exchange. I was fully expecting this but, when we finally found my hostel, he simply shook my hand, wished me an enjoyable stay in Chefchaouen and left.

I’d been considering cutting short my time in Morocco but Chefchaouen had once more transformed my opinion of the country. It seemed like every time something went wrong, I discovered something beautiful or had a touching experience which had me longing to spend even more time there. I subsequently extended my stay to a full week.

Tangier Beat Me Down

Despite spending a week in recovery in Chefchaouen, I immediately felt my stress levels rising when I reached Tangier. I daresay that had I arrived in Tangier first, I would have loved my time there, but by this point in my trip, I was reacting with frustration and irritation whenever I was approached by the local men.

Tangier, then, was the final straw.

Within a few hours of arriving in this seaside port, I had a man following me out of the medina and asking me questions over and over — occasionally in English, mostly in French. I answered a few, but kept my head down, and tried to get away from him. I had learned by now that some responses were enough to keep the men from getting angry, but to keep my interaction to a minimum in order to keep them from getting too close.

When he continued to follow me to the steps of my hotel, I panicked and began to run. I just wanted to get to my room and away from this stranger.

It was then that I felt a cold, hard blow to the head.

He had thrown a rock at me.

Holding the back of my head and running for my hotel, I shut myself in my room, jumped online and booked a ticket back home to London for the following morning.

I was done with Morocco.

Perhaps now that time has passed I find myself thinking longingly of my time in Morocco through rose-tinted glasses, but it’s the country I desire returning to more than any other. The country itself is beautiful and diverse, and there’s so much more I crave to see.

Unsurprisingly, the men I encountered during my time there ruined what could have been an incredible trip. Had they not been so intense, persistent, and aggressive I have no doubt that Morocco could have been my favourite country.

Perhaps my problem was not working any real rest days into my itinerary. Aside from the groping in Essaouira and the rock-throwing in Tangier, I don’t think the level of hassle was any higher than it was when I first arrived in Marrakech — it was just the cumulative stress of frustration after frustration after frustration that led to me being exhausted and desperate to leave. Perhaps I was just so frustrated that I was giving off negative vibes that were angering the locals. Perhaps I’m just victim-blaming myself in search of an explanation.

Should you go to Morocco?

I’m inclined to say that if you’re a reasonably experienced traveller, have plenty of common sense, and have a pretty good idea of what you’ll be in for then you should go and experience the beauty of the country.

If you’re nervous then consider visiting places like Chefchaouen, Marrakech, and the Sahara, or arrive with no onward plans so you’re open to leaving early if the hassle becomes too much. You could even take an introductory tour to the country to give you peace of mind.

Would I recommend Morocco for first time solo travellers?

I wouldn’t say don’t go if you haven’t travelled alone before — but I’d suggest researching Morocco thoroughly before making a decision.

For me, I had travelled for a year — four months of those solo — before arriving in Morocco, so I had a good idea of what to expect from challenging countries.

What if I had visited at the very start of my trip? I think I would have been fine. I would have researched the country in great depth and known what to expect. Most importantly, I would have had a lot more energy and enthusiasm. I definitely had a case of travel fatigue wearing me down when I visited.

As long as you know what to expect — and you do after reading this post — you can go in prepared and have a successful trip.

Tips for Solo Women in Morocco

And now some tips if you’re planning on travelling solo through Morocco as a female.

Use common sense: 

This goes for pretty much every country you visit but more-so for somewhere like Morocco. Be sensible, don’t drink too much alcohol (though in Morocco, alcohol is so expensive you probably won’t be touching it), and behave how you would at home.

In Morocco, I researched unsafe neighbourhoods in cities and made sure to stay away from any that were said to be dangerous. I made sure to read reviews left by female travellers for hostels before I booked them. I didn’t go out alone at night, and steered clear of dark alleyways and poorly-lit areas during the day. I didn’t drink any alcohol.

Stay in hostels/hotels that have good reviews from solo female travelers: 

I can recommend many fantastic guesthouses from my time in Morocco:

In Marrakech,  Riad Carina  ( $43 a night  for a double room; rated 9.3 on  Booking ) receives a whole lot of love. So what’s so wonderful about it? Not only is it a stunning and well-designed riad, but it’s located just a five-minute walk from all of the main tourist attractions in town and is home to some seriously friendly staff. It’s quiet and peaceful, has a beautiful swimming pool, and an even more beautiful rooftop terrace.

In Essaouira,  Riad Dar Awil  ( $49 a night  for a double room; rated 9.6 on  Booking ) is easily the best place to stay for mid-range travellers, as essentially no other riads in town receive such great reviews while still remaining affordable. Riad Dar Awil is new, modern, and clean, and smaller than other riads across the country, which means more attentive staff and a chance to get to know your fellow guests over breakfast. It’s located right in the heart of the medina, which is exactly where you want to be staying in Essaouira.

In Fes,  Dar Fes Tresor  ( $44 a night  for a double room; rated 9.1 on  Booking ) is exactly what you probably picture staying in Morocco to look like. The rooms are gorgeous, with intricate mosaics and stained glass windows, giving a real traditional vibe to the place. It’s in a quiet location, which is essential for travel in chaotic Fes, and the staff are so kind and friendly. The views from the rooftop are really the icing on the cake!

In Chefchaouen,  Dar Swiar  ( $45 a night  for a double room; rated  9.4 on Booking ) offers incredible value when you consider how expensive the city is for travellers. It has a wonderful rooftop view of the blue buildings, is just a minute’s walk from the main square in town, and a very welcoming owner. As a bonus, the Wi-Fi is fast, which is tough to find in Morocco!

And finally, in Tangier,  Mnar Castle  ( $46 a night  for a four-person apartment; rated  9.2 on Booking ) is one of the most popular hotels for a reason. Not only do they have a large swimming pool for guests, but they also offer some of the best-value accommodation in the country. There’s a delicious breakfast, a breathtaking view of the ocean, and a free shuttle that takes you to the main attractions in the city.

Dealing with local men:

There’s not really much you can do to avoid attention (I even met women travelling with men who were drained from the abuse directed at them) but there are steps you can take to minimise it. Look as though you know where you’re going when you’re out exploring because if you look frightened, lost, and disorientated you’ll also look like an easy target. When local men approach you keep your head held high, avoid eye-contact and stride purposefully away. If they persist, ask them firmly to leave you alone. Ignore them if they get angry.

Cover up: 

I wore long cotton pants down to my ankles, a t-shirt with a high neck, a long-sleeved cotton shirt and a shawl. I kept everything loose and light so I didn’t get too hot during the day. The girls I met who felt most scarred by the hassle were those who were walking around in shorts and a strap top, but even those who were covered from head to toe weren’t left alone, as my experience shows.

Expect to feel uncomfortable in shared cabs: 

Shared cabs are a cheap way to get from city to city if there aren’t any buses running. My experiences with shared cabs weren’t great. There was usually four people crammed into a backseat of a tiny car — that’s three men and myself all squeezed together. Nothing untoward happened but I did feel a little uneasy pressed up against three locals. Either wait for a cab you can share with females or take a bus instead.

Know that your frame of mind will affect your experience:

When horrible things happened to me in Morocco, it was at a time when I was struggling, worn out and angry. When I was happy and excited, wonderful things happened. There is no excuse for the man who threw a rock at the back of my head in Tangier, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been giving off a hostile vibe and storming away from him in rage and frustration. Though it can be taxing, try to stay positive when you’re experiencing hassle. I know I wish I had.

Get travel insurance: 

If you’ve read any other posts on Never Ending Footsteps, you’ll know that I’m a great believer in travelling with travel insurance. I’ve seen far too many Go Fund Me campaigns from destitute backpackers that are unexpectedly stranded in a foreign country after a scooter accident/being attacked/breaking a leg with no way of getting home or paying for their healthcare. These costs can quickly land you with a six-figure bill to pay at the end of it.

In short, if you can’t afford travel insurance, you can’t afford to travel.

Travel insurance  will cover you if your flight is cancelled and you need to book a new one, if your luggage gets lost and you need to replace your belongings, if you suddenly get struck down by appendicitis and have to be hospitalised, or discover a family member has died and you need to get home immediately. If you fall seriously ill, your insurance will cover the costs to fly you home to receive medical treatment.

I use  SafetyWing  as my travel insurance provider, and recommend them for trips to Morocco. Firstly, they’re one of the few companies out there who will actually cover you if you contract COVID-19. On top of that, they provide worldwide coverage, don’t require you to have a return ticket, and even allow you to buy coverage after you’ve left home. If you’re on a long-term trip, you can pay monthly instead of up-front, and can cancel at any time. Finally, they’re way cheaper than the competition, and have a clear, easy-to-understand pricing structure, which is always appreciated.

With SafetyWing, you’ll pay  $1.50 a day  for travel insurance.

My time in Morocco was challenging but it was rewarding, too. As long as you’re fully aware of what to expect, stay positive, dress respectfully and take time to rest when the hassle gets too much, there’s no reason you can’t have a safe and enjoyable trip.

Related Articles About Morocco 💰 How Much Does it Cost to Travel in Morocco? 🇲🇦 28 Incredible Things to Do in Marrakech, Morocco 🐪 An Incredible Experience in the Sahara Desert 💙 Is Chefchaouen the Prettiest City in the World? 🏖 Every Post I’ve Written About Morocco

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Lauren Juliff

Lauren Juliff is a published author and travel expert who founded Never Ending Footsteps in 2011. She has spent over 12 years travelling the world, sharing in-depth advice from more than 100 countries across six continents. Lauren's travel advice has been featured in publications like the BBC, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Cosmopolitan, and her work is read by 200,000 readers each month. Her travel memoir can be found in bookstores across the planet.

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321 comments.

Thanks for sharing your experience and telling it like it was. I went to Morocco last year – but accompanied by my husband – and had an entirely different experience than you, receiving zero attention from local men. It’s a little crazy to hear how different it could be by being on your own! Glad you had a few good memories from the trip regardless and I appreciate hearing your viewpoint.

I’m glad to hear you had a different experience to me, Becky. If I’d received zero attention Morocco would have been my favourite country :-)

Hello, I went to Morocco mid Feb this year with my daughter for 8 days. We stayed at a Riad and booked the excursions through them, the guides were really nice and there was no problem at all. I was really skeptical to go there initially.

I am sorry you had such a bad experience 😔

Hi Lauren, I am currently living in Tangier, Morocco and though I am not traveling alone I am sorry for the experience you had. Even though I also walk around with at least 1 other women I do occasionally get harassed but I could never imagine having something throw a rock at me. For others who look at this I have found that screaming/firmly shouting “La” (no in Arabic) repeatedly does the trick. We were told that if guys get aggressive then get aggressive back and yell Hosheem (I might be spelling this wrong) which means shame. I have almost always completely avoided talking to Moroccan men outside of saying my fake name and telling them I have a boyfriend. I found avoiding eye contact, firmly saying/yelling la, and turning down every guy immediately works wonderfully. I hope you try and visit again soon!

It’s such a shame that you had such a rough time in Morocco. That’s one of the countries I’ve wanted to visit, but given its checkered history, I’ve always hesitated. I’m ashamed on behalf of men for the way those guys behave toward women, and how they behaved toward you. There are other places in the world to visit.

There are definitely other places. Morocco *is* stunningly beautiful but yes, the local men’s behaviour needs a lot of improving.

I also found Morocco very confronting – a mixture of awe at the incredible scenes and beauty I was witnessing, but also SUCH ANGER at the constant harassment and abuse. Chefchaouen was such a healing spot after the insanity of the other cities. In cases like this, I try and remember that every place has its assholes, but just because one country’s assholes are the most vocal and in-your-face locals you meet, doesn’t mean that good people aren’t out there as well. But, seriously, is it ever difficult to keep that in perspective when a stranger is calling you a slut just for walking past…

It’s encouraging to read that you still consider Morocco one of your favourite countries, though! I do want to go back someday, but with a thicker skin. Thank you for sharing your story :)

Sounds like we had the exact same experience, Naomi :-). I think having a very thick skin is key for dealing with Morocco.

Same here! Hearing *I want to fuck you* on my back, walking on the public market right next to my boyfriend, getting stones thrown at the two of us stopping in the shade of a tree (we are bikepacking), hearing kids yelling stupid things as we pass – as much as people get kind when you come to their homes or purchase something, as much I feel disappointed by a culture that makes boys behave so terribly.

The landscape can be beautiful, the people can be kind – incidents downgrade Morocco a lot. I don’t know about the thicker skin, I really behave so respectful and avoid every misbehavior… I just want to kick those guys in their genitals. Really hard. But of course it’s lack of education and money which makes them that way…

I’m sorry to hear about all these terrible things that happened to you!! I have heard such a wide variety of experiences from women in Morocco – it really does determine how you feel about it.

Just to give people an idea of a different experience: I studied abroad in Morocco this past summer, and as a 19 year old girl, took many solo trips around the country. Any problems? None!! I absolutely love Morocco, it’s definitely one of my favorite countries in the world. Sure, men catcalled me on a daily basis and I did get a lot of attention, but for the most part it was harmless and I often found it kind of funny (As in – let’s rate the quality of catcalls we get today). I never experienced any physical harassment, and as a solo female traveler I couchsurfed with the nicest people all around the country and met lots of hospitable locals who made my experience amazing. A taxi driver in Asilah even invited me and all of my friends for dinner during Ramadan, and we all shared food with him and his kind family in the countryside!

The only kind of extreme hassle I had (nowhere near on par with yours) was this one henna lady in Marrakech who tried to scam the hell out of me. You’re absolutely right when you say that your frame of mind shapes the experience. I tried to stay positive the entire time, and took the cat calls lightly and with some humor instead of letting them bother me. When locals came up and started talking to me, I learned to just go with it unless I got bad vibes, in which case I’d ignore. I’d make some friendly chat and then come up with an excuse to leave, and usually the people were nice. It just seems so normal for them to walk right up to strangers and talk to them. The most common phrase I heard from these men who walked up to me was, “Welcome to Morocco!”.

Once again, sorry to hear about these bad experiences. I share your love for the country, except this is coming from someone who did not get a lot of hassle. I also absolutely loved Essaouira and Chefchaouen – my two favorite places in the country! I went to Essaouira during the Gnaoua festival (which I think was the music festival you talked about stumbling into) and had an amazing time! Then again, I couchsurfed and the locals I stayed with were amazing guides and hosts to the little hippie town. I can’t wait to return to the Morocco! Even though your talking about the difficulties you had, it’s making me nostalgic hahaha.

Thank you for sharing a different experience, Anne! I have friends that had no problems while travelling through Morocco so I definitely know it’s possible — it’s just frustrating my experience was so negative! Your time sounds amazing :-)

Sorry to hear you had such a rough time in Morocco! I’ve been debating on whether or not I should try to visit there this coming year, although maybe I should wait until I have someone to go with!

Either wait until you have someone to travel with or expect lots of harassment so it isn’t a surprise :-). Work lots of downtime into your itinerary!

Morocco remains high on my list, including Marrakech, Essaouira, and Chefchaouen. It’s sad to hear that not only is there such harassment, but the anger that appears to come along when you don’t respond. I’m almost more concerned about how I would react – I can only keep my head down and mouth shut for so long! I still plan to visit, but will probably wait until I’ve had more solo travel under my belt and/or have a companion to come along.

I’ve had enough experience with annoying touts around the world that my first reaction is to keep my head down and ignore everything going on around me. It did definitely seem to anger them though.

Glad you still want to visit! :-)

Hi I’m Moroccan.i want to apologize for this behave. It’ss true, women are harassed all the time in Morocco, not by every male but in many cities it became the rule. Sometimes, when I’m with my daughter .i feel embarrassed when I notice this wrong behave. It’s not easy to be a woman in Morocco. I’m sorry But the country is beautiful

I can’t believe that guy threw a rock at you!! Holy smokes. Kudos for you on keeping your cool with these guys. I would have never been able to handle that – I would have flown off the handle and probably made things much, much worse. Note to self: there are other places than Morocco to see :)

Yeah, I have a pretty bad temper but after punching a scammer in Shanghai I’ve worked on keeping it under control :-). There are definitely other places with much less hassle!

My pals over at Vagabond3 just got back from Morocco, so it’s really interesting hearing about their time and now yours as well. While Morocco has never been even on my radar of places to go, it’s officially completely fallen off based on the rock throwing. I am just in shock reading that. And given the fact that in a place like this I would always give off a bitchy vibe, that this could happen, I’m out.

Yeah, the rock throwing was completely uncalled for — I just wanted him to leave me alone. I’ll have to head over to Vagabond3 to see what their experience was like.

I really appreciate the honesty in this post. Morocco is one of the countries I’d love to visit, and planning a trip around cities where I won’t be harassed doesn’t seem so out of the question. I’m sorry you had some tough experiences, but I’m glad that you had the amazing times to balance that out. And you’ve written about it in a really balanced way, good job.

Those pictures, though, breathtaking.

Thanks for the kind words, Sally. My time in Morocco was definitely very conflicted.

Sorry to hear you had such bad experiences. I have yet to go but am in the midst of planning a 13 day trip next March but with my fiancé. How did you travel from city to city? Bus?

Hey Samantha,

Yep, I travelled by bus everywhere. The only exception was from Chefchaouen to Tangier, where I travelled by shared taxi.

Sorry for a rough time at Morocco. I can’t believe that guy threw a stone to you. It must be frustrating for you but i like your attitude towards Morocco, hope you will go back there and may be give a different experience story.

I’d love to return and have a completely different experience with the local men! It would make Morocco my favourite country :-)

Well, Lauren, I don’t know why there are few black sheep in every country. Sorry to hear about the person who hurt you for no reason.

I am glad that being a positive person you look for the best things and that’s exactly what I like about travelling. It lets you give a positive vibe and you tend to look at the beautiful things of the world and its people. There are so many things to learn from you Lauren.

Ah, thank you so much!

My first foray into Morocco was as an inexperienced traveller to Tangiers. Since I live a few hours north of Morocco, it’s easily accessible from Spain. In the short hours I spent there, I felt extremely uncomfortable and ripped off, and everything seemed to artifical. Due to the number of ferries that arrive from Algeciras and Tarifa, the cities along the coast have lost a lot of character. Marrakesh was totally different for me, and much more enjoyable.

I’m not surprised to hear that, Cat. I found the touts to be especially aggressive in Tangier — I guess due to all the day trippers from Spain.

Wow, what an experience! I can’t believe that guy threw a rock at you, no excuse for stuff like that. It’s awesome that you didn’t let the bad incidents colour your perception of the country too much though – it looks stunningly beautiful.

It truly is a beautiful country. And yes, no excuses for the behaviour of the men. See why I’m conflicted?!

Someone threw a rock at your head?!? That’s ridiculous! I guess guys generally get it easier than girls in the travel department – I certainly don’t get hassled in a sexual manner…maybe I should start wearing short shorts…anyway, I’m glad you wrote this post. Travel isn’t all sunshine and lollipops, and even in countries we love, we can have bad experiences. Serbia and Turkey are two of my favourite countries, but a couple of crappy things happened in each place.

Yeah, absolutely. I know that I find myself receiving much more harassment than my male travel friends do while travelling. Travel would be much easier if I was a dude :-)

Wow, I would have done the exact same as you. First, locking myself in doors for a while to recover, and then leaving after the rock incident. It is infuriating how some people can be so awful and ignorant! The things they were whispering too…..it’s hard to comprehend how they think that is okay!

That being said, the Sahara desert experience sounds amazing and Chefchaouen looks absolutely stunning! It would be a dream to take pictures of and I must make it there someday. It’s too bad the people can’t just be nicer, then I’d book a ticket right away. Instead, I’m a bit hesitant, and would want to wait for the right time, the right travel partner…or maybe just a really cheap flight ;)

Yeah, the whispering and insults were what really got to me — and then I was pissed off at myself for not standing up for myself and yelling at them. I can understand you being hesitant but it’s definitely still worth visiting at some point, maybe with a travel partner.

Great post, Lauren. It’s never easy to write about a place when you experienced both highs AND lows. Morocco is one of those places that part of me really wants to visit, while the other part just wants to stay far away. Things like the Sahara and Chefchaouen I think will eventually draw me in, though…

However, I don’t know if I will tackle Morocco solo.

Thanks, Amanda! I think if you’re nervous about visiting Morocco it’s best to see it as part of a tour, or with a guy.

Wow I’m so shocked to hear about your experience in Morocco.

I’m currently here, as a single older woman, enjoying every second so far.

I have only been treated with respect and friendliness. I’m starting in Tangier in the medina, feel very safe and comfortable. I haven’t been hassled once.

I’ve visited Tétouan, Asilah and Chefchauhan, as well as my base in Tangier.

I would have loved to have visited more… so I’ll save the other places you’ve been to, for another visit.

Sorry to hear your travels weren’t anything other than perfect.

Oh my goodness I can’t believe someone threw a rock at you! I wrote a post where I mentioned feeling a draw to Morocco but feeling conflicted because of the hassle and safety factor and so many women have said it’s worth it. But man, your experiences sound really though! I think I’d either want to book a guided tour (ugh) at this point, or get some more solo travel experience under my belt.

Yeah. The rock didn’t hurt much but I was in so much shock. Even if I’d stayed past that point, I would have been too nervous to go outside.

I’m not a fan of guided tours either, but I’d definitely take one in somewhere like India, which intimidates me.

The pictures are breathtaking (the one taken in Chefchaouen is my absolute favorite), but until I read your post I had no idea this is the situation for female solo travelers in Morocco! I´ve always regarded Morocco as a great eco-tourism destination full of adventure and culture, but I´ve never considered its cons, I guess. I´m quite surprised I have to say.. Maybe this is the result of the lack of social interaction between the sexes and Moroccan men generally having little exposure to women other than their immediate family..

Thanks, Jamie.

I can’t speak Moroccan men, but I’ve read, and heard from several people, that a huge contributing factor is the fact that they’re not used to seeing women exposing bare skin. In the Western world it’s rather common, which has the men believing that Western women are easy.

This is a really great post, it’s wonderful you’re so honest about your experiences.

I travelled Morocco with my husband and was occasionally harassed when I became separated from him. One time we were getting out of a taxi and I guy came up to me and said “Big ASS, you have big ASS!” It was the final straw. I turned around and snapped, “I DO NOT have a BIG ASS!” And then our guide informed me he was saying I have big EYES.

Opps…

Thanks, Carmen, it took over a year for me to publish this post, but I feel like my experiences need to be shared. That story is hilarious!

I’m afraid the guide would have been lying to calm you down. I have lived in Morocco for 15 years, I speak arabic and some berber and believe me, the only words that come out of their mouths are insults! There are, of course, exceptions but there is an incredibly high percentage of rude, nasty people here. Some of the attitude comes from lack of or, even worse, poor education and the instilling of the belief by parents to children that strangers are dangerous and not welcome – the infidel!. It is quite normal, while out walking the dogs or running errands, to be hit on the head by rocks or pieces of old food picked up from the ever-present rubbish in the streets. Morocco is a truly beautiful country ruined by the population who seem unable to take responsibility for anything. I have never seen so much broken glass (from wine, beer and mehia bottles) in countryside locations as here, in this islamic country and I don’t believe that one shard has been put there by a tourist!!!!

Thanks for your insight, Pansy.

I am moroccan and feels so ashamed that you had experienced a bad moments. beleive me this not our reality, i kniow there are bad guys and even moroccan girls go through the same situation. but i am happy you still keeping a positive side of you trip to our country. My advice is to travel with a friend or have an experienced local guide.

just a note: the comment coming from PANSY that : THE INSTILLING OF THE BELIEF BY PARENTS TO CHILDREN THAT STRANGERS ARE DANGEROUS AND NOT WELCOME… is completely false and a rude judgement.

Youssef from Casablance

Thanks for sharing Youssef, I’ll be making sure to travel with somebody else the next time I come back :-)

I hope you are less racist almost ten years later. Your comment smells bullshit. The exceptions are the men harassing, it is not the other way around.

Very sad. I feel terrible sad about the situation in Morocco because I also had fantastic experiences there, yet came away with an incredibly negative view. So negative that I tell everyone I know to go somewhere else. There are 200 countries in the world and you’ll never visit them all — go somewhere else before heading to Morocco.

I had two major incidents and incessant minor ones. In each case it was about aggressive men. Hostile men. Nasty men. Nothing like any of the hassles you get a in a normal tourist destination. Hate hate hate.

Positive experiences – Chefchaouen, Mhamid, Todra Gorge. The rest was shit. :)

Yep, it’s hard to know what to say when people ask for my recommendations. I have female friends who travelled alone in Morocco and had a perfectly safe, enjoyable experience — but that was the complete opposite to my experience.

Chefchaouen was so great :-)

Thanks for such an honest post. It’s incredible to have a location that has such good and bad memories all at the same time.

While I’m a “you shouldn’t let a bad experience ruin it for you” type of person, I don’t think I would return myself after going through everything you had to. There is so much more of the world to see. So many places where the positives far outweigh any negatives.

Yeah, it’s tough, and it’s true there are plenty of other places where you won’t be subjected to abuse.

I’m still keen to return, though!

Thank you for sharing your story and for the useful tips. Morocco is a country I’ve dreamed of visiting for a while now and I’ve been fortunate to meet many lovely people from there recently (male and female). Maybe when I do go, i will be in the company of a friend as a guide. I can’t imagine what possesses men to treat women the way you were treated there. I don’t think that was simply a cultural issue, but maybe it is, which is a sad thought. Throwing rocks at anyone is just mean. BTW, beautiful photos, especially of Chefchaouen!

Thank you! Morocco is incredibly beautiful — it’s just a shame about the hassle. I would return to Morocco alone, as I think I’d be more prepared second time around, but I’d definitely choose to travel with a guy if I had the option.

As far as I’m aware, Morocco might just be the worst place to be a solo female traveler. Between my group that went and another group that went, it varied from decent to harassment-filled. It’s pretty sad that the best thing you can say about the people is “they didn’t bother me as much as people said they would.” Sigh. I don’t know the cause, but it’s certainly true. It’s not an absolute reason to stay away, but it’s certainly a reason to do your homework and be careful.

I’m sure there are worse places… but yes, it’s definitely a challenge. I believe you can have a safe time in Morocco if you research thoroughly and know what to expect — and if you have a bit of travel experience too, but it’s unlikely to be easy and stress-free travel!

Thanks for sharing your story. Morocco is on the list and I have heard it is a tough place to visit. I can’t imagine doing it by myself! But you are right, there are some amazing things to see there, and even though I go back and forth, it’s still on the list. Great article with great information, even for those that are not traveling alone.

Thanks, Lina. I’m glad you found it helpful, and I’m glad it’s still on your list :-)

I haven’t ever been to Morocco and I can’t say I’ve ever been anywhere that seems to be quite as rough as your time there was, but I do understand what you mean about finding a challenging country magnetic and alluring—I felt the same way about Vietnam, which definitely can have its difficult moments. And yet, I think that if it had been easy and smooth sailing the entire time, I just wouldn’t have liked it as much. I think that because we had to work a little bit to crack the hard outer shell and get to the good bits, it made us appreciate it more. Morocco is a country that I really want to visit one day (along with India!), but I know that it won’t be smooth sailing. Hopefully the fact that I’ll visit with Tony rather than myself will help things along, but I think there are a lot of good tips here for all female travelers.

Absolutely! I’m frightened by India and don’t think I’d be brave enough to travel solo there, but I feel that it would also end up being one of my favourite countries, despite the challenges it would hold.

Thank you for your post! I am thinking about visiting Morocco for my first semi-solo trip and joining up with an Intrepid Tour. I have been to India so I am curious as to how they compare. India was exactly like what the previous commenter said, it was a tough time but I really enjoyed the trip. I never noticed any sexual harassment in India, even when another girl and I got lost in Delhi at night, but the overall experience was emotionally tough and incredibly rewarding so I can see what you are saying. I was really excited about going to Morocco but now I am a little bit more nervous, I am hoping traveling with a group with a good guide will help the trip go well. But definitely go to India both of you if you haven’t already, though maybe go with a group or someone who knows the language and the culture.

Morocco used to be high on my travel list but after two female friends had bad experiences, it slipped several notches (in addition to being followed and grabbed, one asian friend faced constant racial slurs). It is disappointing to see that you too had a negative experience Laura (along with the positives of course). It’s such a big world, call me crazy but I’m more motivated to see the friendly/more respectful places first!

I definitely understand why you feel that way, Becky. There are definitely easier places to travel through where you almost certainly won’t be abused or hassled :-)

It is shocking, grabbing, insulting and throwing rocks? I’m sorry you had to experience all that!

I must have been lucky, I have been travelling in Morocco in December 2012/January 2013 for 4 weeks and didn’t have any bad experience!

Of course there were men starring, maybe few times trying to talk, but I always ignored and they did too.

I’m glad to hear you didn’t experience the same levels of abuse that I did, Marysia. It’s great to hear that some females have completely hassle-free experiences in the country :-)

Thank you for the post. I’m going to Morocco solo for a week mid Feb for my 30th and I’m apprehensive about it for the harassment reasons. I’ve travelled solo often , and I DESPISE the the harassment in every country I go to. I’m always covered up but I always get creeps staring and saying things no matter what country I’m in. I’m worried about totally cracking it and screaming at someone!! Do you think it will be safe/recommend doing a desert tour?

I agree. I always seem to get harassment even when I follow all the rules for avoiding it. I think you should be perfectly safe taking a tour in the desert, though. There’s usually around ten people in each tour group, so it’s not like you’ll be alone with a creepy male guide :-). I’d definitely recommend taking the tour — it’s the best thing I’ve ever done! :-)

First off, I want to thank you for writing this, it’s difficult to find information on Morocco. I am planning a 11 month trip, after I graduate. It will be my first time traveling without my family, and I really wanted to see Morocco. The thing is, this will be the second country I visit in my trip (I’m planning on visiting 10- a month for each country, except Italy, which gets two :) ), and I will most likely be traveling solo, so I don’t know if it is such a good choice for me. I don’t like tours, they don’t let you plan enough of what you want to do. I have traveled before, with my family, and I can navigate well, and everything, but the hassle doesn’t sound like its worth it, when I could decide on going to a different country without all of the hassling and love all of it, you know? Do you have any advice?

No problem, Elizabeth. I’m glad you found it helpful. Maybe you could just buy a one-way ticket to Morocco and not book your flight out of there until you’d been there a few days? If you’re finding the hassle too much then you could just get out of there and go somewhere different. I guess you’ll have to ask yourself if you think you might regret it if you didn’t give it a go? If it was me, I’d do that and go see how it is for myself. The comments here have shown that some women have had a perfectly safe experience in Morocco so that could also happen for you :-)

Bummer to hear that you had a rough experience in Morocco. We visited Fes, Chefchaouen, Merzouga, and Meknes and loved it though were traveling as a couple. I definitely echo the ‘cover up’ tip! You’ll draw much less attention traveling this way.

Hopefully some of my tips will be helpful for others looking to travel this wonderful country!

Thanks for your comment, Sara! It’s always good to hear from people who had a different experience to me! :-)

I was just wondering of you have travelled to India before and if so how you felt the men and their hassling compared? thanks! x

I haven’t yet, but hope to soon. I imagine that India is worse than Morocco, from what I’ve read.

Hi Lauren, I found your post through googling ‘morocco annoying touts’ because I too am at the brink of leaving myself. My experience and the types of touts I receive are obviously different because I am male, but the constant harassment is no less irritating.

Ah, sorry to hear that, Devon. Did you decide to leave?

Hi Lauren, Great article! Really informative and helpful to me as I prepare for a summer trip to Morocco. I am a fairly experienced solo traveler but I certainly can think of times when I felt worn down by rudeness or aggressive behavior esp. by men. I usually tend to clam up and stay quiet, feeling awkward, and not wanting to make a scene. I feel a little more prepared after reading this… quick question, Where did you get your guide when you first arrived?cost? sounds like a great way to get introduced to the area. Also do you know anything about taking a ferry over? I’m planning to take the ferry from Spain to Tangier I’m wondering if it would be best to just fly? Thanks! Ashley

I arranged it through my guesthouse. I’d imagine you should be able to do the same with most accommodations in the city. I didn’t take the ferry — sorry!

Hey Lauren,

I just came across your post, and very much enjoyed it! I am planning on traveling from Spain to Chefchaouen next week as a solo female. Any recommendations on places to stay? I’ve been looking on Hostelworld etc, but would much more prefer a suggestion from another girl who has traveled there! Thanks so much!xx

I loved Riad Baraka! It’s my favourite guesthouse in the world :-)

Thanks so much for this post! I’m heading to Morocco this summer, and though I’ve traveled extensively, including solo trips to many “questionable” places, many of my female friends and associates have had unpleasant experiences there. Think I’ll go with a tour group (for the first time) to hopefully make my time more hassle-free.

That sounds like a smart idea, Jacke. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable experience :-)

I’m in tangiers right now and have felt depressingly trapped in my hotel because of the harassment, the hooting and following and pestering…also, I don’t even feel like I can relax at a teahouse when out and about because they are full of nothing but staring men, so uncomfortable. I wish I had read your blog before wasting so much money coming here…. :(

Tangier was particularly rough for me, as well. Sorry to hear you’re struggling, Mishka. I hope things get easier for you.

I have only been treated with respect and friendliness. I’m staying in Tangier in the medina, feel very safe and comfortable. I haven’t been hassled once.

My two friends and I (all female) had a horrific experience in Morocco as well. I mean, there were things I absolutely loved about it. The Blue City was by far my favorite.

And with the desert experience into the Sahara, we entirely expected it to be hot, toilets to not work properly, cold showers, etc. It’s the desert. We are not pampered. What we were not expecting was the lack of protocol when it comes to an emergency.

To begin, we had a driver from Fes to the hotel. My friends and I speak both English and Spanish. He spoke Arabic and French. We tried to communicated but it was difficult. He then, however, proceeded to yell us whenever we spoke to one another in a language he didn’t understand “No English. No English.” It was also very uncomfortable to sit in the front seat next to him as he continued to grab our hands entwining his fingers with ours. We could pull our hands away but he would hold onto them still. At one point, he patted my chest, grabbed my hand and forced me to touch his stomach. There were many other moments in the car ride that were involved inappropriate touching. My friends and I felt very trapped and didn’t know how to respond, afraid if we got angry, we would be left and we were in the middle of nowhere. At one point, he stopped the car to have us take a “panoramic picture.” He wanted to take a picture with my friend. Being polite and not really knowing how to say no, she obliged him. As he goes to pose with her, he attempts to fondle my friend. My other friend screams at him to stop and back away. Which he does, but after, he is very rude to us and won’t let us talk to one another.

Eventually, we arrive at the hotel. The staff was very kind and accommodating, welcoming and warm. Our driver left and we thought our problems were over.

On the camel ride, two minutes into the trek, before we reach the sand dunes, there is a hard rocking part that has been cleared of sand. As I am riding, I shift my book bag barely and my camel gets spooked. He kicks and starts to run – I have a hold of the saddle handle with my left hand – but I can’t hold on. I am thrown to the ground. The next few minutes are a bit of a whirlwind. They ask me if I’m alright. I explain that my arm is hurt and my hip in pain. They tell me that I’ll be ok, but I need to decide if I want to go or stay behind. They have already tamed and fixed my camel. To take responsibility at this moment, I should have stayed behind, but I was in such shock that I didn’t really have time to assess my injuries. They put me back on the same camel and we ride an hour to the desert camp without electricity, ice, or anything to treat my wounds.

When we arrive, I can’t bend or move my arm. It is in extreme pain. I tell one of the BerBer guides. He fixes up some hot water and salt and attempts to massage out the pain. I believe he honestly thought I had just sprained my arm. The pain was so excruciating that I they had to ties a scarf in my mouth to muffle my screams. I almost vomited from the pain. By the end of the hour long massage, I did have more flexibility in my arm and thought it was getting better. Some of the other travelers had pain medicine and shared it with me. Everyone at the camp was very kind, but I feel as if they were unprepared at how to attend a medical emergency. They called the hotel and their bosses, but when I requested if I could go back to the hotel to go to the doctor, they said they didn’t have any means of getting me back to the hotel until the next morning. Thinking it was just a severe sprain still, I requested if my friends and I could be the first group back to the hotel in the morning. They said yes.

During the night, my arm worsened to a point I couldn’t move it. They massaged it again, but it was too painful and didn’t help. It was obvious the guides felt bad. They were very attentive, gave my friends and I a separate meal, etc. Sadly, our bed/cabin got infected with ants and we had to sleep outside.

In the morning, when we were supposed to be the first to leave, they ended up making us wait and be the last to leave. When we finally arrive back at the hotel, I find the head staff member, maybe a manager, I’m honestly not sure because no one was very transparent with us. I requested to be driven back to Rissani to see a doctor, go to a pharmacy for medicine, and then if they could get us to the bus station. I didn’t demand a refund or anything. I just requested that they help us with transportation.

The head guy was very kind and said he would arrange everything, gave us two rooms to shower and get read while we wait for a car. Another worker gave me a sling and they accommodated us with a free lunch and water. The bus from Rissani to Fes would leave at 8pm since there are only morning and night buses. We said we understood but in the meantime would like to be taken to a doctor.

We waiting from 10am to 6pm before a car took me into Rissani, but the events that transpired into getting us to Rissani were very traumatic. By the time 6pm rolls around and no one has come to pick us up, I am upset. I start to cry and my friends, feeling frustrated, demand that we go now. We are shoved into a 4X4 with a man that we don’t know (we assumed a head guy) and another guy. He’s driving like a madman and before we were shoved into the car, all of the workers who had been kind to us before were trying to stop him from taking us. He screamed at the staff member who gave me the sling – yelling that it isn’t his property to give away.

Half way into the drive from the hotel to Rissani he jerks the car and yells at me to explain why I’m crying. My friend tries to talk for me because I’m emotionally and physically unable to articulate everything. He cuts her off and asks if she is a lawyer. He then asks her this in Spanish as well. She says no. And he says, good, because if he found out a lawyer was in his car, we would be left in the desert.

He then proceeded the entire drive to tell my friend that she had a hard heart and it was a good thing that he was kind because most people would leave her in the desert. He continued to say and do passive aggressive comments that implied we had no choice in our fate and that if he wanted to dispose of us, he could, especially with his connections with the police.

During the drive, he would scream at at people in Spanish that he was going to kill them, then turned to us and said, “Oops. I forgot you speak Spanish.” These were all his subtle ways of threatening us.

We finally arrive to Rissani and he hands us our bus tickets. He tells us we can go to a doctor, and to the pharmacy, but he actually recommends that we go to a guy that he knows to fix my arm. I request the doctor. So we go to the doctor’s office. The doctor, according to our driver, isn’t in. So he tells us, we’re going to the guy he knows. My arm is swollen, bruised, and my fingers and hand are beginning to numb.

He drives us to an abandoned building that is falling apart. He yells at my friends to stay in the car while he takes me upstairs. They refuse and say they want to come with me. He takes us to the top where an old old man with a glass eye is sitting among trash, dirt, rust, etc. He then looks at my arm and tells the draconian driver that I have suffered a severe elbow dislocation and that the guy is going to set in place now. They don’t give me any medicine, nothing, and the old man sets my elbow. He tells the driver to tell me that if I had waited any longer, I may have lost mobility in my arm. I’m not sure how true this is – but these are the events that occurred. The driver then tells us to pay the man with money from the heart. We give him 200 DH.

The driver then puts us back in the car and says “I invite you to tea. You can accept or decline, but I think it would be best if you accepted.” We then were forced to sit with this man and drink mint tea before our bus trip. He would ask us small talk questions and make comments about how respectable and beautiful Moroccan women are. He told us not to cry or we would have worse problems on our hands if the police saw us crying. Also, now that I was “fixed”, I could leave the desert happy. During tea, he told us that the same camel that threw me, had thrown another girl a week before, and she had a dislocated shoulder and they took her to the same man to be fixed.

He then drove us to the bus station, dropped us off, and left and took the sling from me. Saying, it was his and I didn’t need it anymore since I was fixed. I was not taken to the pharmacy for pain medication and had to endure the pain of my elbow and leg. (If I could attach an image of my leg I would. I have a bruise that extends from the back of my right knee to the bottom of my right butt cheek. It is black and bumped up.)

I am not sure why this all happened. I can honestly say that I acted with patience through the entire ordeal until the very end. They weren’t transparent about anything and I don’t know why they waited so long to have my injuries looked at. If they didn’t think it was sever or not, I’m not sure.

All I know, is that whether the injury appears to be minor or major, they should have a protocol in order, or at least say, whether I think you are ok or not, we need to be sure, let’s see someone now.

It wasn’t only physically harming buy also emotionally. I have traveled to many countries, I don’t expect luxury, but I do hope for human compassion and concern for safety if something goes wrong. The man who drove us was very disrespectful towards us and I am hundred percent sure it was because we were women. I felt powerless and unable to say no to him. I am writing this experience on here, because yes, I do think it is a freak accident, and if I hadn’t gotten thrown from the camel, we would have loved the desert experience. But, to see a man’s true colors, put him in crisis. I saw immediately we were just money to them and they were all concerned about protecting themselves.

I could handle the touts, the touching, no. Am I glad I went to Morocco? Yes and no. Yes, because now I really do understand and fully can grasp the objectification of my sex. We also met one very kind Moroccan man at our hostel who took my friend and me to a Hassan with all local women, and naturally treated us and bathed us like their own. It made me so sad for what had happened to us before because of how kind they were to us.

(Sorry this comment was sooooooo long, but I thought it necessary to share – and – well – I needed to because it was a painful experience.)

I just read your comment about your trip to Morocco. I can’t imagine what you just went through, but I am glad your friends are safe! Now I am seriously debating whether to go there by myself or not!

Remember that one person’s experiences doesn’t necessarily mean yours will be the same!

Hello lauren , Sorry for my english i’m not too Good , but i cant stop my self i must reply to this .

My Country is Like all other Country’s , you can Find Good and bad paople , except my country is very beautiful and charming like you said :) , There is only a fiew bad people that would like to harm you , but there is too meny good people that would love to invite you to their house and give you Their food and their bad to sleep in and he can sleep on the floor , and i dare you if you can find this in eny other country , and i’m sure if i come to england and i was sleeping in the Street , i will not say no one will help me or invite me , but the number of people that would help you in that situation in morocco will be more than the number that will help me in yours , for example , a russian girl come to my library last week , and she was lost , she needed a map and for Free , because she wasnt caring eny money , i gave it to her , and i paid The Taxi for Her to her hostle , and i gave her my number so that if she needed enything just call me and i will be there to make her trip easy as mush i can , and i’m sure that 90 % of the people here would do the same thing , for no change , and the people in the streets who stops you to buy thing’s from , they do it to us too , they stop us too , poor people have the right to feed there children too , and there is too meny poor people in marrakech , and i asure you that happen’s to me when i visite marrakech too , and that boy from tanger that bother’s you , that can happen’s to you in your country too , that was a bad luck that’s all :D

so i hope you change your idea about morocco , and you visite as again as soon as possible , because moroccan people love if people from other country’s talk good about them that’s all , and next time if you visite Casablanca and needed any thing just searsh for library wamnay in Maarif , i will be there to help you . Good luck

Thanks for your comments, Adnane! I completely agree that what happened to me could have easily happened in my hometown of London. I just wanted to pass on my experiences in Morocco, just because I did seem to have such bad luck there. I hope to return within the next few years to have a much more positive experience :-)

Thank you so much for you post about your trip to Morocco. Im debating whether or not to go there by myself this month. Ive traveled mostly alone and your tips for women travelers is very helpful!

I’m so pleased to hear that! Thank you, Kathy! :-)

Thank you so much for sharing your experience. Morocco is one of the places I’m definitely looking into doing solo trip to. I did 10 day solo trip to India and cut my trip short by few days (was supposed to be 2 weeks) as well due to overwhelming harassments, but of course not like what you experienced! I’m sorry your first Morocco left you a bit sour. Perhaps second or third might be better? It’s been 2 years since my India trip and even tho the harassments (or the touts) on streets were pretty bad, I’d love to go back and see other parts of India. Your experience was definitely something I’ll keep in my mind and hopefully it’ll help me stay strong when I do go to Morocco. Thank you again and I hope if you do go back, it’ll be fabulous :)

I sort of compare my experiences in Morocco with those that many people seem to have in Indian — hating it while they’re there, and having it drive them crazy, and then the second they leave, wanting to return!

I’m hoping my second trip will be far more enjoyable than the first :-)

I’m visiting Marrakesh in two weeks and am currently researching sahara overnight tours – some with very positive reviews. I was just wondering what the name of the tour you went with was called? Just so I can avoid. Thank you! Sorry if you mentioned this in one of your posts – I may have missed it.

Hi Evelyn. I booked it through my hostel, Mama Marrakech. I didn’t book in advance.

I’ll be travelling there with my two sisters. I’m Indian and I can relate to the stares when roaming with them. But do you think I need to worry about men approaching or name calling them?

And also are buses safe? It’ll be a budget trip so I would rather avoid private taxis.

I found the buses to be very safe — I never felt in any danger while taking them. And I think if you’ll be with them, they’ll probably not experience much hassle. Hope you have a good trip!

Wow, great post. Very honest!

I travelled to Morocco 2 years ago, on my first ever overseas journey as a wide eyed 18 year old! I travelled with my best friend (male) and we did a tour through Topdeck for the most part. Topdeck used a local guide who was AMAZING and ever took me and my friend to his family’s place in the country to celebrate the end of Ramadan! We are still in touch, and I’ll never forget him rushing me to hospital when I collapsed due to a bid mix of food poisoning and heat stroke!

I didn’t happen to have any problem with the touts, but I always engaged with them, although rarely purchased anything. I found that if I chatted and engaged, then explained that I wasn’t interested in purchasing anything, they were fine. I also found that I got much less attention from men than the other women in our tour. Maybe because I have Muslim friends, I was slightly more culturally sensitive, and didn’t wear revealing clothing at all.

I am hoping to return to Morocco on my next trip, and was thinking of doing it alone, but after your experiences, I might try to rope a friend in to doing it with me!

Thanks for being so candid, and I hope you do go back one day. It is such a beautiful county with the most incredible, varied culture!

P.S. It;s so interesting that you liked Marrakech! It was my least favourite place, but maybe because it was above 50 degrees celcius the whole time..!

Hello, I’m planning a trip to Morocco in October, and was wondering which tour company you used for the sahara trip and which tour you chose? I can’t find one that’s suitable for solo travellers; was yours good? Were you in a group with other solo-travellers?

Hey Owen. I just booked my tour through my hostel. It’s far cheaper to just turn up and find something — and all of the tours offered are basically identical. Mine wasn’t great for solo travellers as I was with a group of 8 kids from Brazil who didn’t speak in English to me! But as it was booked through a hostel it depends on who’s staying there.

I agree with Ms. Lauren, she said lots of things in this article is genuine. Last year i had enjoy a time with my partner. Travel To Morocco is the dream for me that’s come true. It was nice place, people of this country are hard working. It is the one of the most moderate and peaceful country in the world. I indicate to every individual on this Earth visit to Morocco is very adventuresome.

Thanks, Joseph!

Any way lauren, I’m moroccan and welcome in morocco again

Morocco was my last stop on a short 5 week solo backpacking stint throughout Europe. I was exhausted and almost immediately dreaded my decision upon arrival.

I arrived in Fes, nerve racking to say the least(had also heard many negatives about Fes). But, within a few days, it had a piece of my heart forever. I was lucky enough to have a short arabic lesson in the hostel where I stayed, and once I started attempting to speak the language, as broken as it may have been, it made all the difference.

I hadn’t planned on staying in Fes, only just flying in there and taking a train to Marrakech. However, the hostel owner and a couple of guests convinced me otherwise. They said Chefchaouen would be much better, more relaxing and less of a hassle.

I was hesitant at first, but I am so glad I changed my plans because I LOVED chefchaouen. I agree that everyone was incredibly friendly, we even played soccer in the main square with some of the local children. The scenery surrounding it, as well as the mountains and the city walls were so picturesque.

Of all the places I went on that trip, the one place I’m always talking about is Morocco. I’ve never fallen in love with one place nearly as much. I cannot wait to go back.

Thanks for sharing your input, always nice to read about other female solo travelers and their experiences!

Thanks for sharing, Lori! :-)

Even as a male visitor, never never again Morocco. They kept harassing us to buy things and they cheated us in our change, if we got any change, from buses, to shops, to eating places. There was always someone to stick close next to you, pushing you in some direction to see something special. If you relaxed to appreciate something you were immediately swamped. I understand Algerians are even worse.

Never, never again. I have travelled in Muslim countries and love places like Indonesia or Malaysia. But Morocco is, I am sorry to say on your website, the pits.

I’m sorry to hear you had such an unfortunate experience, Andrew, but sadly, I’m not surprised to hear that you did.

This is why I took a tour. It was my first ‘exotic’ country and since I’d been looking fwd to seeing it since I was a kid, I didn’t want the fantasy ruined. I got asked for coffee and kif (pot… local people don’t drink, but apparently weed is ok haha :) ) a few times by shop-owners, but they were sweet. No problems at all. :)

That’s great! I’m so pleased to hear you had an amazing time in Morocco, and it goes to show that taking a tour as a female can really make a difference :-)

Thanks for the post. I am currently in Morocco, thinking of “escaping” to southern Spain for part of the ten weeks I planned on spending here but I’m torn because I’ve had such good and bad experiences. It really improved my state of mind to hear similar sentiments from you.

I wanted to add my two cents. I have experienced the same persistent but minor incidents like you describe. I work remotely while I travel and I feel restless, cooped up in a hotel room because many cafes are just so hostile (even silently hostile). An expat I met tipped me off that cafes often have hard-to-see upstairs sections where I’ve found many Moroccan women (never solo). The service is often terrible and it’s hotter upstairs but it’s an option and good to know.

I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been followed. In Tangier I passed a man going in the opposite direction who said something I ignored. Three large city blocks, he is at my elbow talking to me again. I told him to leave me alone loudly in English (in the heat of the moment I forgot my French) and several men nearby approached, asked me if I was okay and kept the man, lecturing him, while I escaped. So I agree with Youssef, there are many, many good, polite and respectful men in Morocco. The taunts just make it seem like every man is a jerk.

Also, I don’t think you can count on certain towns being better than others. If you are thinking about traveling to Morocco, I hate to tell you but my worst and scariest experience occurred in Chefchaouen and my best experience occurred in Tangier.

In Chafchaouen, I was walking along the road from Bab el-Ain about 4pm on a Sunday afternoon to get photos back towards the town. There were tons of families around. This man “reverse followed” me. He walked in front of me, kept looking back and if I stopped (out if sight) he would wait for me. When I started walking back to the waterfall/Bab area he yelled at me and followed me. I got scared and flagged down a passing car. Thank goodness the car carried a family and that they spoke Spanish (the man was Moroccan but had moved to Barcelona). The man got out of his car and talked then yelled at the man. He told me it was nothing to worry about. I’m not sure if that’s because he understood what the man was saying or just trying to comfort me. He gave me a ride into the town center…on the way we passed his brother, a policeman. I went on with my day, just a bit shaken.

In Tangier, I had the opposite experience. I was strolling the kasbah, taking photos and was amused by a cat being taunted by a small bird inside a screened window. An old woman poked her head out of the upper floor of the house and I thought she might be suspicious of me. Instead her adult son came down and invited me in to see their terrace and for tea. On paper I would never enter that house. But my gut told me it was fine. And it was. We spent the next hour utilizing all of our shared vocabulary in multiple language to share our lives. I was invited to join the family for Friday couscous and I feel like I got to see what a modern Moroccan family is like. That’s why I travel.

So would I do it again? I had a conference in Casablanca, so my airfare was covered, so yes, I’d do it again. But if I were picking a trip, I’d wait a see Morocco with a male. I do get the sense that if you stay in populated areas other Moroccans will intervene if you make a scene. I don’t think Morocco is more dangerous than most other places but more challenging and exhausting.

Hope this helps!

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences, Miriam! I really appreciate it :-). It’s a tough country because there’s so much good and bad, and is putting up with the bad times worth it for the good? I’m planning on heading back to Morocco in a few months, but this time with my boyfriend. Intrigued to see how different it is with a man by my side!

I’m planning a trip to Morocco for a few months in Jan/Feb, and I was wondering what the name of your hotel in Casablanca was? I’m having trouble find a nice (and reasonably priced) place there.

Hi Sarah. Sorry, I visited several years ago and can’t remember the name of the hotel!

great! what a sincere heart of local moroccan! :) and you are great too lauren because of your patient! ;)

Thanks! :-)

Wow..I don’t know how I ended up on this blog but I’m glad I did. I lived in Morocco last year and had a pretty tough experience. I was supposed to teach english thereof or 6 months but left after 4…but its funny…despite the negative experience..there were some amazing moments too. And I still find myself thinking about morocco more than a year and a half later. It’s because I had felt so much like a failed traveler that I desperately feel like i need to go back. I want to learn some arabic, learn more about the culture… I don’t know. Reading this just made me fee like…OK. Other solo female travelers went through it too. And now that that’s established…I can mentally prepare for the next moroccan trip.

I am traveling solo in morocco, second time here, first time I was with a group. I have been to all the main cities, and Fez is definitely my favorite, it’s strange you heard otherwise. I havent been to chefchaoen, but that is my next stop. Of course I have experienced the very annoying and persistent young guys who want money out of showing you around. I just ignore them, as if they are not there. Besides those hassles, other people I meet in the medina are so friendly. I hope the rest of my trip will be memorably nice, as now I have rated Morroco my favorite country I have traveled.

Thanks so much for sharing…all of you. I will be studying in France next year. I have a FB friend who has invited me to visit him in Agadir and I think I shouldn’t go alone. I think your posts confirm this…

Glad this post helped you make up your mind, Erica! I hope you do get to visit Morocco at some point, though :-)

Hei there , I’m morrocan and I’m so glad u liked it but at the same time I’m so ashamed of all the harassment and looks u got from local men that kept u from visting Tangier ( my native city) , I hope u’ll get the chance to come back again . I’m so sorry for all what u had to go through it takes a brave woman to travel here alone & I admire your courage .

Thank you so much, Boutaina! I’m actually hoping to return to Morocco this year :-)

I am moroccan born in Holland.I live in Holland.Occasionally i go to morocco because my wife wants to see her family.Please people dont go to morocco iTS the worst place to go to.The country is fine but the people are very bad .the moroccans are hypocrite selfish people i have ever seen.if i could help iT i would never go to morocco.i hate morocco because of iTS people not friendly.The police wants to bring you down the people want to bring you down.

Indeed ,it is a shame to hear that you are Moroccan by origin and pseak about your mother country in such a bad way.your overgeneralization about all Moroccans indicates that you are either a dirty person or you are not a Moroccan at all,you are just pretending to be so so ,so as to spoil the reputation of our great country. Morocco is like any other country in this world,good and evil peaople are here as there,everywhere. We can not overgeneralize personal attitudes and judge the whole nation,culture,religion. Sexual Harrasement is condemned by the Moroccan law and by the Islam law ;however many people do it which means it is a personal attitude.For you manish, if you were good,you would see Morocco good;but you are an evil therefore you see Morocco as evil.In Morocco there are bad places and people and if you go there you will see only bad things and meet only bad peoples(night clubs pubs, bars,brothels etc,and some cafes that are colonized by prostitutes)and there are good places and people,if you go there you will meet nly good people and see only good things such as universities,Mosques,historical monuments , main streets ,parks and cafes to mention but a few.To close this, good and evil are to be found in everywhere in this globe.No single culture, relgion, community, race..can be claimed to be only good or only evil.Salamu aleikom

It’s a beautiful country, though, Rachid.

Sorry Rachid, but if Moroccans are bad people, than you yourself are bad too. Do you think you are Swedish yourself? Or do you think you are the only exeption to your own rigid and absolute rule? Bigot.

Hi Lauren!So sorry to hear that you have had some hardship in my country.As we know that good and evil are to be found in everywhere in this world.No single country,culture,religious group, race,family… can be only good or only bad. good and evil are personal attitutes that should be judged as personal deeds not as attitudes of a whole culture,country etc. For instance sexual harrasement is and evil attitude that all laws of the world and all relgions condemn it but though that many people do it uncaring about the earth or heaven laws. in my country as in any other country,there are plenty of good people and good things to enjoy and there are also bad people and bad things that can make you feel disgust.

I close my words with saying that Morocco and Moroccans through history remain great and hospitable and helpful people. Peace

All very interesting. Im in Marrakech and flew in this morning. The combination of no street signs and the majority if people appearing friendly but then asking for money was at least 99%. I did decide I would make my way independantly of touts and guides and had 3hrs orientation walk. Walking confidentally and understanding sections coming out of the main market area. i think ill stay a few days and head to the beach… But it needs to be given a chance i think… I preferred staying away from busy areas. Hassle immediately drops right off. Also im wearing simple unbranded clothes no jewelry or watch which seems to allow me to go a little more un noticed. So far im intrigued and as long as im not overtired/present as confident/smikey and my situational awareness isnt compromised I cant see any real danger here.

Great tips, Russell!

I have been twice to Morocco, most recently this past January. I speak fluent french and I remember thinking after a few days this would not be a travel friendly country for non-french or Arabic speakers. I was not personally harassed sexually as you describe, and had probably one of the best experiences anyone travelling independently in Morocco with a male friend could have. We went from Tangier down to Essaouira through Assilah, Rabat, El Jadida, then on to Marrakesh, Taroudant, Meknes and Chefchaouen.

While traveling we met many people. including women who told us about their experience in Morocco. One recurring statement was “it”s not that bad” or variations along the lines of it not being all bad or they can handle “it”. These were women we also found out had bought a knife in Fes because the amount of sexual harassment made them feel so unsafe, or another who was coming from Marrakesh and seemed just exhausted and shell shocked, or a couple hiding in their hotel after the harassment they had gone through in the Medina in another town.

I think men have less to prove, and will say honestly they had it with the harassment and touts in general. Women on the other hand are so anxious to prove to themselves and everyone else that they can “handle it” that they will make excuses, take blame for some of what happened (bad vibes, wrong state of mind, wrong clothing, etc), rather than admitting that (a) it was a miserable experience because a lot of the people there are ass holes and (b) they can’t handle it because frankly no one could. Every man I ever talked to thought it was an unpleasant country they couldn’t wait to get out of. Women just didn’t want to give up, as if it was a personal failure they did not want too admit to. If you want to see history and beautiful Moorish architecture, visit Andalusia, For fun and nightlife,, go anywhere besides Morocco. For friendliness, and even scenery or food,, plenty of countries are nicer than Morocco. As I read all the comments on this page, I ask myself what is everyone on?? I have traveled extensively as well, and have never come across a country where people are so constantly aggressive and in your face. With almost 200 countries in the world to choose from, why would you make excuses and want to go back to a country where you were treated so horribly. And you will be mistreated again if you go back! The people harassing you are full of anger and view women as lesser than, and foreigners in general as just dollar signs. There are nice people there as in every country, but you will also notice that when in a bad situation, very seldom will anyone get involved, as you are not one of them. PS on a more general note, as I see comments about how to handle the problems, travel with a male friend to be harassed less, etc. Do you really want to contribute your tourist dollars or euros to a country that thinks so poorly of you and women in general that you have to jump through hoops in the hope of not being assaulted there?

Well, I personally loved every aspect of Morocco but the men. Visiting the Sahara Desert was the number one highlight of four years of travel and I wouldn’t want to give that up over some harassment. I’m currently living in Granada and it’s nothing like Morocco.

I think that there are a lot of truths in your post. I have traveled solo and am currently considering traveling with my son to Morocco. I would love to see Morocco. I looked at this website to convince me that the attitude of Moroccan men really is not that bad, because I have had my share of scary run-ins with Moroccan men (in Amsterdam, the Hague, Paris, Alicante, and Bonifacio). I’ve been convinced otherwise. I’m not ready to entertain the possibility of feeling threatened, being grabbed, running for my life like I have had to do to get away from insisting Moroccan men. I would love to feel invincible and to feel that my gender is not a barrier, but I will take peace of mind over danger.

Thanks Lauren for this nice travel blog. I am travelling solo in marrakech for one week to celebrate my birthday this coming march. I am suppose to travel with my friend who cancelled the last minute due to some pressing reasons. I have already booked a non-refundable flight ticket and accomodation, so I have no way out. Reading from the thread, it seems like ,it is not the best place for women solo travellers. I have travelled around the world and had been to dangerous places but with my husband. I am thinking of doing daytrips to Chefchaouen and 2 day trip to the sahara through excursion companies. I am getting wary though going on excursions after going through the thread.

Would be glad to read more tips for women travelling solo in Morocco.

Hi, I am looking to book a week long trip (7 days) with 3 other girls and we are interested in going to Marrakech, the Sahara and Chefchaouen. How long would you recommend for each? Thanks so much, Carly

I’d say 3 nights Chefchaouen, 3 nights Marrakech, 2 nights Sahara Desert.

I too had a very difficult time in Morocco. I went there in 1997 as a teenager with no adult men present on the trip. I was followed around and harassed. Actually, the men were not very abusive, but they gave me a lot more attention than what I was comfortable with as a 17 year old. I covered up the whole time in accordance with customs but it did not matter. However, I also felt a pull to Morocco. Even though it was exhausting being there, I had also said to myself when finally leaving to return to Spain “I’ll come back here when I’m an older woman.” The men leave the older women alone.

I have not returned yet but I often wondered if it’s easier to travel through Morocco now, given how much smaller the world is with internet (I was a SPECTACLE there being 5’9 and blond) – your blog has informed me that it indeed is not any easier for young women! One trick is to wear a gold band on your wedding finger — men in such countries tend to respect married women a bit more.

Lauren, I have a niece who has been invited to Morocco by a man she met in Maine while he was there. She is 21 and named Lauren! She ha bought a one way ticket why I don’t know i live far away. Her grandmother is petrified and her Mother is in denial. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I did forward you blog to them. Thanks Fred.

Hi Fred. This really isn’t my area of expertise and I’m afraid I can’t offer any kind of meaningful advice.

Thanks for all your tips. I will be traveling from Spain to Chefchaouen. I’m staying only two days, would you be able to recommend a place to stay and a safe way to travel from Tangier to Chefchaouen?

Hi Paola, I went with a shared taxi between Tangier and Chefchaouen. It didn’t feel hugely safe but I couldn’t find any other alternative.

Hi Lauren, I’m surprised to hear of your dreadful experience with Morocco. I travelled to Morocco a few weeks ago alone and found my experience to be lovely!! Although I had only travelled to Rabat, Casablanca, and Marrakech. I had one encounter with a man who was making jokes (mind you, he was hilarious!). I do plan to go back to Morocco next year. I believe you had a rougher experience because you’re white. Now don’t take me wrong but the men there target women of lighter skin color because it’s easier to identify them as foreigners. If you ever do plan to go back to Morocco, feel free to contact me for travel advice!

I’m so happy to hear that, Sarah! It just goes to show that everyone has different experiences and you can’t judge a country based on what one person tells you :-)

Morocco looks interesting! A lot of mystery places to visit. I’m hoping I could go there before the end of the year. Thanks for sharing!

You’re welcome!

hello karen I am Moroccan and I live in Marrakech I’m really sorry for your trip to Morocco but next time if you come you’ll change your opinion and if you need advice I’m here to help you

Thanks, Rachid!

Wow…firstly i was mesmerised by your story.sad yet exciting. A true good hearted human. Not to mention beautiful. I was almost in tears and my heart in my throat..yet then dropped wright down when you started mentioning the positive side.. I was also in morocco in 2014 3 of us 2 male 1 female.. one night was walking back to the hotel from new town after having gone for a meal. When we walked past these two guys dressed in long gowns stood infront of the fire in the middle of the road as it was december and quite chilly at night. As we walked past one of them shouted ” excuse me pakistani” we ignored them and carried on walking. As we walked further down they started shouting ” chappati” to be fair i wanted to just go over and knock their lights out. But my 2 companions stopped me. And believe it or i thank them for it. And i wasnt even white lol. And hoing back in july 2015. Its the most amazing place on the planet. To be fair you get hassle where ever you go these days wether be it abroad or in country..maybe not as extreme but its their…unfortunstley.. But i hope you will defo visit again some day. All the best. Loved your article. The best i have ever read period.

Haha, thanks! :-D

I think many solo travellers come away from Morocco with conflicting feelings. Travelling alone, you becoming a much softer target in many different ways. Mostly people just want to get some money out of you. Physically, it’s a safe country, although a guy did pull a gun on me (a joke? maybe just crazy) but you need to be on your guard during all interactions with strangers, which is a shame. After a month, I realise I only hung out with maybe three Moroccans that weren’t trying to get money out of me, otherwise all conversations swiftly led to some kind of proposition. The worst is how they imitate friendliness and play on your tendency to want to be polite (after a while that disappears completely). Also travelling independently is a real hassle as grand taxi drivers and people on the bus will phone their friends to let them know there’s a foreigner onboard. Where ever you’re going they’ll know you’re coming and be ready with this piece of junk or that unwanted service. (You know the taxi driver is involved, when he doesn’t mind you not paying for a 2 hour journey)

As for Saharan tour guides, mine also offered me unwanted attention; rubbing my nipples, trying to lick me, pressing his penis into me during an unsolicited and unwanted massage and then finally exposing himself fully during an aroused state. Kind of changed the ambience of my only night in the desert. My feeling is that it’s a kind of prostitution. Because he lived mainly from tips, he must have thought sexual favours would help earn him a more generous tip. Perhaps other tourists have taken advantage of this before.

Overall Morocco is a poor country that has experienced mass tourism, but most locals are yet to see any of the benefits themselves. The nearness of wealth has corrupted many desperate people, who now only view foreigners as sources of money. After indulging one guy and buying him dinner in Marrakech, I asked why this was and he said it’s just like this in poor countries. But that’s not the whole story. There are countries were the standard of living and opportunities are much worse than Morocco, yet the behaviour towards travellers is completely different. Whatever the reason, I’m glad I got Morocco out of my system now.

Thanks for the insightful comment, Sunra. Sorry to hear you had such a negative experience. It’s true, though, you really do have to be on your guard with every single local you meet. I had one positive interaction with a guy in my month in the country.

I spent 6 weeks in Morocco on a group expedition when I was 18. I’ve recently made the decision to return this summer in July. You do get hassle from men. In my experience, if you avoid eye contact and conversations with strangers, it is relatively safe.

Agree with you, Amy!

You are always welcome to Morocco :)

Your comments:

1) Perhaps I was just so frustrated that I was giving off negative vibes that were angering the locals.

2) There is no excuse for the man who threw a rock at the back of my head in Tangier, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been giving off a hostile vibe and storming away from him in rage and frustration.

are putting the blame on you, when the blame rests solely with the abusive men.

There is no excuse for harassment & abuse and the men alone are responsible for their deplorable actions.

I will definitely never be going to Morocco, given the strong misogyny there, which is a part of their culture. No picturesque scenery or historical site is worth it.

Yes, but I’m also offering advice for women who are going to be visiting Morocco soon. So if I can recommend they behave differently in the hope that it will reduce some of the harassment, I’m going to do so.

Hi! so I am considering traveling to Morocco and visiting some of the places you’ve visited there, and i would like to know what hostels you stayed at? Thank you for sharing your experience :D

The ones I would recommend are Riad Baraka in Chefchauen and Hotel Continental in Tangier! The one I stayed at in Marrakech has closed down, and I didn’t like the one in Essaouira.

hi Lauren JOY IT. i love all your trip and travel so take easy in any case, the Moroccan people is always kind and lovely. for never mind it’s life ;)

If you had gone about your travel in Muslim type of clothing,,,like a hijab and abayya, do you think the men would have left you alone? Or if your face had looked less western, do you think it might have made any difference? I am just curious.

I’m tempted to say yes, but many of the comments in this post have said that the local women struggle with this harassment, too. It’s hard to know.

Sorry to hear about some of your unpleasant encounters in Morocco. I spent about 10 days in winter last December and 1 week of it was solo travelling around the country. I visited all the places you had been except Chefchaouen ( would die to go back to Morocco and visit it!!)

As a solo female pounding the streets ( even locals in Asilah and Tangier), you will never be free of catcalls and advances from men.

My trick: I wore a dark scarf which was wrapped around my head and dark shades. Walk with a purpose even if you do not know where the heck you are. Check your maps discreetly at a safe place. I also would pretend to cough violently every time some extra dodgy approached me because who would want to strike up a conversation with a sickly, TB-esque female and catch a virus? Works like a charm. Helps that it was winter cos I could cover up and bundle up in my jackets/coat and hide extra precautions/ cash in my boots etc.

I did not dare to whip out my phone and pretend to have a conversation that much because phone-snatchings can be quite common ( did this trick in Turkey when I was travelling solo as well when I was wary and weary of the myriad advances from males but in Turkey, everyone on the street was glued to their phones…)

Harassment and one night stand pick-ups in trains from Moroccan air stewards aside, I get to meet various people in Morocco and had amazing experiences with them. I befriended the locals who brought me around the souks in Tangier and had ‘Hashish’ aka morroccan weed (!) over barbequed fresh fish and conversations with locals in a riad in Fez, among a few.

There were kind souls from sojourn passengers to train conductors who would go out of their way to help what they deemed a ‘helpless’ damsel-in-distress, lugging around a huge luggage on trains to immigration officers at passport control ( at Algericas port, onward to Spain) who showed me their summer vacation pics in Marrakesh..

When travelling in this mystic land, keep your wits about you, converse with locals with a smile and sprinkle in some Arabic and you would leave the country, exhausted but awed.

I’d be back! ;) Maybe see you there! (non-solo travelling this time..)

Hi, Lauren,

This is gonna be a long one.

As a proud moroccan, I feel ashamed of your touching and yet indulgent feedback, as well as a great majority of the comments that gives a bad but just an sincere feedback. In a way, it shows you that the hijab “protection” of the local women, far from being a tradition or a religious requirement, is often a sad assurance for tranquility in the big towns. And even if it does constitute a strong social tabou, there are still guys that are so miserable that it is not a certain one. The ones you met seems very miserable though, even in the moroccan scale. But as poverty, as reckless drivers, as uncivism, it is a part of the trip, and every coin has two sides, it is also a land of generosity, of excitement, of surprises. Plus, I think that my country, along with tunisia, still the less challenging for a woman to discover alone the arabo muslim part of the world, with the bonus of the berber culture. And for my western friends who visited your way, alone and free, the best way in my opinion, it is always a real experience, in a sens that they learn something about themselves.

So, in order to help remaining in the “gentle and thrilling adventure” zone and avoid a lot of problem, let me give some advice for your next trip :

* the “if you the mountain won’t go to Muhammad, then Muhammad must go to the mountain” rule. In morocco there are no indication, nor reliable live web information, people still the vector of information. So ask people that seems to you reliable and be very cautious, if not negative towards a miraculous help that comes from nowhere. But ask often, more often than in western it is fundamental. I do that myself, even if I think I haven’t miss one single road or significant town in morocco and that I am more local than locals. Every time I entered in a new zone, I take the temperature of the city in a local coffee, even in the Ketama triangle (which is definitely a no-go-zone) put my radar and find a good fellow. Of course most coffees are not an option for a girl, and you are not supposed to wear a moroccan radar equiped before your trip, but there are modern pubs and coffee where expatriate and group of girls are chilling where you can hit information (asking about your projects, where not to go) following your instinct and the level of language of your locutor (good english is a good indicator). French expatriates that works in local tourism are very reliable too, and have a deep knowledge of the country (sometimes better that the locals). Women are much more reliable than men too, and they are of course the most aware of the harrassers spots, even if they can be overcautious. Old artisans in the medina too. *Break the ice, smile, some simple arabic words in the conversation can help, even if your locutor understands english (more and more the case for the young generation), like choukran (thanks), labass (how are you), la choukran (no, thanks) *In case of emergency, ask for the touristic brigade rather than the ordinary policeman that can ask for a bribe. It is very efficient in marrakech fes and essaouira. In fact, it is common sense advices, and not risk free, but the moroccan nature, even between ourselves, is more helpful when it is gently asked and is not that helpful for someone who doesn’t. And those rules are for big cities, the berbers of the Atlas doesn’t follow this nature, they are respect and rightousness itself. You can feel very free and confident there, hospitaly is not a vain word there.

Lastely, the ones that told you that fes is not a spot must be jealous or ignorants, Fes is one of the two hearts of moroccan culture with marrakech. And as bonus of conoisseur, you must add ait bougmez valley (Azilal region) for trekking (one of the best kept secret of morocco) and the Dades/ Draa valley from ouerzazate for gorgeous landscapes (just before merzouga and the desert coming from marrakech). For spectacular beaches, go south, near sidi ifni. It really worth it and still not polluted by mass tourism like marrakech, Agadir, and recently essaouira. I think that this authenticity is what you liked in Chouaen, besides its others “specialities” that keeps people in a local and peaceful indica mood (very good quality in fez too). Marhaban bik fil maghrib, a lalla Lauren.

Wow! Thank you so much for all of the advice! Super helpful :-)

Yw. In fact I reacted before having a big picture of your blog and your adventure, as I find this article googling about tourism and women in morocco (as women rights are a concern regarding late ramadan news here) Now that I’ve read a part it, and it was a thrilling reading thanks to your storytelling talent, i feel a bit cocky with my assumptive piece of advices. You are an amazing person, and I wish you all the best keeping this outstanding project alive. Big respect and support to you, Lauren, I can’t wait to read more.

Ah, thank you so much for the kind words, Tariq! I really appreciate it! :-)

Thanks for writing this article! I am going to Morocco alone in November for 3 weeks (I wish I could stay longer, I have such a big to-see list!). I have traveled many times alone and know how to handle myself when men stare and try to grope, so I’m not as concerned about that (although I am expecting it to be extremely annoying and exhausting, like you said it was).

I’m wondering how you traveled around the country. I am thinking of renting a car, but I am not sure how easy roads and maps would be to navigate?

Hi Kristen,

I travelled through Morocco by bus, mostly. It was quite cheap and I never had any problems. The only exception was from Chefchaouen to Tangier, which I did by shared taxi. Was a little strange to share a taxi with four random strangers, but it was fine! :-) My friend Jodi wrote a post about driving in Morocco: http://www.legalnomads.com/2011/11/driving-in-morocco.html which made it sound a little nerve-wracking to me!

Thanks for the link! Her post was very helpful, I sent her a comment regarding it.

Let me know if you decide to travel to Morocco again in November! I am loosely looking for a travel buddy! :)

Great! :-) I won’t be heading back that soon, but hope you have a wonderful trip!

Wow this was super enlightening..and a little off putting I admit. I’ve backpacked the states and Europe on my own but now im a bit cautious of heading to Morocco solo. Having had the experience that you did would you recommend a tour? I’m normally anti-tours as you don’t get to to see anywhere near as much and its all limited to the tourist regions, however, if it is the safer option I may cave to it. Also, do you wish you had have seen Fes or are you still not shattered about missing it? And just in terms of walking with a large backpack, did you ever feel your safety was threatened at all?? Sorry for all the questions, hope you can help!

Thanks, Alisha :)

I’m not a huge tour fan, either, because I’m an introvert and like my own private time. However, in Morocco, I think taking a tour is a safer option, but I also think that not taking a tour is necessarily unsafe — you just need to know what to expect.

I don’t really feel like I missed much in Fes. I think I would have struggled there. If I was to return to Morocco and visit with my boyfriend, I’d likely head there again, as it does look interesting.

I never felt unsafe when walking with my backpack — it didn’t really change the levels of harassment or anything.

About a month ago I was researching about Morocco as I was planning to travel there by myself and I came across your blog. Your blog and other comments in it almost made me cancel my plans to go to Morocco but luckily I didn´t. I had the best time of my life. The people there were so friendly. I think to say that it was “constant abuse and harasment” is a little bit too much. I mean yes, if you feel abused everytime someone wants to talk to you or tells you that you´re beautiful then I´m sure you´re going to have an awful time. If you´re open minded and kind then you´re going to experience it in a whole different way. Most of the people who want to talk to you they are only curious about where you come from, if it´s your first time in Morocco/if you like it in Morocco and just want to tell you “Welcome to Morocco!”. Of course you cannot stop and talk to everybody who wants to talk to you and you shouldn´t. But stay friendly. A lot of the times I just walked along like I was lost in my own mind (which I probably was) or if people were trying to stop me to sell something would say “I´m sorry, I have to be somewhere” and rushed away. The only time when I felt anxious was after a night in the overnight train because I was so tired that anyone who tried to talk to me annoyed me. But other than that I had an amazing time and the people were so friendly and generous. And also I´m a 23-year-old petite scandinavian girl with long blonde hair.

Hi Jenna. Happy to hear you had an amazing time in Morocco! It’s good to have some positive experiences outweigh the negative here :-)

Sorry to hear about the hassle you experienced. I have been to Morocco 6 times, twice as a child with my parents then four times by myself as a young adult (my last visit was in 2002). The Sahara was a glorious experience, one of the finest I’ve ever had traveling the world. My desert trekking started from Ouarzazate, and involved camping under the stars; absolutely fabulous. Most of my time in Morocco was spent in the Rif, mostly around Chefchaouen, which to this day remains one of my favorite places in the world. Yes, the vibe there is definitely different from the rest of the country. Locals are friendly, helpful and quite delightful to hang out with. Yes, a lot of them are still trying to make a living, but I would never call it harassment, especially when compared to cities like Marrakech or Tangers. One thing though, and I suppose that applies to all travelers (particularly to women), I personally reckon a lot of tension and bad experiences can be avoided by taking the type of harassment you wrote about with a touch of humor and good spirit. Keeping your head down and ignoring locals (particularly the rude, abusive kind) only invites more frustration, which eventually will turn into abuse. Like one of the lady posters already mentioned above, keeping positive, light and playful goes a long way into avoiding unfortunate bouts. No matter how awful some of these guys might be, most of them simply won’t respond abusively to somebody who’s easy going yet politely refuses advances. Perhaps that can help you enjoy a better experience on your next visit, which I have no doubt you’ll eventually have considering your obvious enjoyment of Moroccan glory. Mezian bizef!

Thanks, Philippe! I so appreciate you sharing your advice with my readers :-)

Hey,I’ve had some weird experiences in marroco that have really made me feel emotionally hurt cause they seemed so heartless. Any marrocan I tell this too tells me exactly what I read here,that there are good and bad people everywhere.I’ve been all over and this here is not normal.I would like to meet some of these wonderful people but now I m over it,I don’t trust anyone here.real sad,I’d say if you travel here don’t expect anything normal.

While it’s true there are good and bad people everywhere — you can’t claim every single Moroccan is trying to take advantage of you — it does seem to be a bit more in your face than in other countries.

Hello! I am a university student studying abroad right now in Spain, and I reaaaaaaally want to go to Morocco. I don’t know if I’ll ever have the opportunity to go and I found a tour through my study center here in spain which includes all meals, hotels, transportation, etc. It goes to Rabat, Meknes, Midelt, Assilah and Merzouga (in the Sahara Desert), with one night in the desert. I have been in Spain for 3 months, but all of the weekend trips I’ve taken have been with other people, so technically I wouldn’t say I’ve ever traveled solo other than exploring the city I live in now. I would be with a group of other students though and I assume I would stay with the tour group at all times. Do you think this is an okay idea? Do you have any specific advice. It’s just so frustrating, I want to sign up for it so badly but all of my friends have told me traveling to morocco alone is a bad idea. Part of me wants to be all Eleanor Roosevelt and “do something everyday that scares you” but then another part of me is like be logical sophia! Anyways thanks for posting this! advice would be lovely.

I think travelling through Morocco as part of a tour is a great idea! You’ll likely be around people for your whole stay, which will help minimise hassle. I don’t see any problem with you going! :-)

Yes, unfortunately you’re right. I’m moroccan and I advise that any female foreigner come in a couple or in a group, it’s far better than coming alone in terms of safety. Concerning sexual harassment, it’s an issue in our country because even Moroccan girls are sexually harassed everyday, it’s not only restricted to foreigners. Lauren, I’m sure that if you didn’t visit alone, your experience would have been better and you would have enjoyed your stay. You’re not obliged to as a tourist of course, but in Morocco UNFORTUNATELY it’s like that. I hope you visit again and your previous experience doesn’t affect you negatively.

Thanks for your comment, Hatim! I hope to visit Morocco again soon — this time with my boyfriend in tow! :-)

thank you very much for this post! I have been travelling on my own for a month now (in Europe) and was very much looking forward to Marocco. After arriving in Tangier today that feeling quickly changed. I was wearing a knee long skirt and decided to take a what I thought would be a nice walk down to the beach. Numerous man walked up to me, some sat down close to me at the beach, looking at me, and I could not walk five meters without somebody making comments or cat calling me. Never on my travels have I felt that uncomfortable. Your Post and the comments were very helpfull – I am definitely planning on spending more time in Chefchaouen now!

Hi Marlene,

Sorry to hear about all the hassle you’ve been receiving. It can be so overwhelming, even if you are expecting it. I’d definitely recommend Chefchaouen as an escape from it all :-)

it is unfortunate that this still happens, but if you are travelling alone as a female especially if you are young and beautiful you will sure be a magnet for unwanted advances from guys starting from your own tour guide. To avoid getting this from of harassment from your guide. Ask him directly if he is a good Muslim you can trust if says yes. Then tell him touching a stranger woman who is not his wife, sister or mother is forbidden in Islam. Or Just ask him in a stern mode that his advances are not welcome and he should remain professional. wearing a marriage looking ring will do the job. Tell him you have a boy friend or married. You will be left alone most of the time unless you are displaying a provocative flesh in a macho culture.

Thanks, Nechalus. I’d probably recommend not saying that to your guide unless he does anything untoward first.

I’m sorry to hear that you had some bad experience in my country. Actually, what you experienced is the daily life of moroccan girls. Everyday going to school or work, or hanging out with friends, girls get harassed in the streets. This is a hot subject in Morocco. When we discuss this in social media, guys say that it’s the girls fault to wear “provoking” clothes!! The thing is, some girls wearing Hijab (covered from head to toe) are experiencing this! I don’t understand and I can’t see any solution to this.

Yeah, it’s tricky, isn’t it? And sad. I know that I was covered up as much as I could (without a headscarf, though), and I still experienced hassle.

Great article and advices for Morocco.

Hi Lauren! I’m loving you trip reports to Morocco as I am currently planning a trip in August. Would you mind telling me what month did you visit? I also want to do the Sahara desert trip just hoping it’s not unbearably hot that time of year.

I visited in June and if anything, it was too cold! It’s freezing at night, and by the time you get to the desert, the sun is setting so the temperatures are much cooler.

Great article! I’m looking to go to Morocco with my girfriend for 7 days and am looking for an itinerary that fits everything we want to do but we cant seem to find a tour that does it all. We want to go to Chefchaouen, Marrakech and the Sahara, for a total of 7 days. It seems like you did Marrakeh and Chefchaouen on your own, and then did a tour to the Sahara? And how did you get to Chefchaouen, it seems out of the way. If you could give me any tips to help on the 7 day itinerary, that would be great! Thank you!

Yep, I did everything independently apart from my trip to the Sahara Desert. I got to Chefchaouen from Casablanca. You can also get there easily from Fes or Tangier. But yeah, a bit of a pain from Marrakech. Might be worth flying to Tangier and then taking a bus to Chefchaouen. Or going to Essaouira instead, which is a cool hippie beach town.

Hey Lauren It’s really sad how SOME Moroccan people treated you. I am Moroccan and this is the first time I heard something like this about Moroccans. Because I live here and I know they’re very welcoming people specially toward strangers! All I can say is that you weren’t lucky and may be you visited the wrong places. Of course they are some bad places in some cities there are some rude people even toward locals. If you have the chance to visit Morocco again go the south-est, where Berbers live. You will meet wonderful people in there and enjoy stunning paysages. I am sure you will change your thinking about Morocco.

Yeah, I’ve definitely found that the hassle is worse in the more touristy parts of the country (and most countries really, I guess). Would love to return to Morocco soon!

i think that maybe a lot of tourists mm sorry travellers! should do some personal work on their selves instead of being paranoiaK of everyone walking behind using the same sidewalk!

If literally every person who approaches you on a sidewalk in a country mumbles something inappropriate about your breasts, attempts to scam you, follows you to your accommodation, or throws rocks at your head, what other conclusion should you come to?

Bonjour Lauren,

I am really so sorry that men didn’t treat you very well in Morocco, my country. I think what you said is really true: the country is beautiful but some men behave very childish. Anyway, I have been welcoming foreign female friends and yes if I was not by their side, I am sure things will get little bit awkward for them.

However, I do have a question: have you experienced the traditional Moroccan Hammam ( similar to the Turkish bath).

I have not!

Thanks Lauren for sharing you awesome story! And yes there are a some great places to visit in Morocco. And I love Moto desert adventure in Morocco beaches and Atlas mountain adventure in also a great thing if you would like to do it in Morocco.

I would love to spend more time in the Atlas mountains in the future :-)

Is anyone planning to visit in April 2016? Or know of a forum where us solo ladies can chat and coordinate stays so we have safety in numbers?

Maybe check the Lonely Planet Thorntree forums?

Thank you so much for this post. I was considering going but now I know not too. I’m a firecracker and avid feminist. I would get in a violent bloody mess fast. Your honesty is well received, and I really can’t believe you calmly made it through abuse like that. I’m glad you were able to still experience the beauty that I’m sure is there.

You’re welcome, Christina! :-)

Your blog was definitely insightful. Maybe travelling to Morocco in a small group of 2 to 3 might help me instead of travelling solo.

I think you’d be likely to receive less hassle as a group — or, at least, the harassment wouldn’t be quite so intimidating if you had other people around and looking out for each other!

Thanks Lauren for sharing. I’m since 2 days in Marrakesch and must say I was not expecting it will be so bad. I’m 40 years old, dark hair. Everything is beautiful in Marrakesch apart from some of those guys. Catcalls is not a problem but only yesteray 3 guys regularly followed me. i must say it is a challenge because not all are bad, some are really nice and want to help. Unsual habits. I will be one week more in Marrakesch and have to learn how to live here.

So sorry to hear you’ve been struggling, Joanna — especially with men following you. That’s scary and not okay. It’s tough, though, right? Because you want to meet the locals and experience a different culture, but you don’t know who you can trust and who is taking advantage. I hope the rest of your trip goes better.

Hi, I’m originally from Morocco but I live in North America. I go back to Morocco every year. I adore this country but this is a nightmare for me to travel there as a woman. I am an experienced traveller…have been to India and other third world countries. As a woman, Morocco is the worst. I had panic attacks, had to start fights in the streets and usually can’t wait to go back to America. Men are constantly following me, cars as well, slowing down as I walk in the streets, taxi drivers commenting on my looks or my behaviour (lets say I’m in the text with my mom). I did learn a few strategies to make the experience less traumatic: go out with an elder, wear sunglasses, walk fast and be focused. I always dress in a very modest way. The worst ever was in the souk in Fes. As I was entering the souk, it seems like every man was greeting me and asking me I was doing , in french or arabic “Hello, glory of God, How are you?” (Salut, Tbarkallah, ca va?”). I had been walking for like 5 minutes, and after greeting number 55, I started being grumpy and my eyes turned dark. One guy asked me why I was mad and I shouted “Fuck You!!!”. Not the best reaction, but please understand that prior to the souk I had several are following me, some slowing down and asking me to get inside…so being seductively greeted by all these men in the souk was the last drop. I know it sounds surrealistic but it’s true. Anyway, the man I did insult got really offended and it kind of got dangerous for me…I escaped thanks to a woman who took me under her protection. In tangiers, when I am being harassed on the big Boulevard where there are many soldiers for security reasons “Stop it or I will denounce you to the police right now!”. This is not how I want to spend my holiday!! India is easier to deal with for me. Men look a lot at you (touch you sometimes) but in Morocco they feel like you should also talk to them. Hundreds of men very day. from a Moroccan who adore her country but there is some serious problem there.

Thank you so much for offering your advice, Alia! It sounds like our experiences were similar: it’s a beautiful country but the level of harassment is insane. I haven’t been to India yet, but I agree with your observation that Moroccan men often expect you to talk to them and follow you until you get mad.

I am sorry about your bad experiences in Morocco. I am a blue-eyed blonde American who lived in Morocco for 8 years. The first two years I had no car so walked or took public transportation everywhere. Yes, there was verbal abuse. But I did learn a thing or two about how to handle the situation. 1. Walk like you know where you are going. 2. Don’t take any shit from anyone. This may mean a detour. 3. Learn a few choice phrases in Arabic such as “Are your sisters as stupid as you?”, “Did your mother get roasted for Eid last year?” etc. 4. Know that Moroccan girls get harassed too. 5. Call them on it – “Yella, Daba, Henaya” (Let’s go, right here, right now” to any offers of sex will usually send them scurrying in embarrassment. 6. Ask any nearby shopkeeper for help. They don’t want to lose business because of these louts. (And they probably know their entire family)

Amazing! Thank you so much for your tips, Kathy! That’ll help out my readers so much :-)

I’m in Marrakech right now and I can’t wait to leave tomorrow. I wish I would have read about your experience traveling solo before booking the flight. I wanted to love this country but the harassment is overwhelming and taints the entire experience of being here. Not to mention getting ripped off by every single taxi driver, shopkeeper in the souks, strangers following me trying to “help” for an outrageous fee. I value authenticity in my life and it’s heartbreaking being in a city where I can’t trust anyone. I felt the same in Istanbul last week as well- only there, the cat calling and stalking by local men lurking in tourist areas was even worse. I’m conflicted. I hiked the Ourika Valley yesterday with a small group and even on a cloudy day, the experience was liberating. Yet, it was tainted with frequent stops where everyone expected me to throw money at them for trinkets. It’s a different culture and I force myself to step back in these situations and think about how the country’s developing infrastructure, economy, and cultural views impact treatment of women travelers. It’s been frustrating being here and I spent yesterday afternoon crying in my room after a terrible experience in the souks. It feels good to vent. This trip is one of the biggest lessons for compassion I’ve experienced in my life. Working on forgiving and forgetting and moving on. I would not encourage other women traveling alone to come here. I hate to think that my experience would be different had I been with an organized group or traveling with men. It shouldn’t matter, but I feel that it does. Whew!

Thank you, Lauren, for this post. I am traveling to Morocco this summer with my daughter (she is 20). I expect the harassment, but was looking for some practical advice. Between your article and the many helpful comments, I feel a bit more prepared. I am still looking forward to it, especially Chefchouen. We are planning on seeing Casablanca, Fez, Meknes, Tangier and Chefchouen, and will perhaps be more flexible about how much time in each :).

I am so sorry to hear about the bad experiences from people. It does worry me a bit – I will be protective of my daughter even though I am sure she can handle herself!

Thank you again for your balanced post!

A lot of young Moroccan men are sexually frustrated, when they see a foreign women traveling alone for most of them it’s an opportunity to have sex without problem, it’s sad but it’s true. I advice you to find local friends during your visits ;)

Yeah, it’s sad and true and disgusting.

Hi lauren, i wanted your oppinion. Im planning on going to morocco with a couple friends but we are doing a fully escorted tour with a group of people and a guide. Im feeling extremely nervous reading all the stories about how the men are with women all the harrasment and also all the current terroist threats . Im a bit of a worry wart and feeling nervous i dont know ifbi should go but i want to edperience this country and i dont want to regret not going. So given the fact that i eould be with a group tour the whole time do you think ill be ok in morocco in regards to all the harrasment etc?

I find it very appalling about what happened to you. But what I find even more appalling is the self induced victim blaming in your post. You seriously blame your negative attitude and think it is the reason why these men treated you like this? That’s disgusting.

Arab culture is to cat call and harrass any woman who they think deserves it. It’s a machismo culture that uses women and this harassment as a way to feel good about themselves. Take it from a European woman of North African decent. I get harassed by them in Europe and when I go back to North Africa.

You’re a fool to have travelled there alone and should feel very cautious about advising any other solo female traveller to repeat your mistake. One wrong move with these men and you can be seriously traumatised or risk bodily harm, even rape and murder.

Please don’t go to North Africa unless you are with a man or in a group. It’s simply not safe!

But here’s the thing: I didn’t experience harassment when I had a positive attitude; I only did when I was feeling negative and stressed. So, what else can I deduce from that? I wrote this post to offer advice to women who want to travel to Morocco alone — if they go, that’s what I recommend doing because that’s what minimised the harassment for me. But thanks for calling my article disgusting.

And the comments on this post are full of women who went to Morocco alone and had an amazing time without any harassment. Was it a mistake for them to visit as well? If female travellers from other countries were seriously being raped and murdered all of the time in Morocco, it would be publicised. It seems to happen far more in Thailand, for example, where nobody is telling people not to visit.

Hey Lauren i’m a 19 year old Moroccan currently living in Turkey , on nights such as these where i miss home i log into the net and look at pics but tonight i ended up here and many similar websites before this one but i decided to leave a reply on this one so here it goes . First of all i would like to sincerely apologize for the amount of sexual harassment and cat calling you suffered as well as the rock throwing incident my jaw literally dropped when i read that ,never heard that one before i would like to think that man was crazy or something , now let me explain a few things in Morocco anything below the city of Tetouan (my home town) and surrounding small towns is considered south of the country although some are in the middle of the country like Rabat or Casablanca and that is due to the huge difference in our accents , northern Moroccn’s such as my self are kinda considered racist towards the ” southern ” Moroccans because we find them a bit ” savage ” and not as polite or respecting as us . Now that may sound arrogant of us but it’s the truth , the proof is the difference you had in your travel between all the cities and Chefchaouen or Chaouen as some call it with the teenager helping you and all and i’m sure you’ve sensed a much warmer aura from the locals than the other cities . Northern cities are much better for tourist when it comes to feeling safe and the harassment level significantly drops (i’m not saying it doesnt exist but it’s very rare ) however there isnt as much to see in the “north” as much as there is in the “south” except for Chefchaouen. MY city Tetouan is 60 km away from Chefchaouen , it’s not as beautiful i admit but it’s bigger and it has it’s own uniqueness in my opinion i wish you visited there as you could have left Chef for one day in the morning and come back in the evening but oh well . Tangier is the only exception here as it is the biggest city in the north ,the crime rates are higher there and the city is much more populated than the small chefchaouen so it’s obvious that the harassment level is higher than the blue city although less than Marrakesh or fes it is none the less there and very frustrating and sad . I’m not much of a writer but i hope you get to read this and i wanna tell you and everyone who might read this comment that whether i like or not Morocco is still an evolving country and half of our people are uneducated and mostly driven by their ignorance and greed which eventually results in your bad stay in our country and that saddens me so much but i hope that you look at the good people and not the greedy taxi drivers or the scammers and ask of you not to judge us all by the worst of us (although they are like half of us :p ) Once again i sincerely apologize to every person who had a bad experience in my country and i hope you get a better one in the future if you hadnt already gave up on it .

Great post! Your photos are fantastic! I did my first few days in Morocco alone as a solo femaie and then met up with my boyfriend for the rest of the trip. I have to say my experience as a solo female was vastly different than when I was with a man. I never felt threatened when I was alone, but the comments and hassle I received was frustrating and made it difficult to enjoy myself. That being said, I would not let this discourage anyone from doing this trip alone. There are plenty of group tours where you can meet people to travel with and still have an amazing time!

every corner in the world has its smugglers not only Morocco . I am from morocco exactly mountains of atlas. yet, the thing that is worth to mention . wherever you go you will find some difficulties with the natives because of the crush of culture and thought . reader travelers mustn’t fall in that process of generalization which claim that all Moroccan are the same . no , the thing that I want to say I myself when I go to visit some cities in the north or south of Morocco I sense something strange from the native. Given the fact that , I have different cultural background or they see me as a stranger. anyhow you made what I have not myself . you visited the major cities. I am a quiet wildling , i like the passion of mountains . if you visit again we may have a cafe or a drink that you couldn’t afford for your first journey.

No, it’s true, all Moroccans are not the same. But it’s also true that you’ll have to deal with more harassment in Morocco than in many other countries.

Today is my first full day in Marrakech, second night. So far, I fully agree with your experience on attire and frame of mind. Last night, I wore long black pants, a tshirt with a high neck, and a long-sleeved dress type top, and a scarf. All was good, I was only spoken to by the men in the square who were trying to sell me food, and although annoying and relentless, it wasn’t bad and I was out by myself until past midnight.

Today, I wore a long dress, but it didn’t cover my ankles, and a long sleeved shirt over it, with the sleeves rolled up and open because my dress had a high neck. No scarf. For the most part, I was left alone, but was noticed a lot more and men did attempt to talk to me but I just ignored them. It wasn’t until I took out my phone to snap a few pictures of the sunset over the main mosque that this crazy guy yelled at me and chased me for a while. I didn’t handle it well. After he yelled the first time, I ignored him but he continued to come after me and in a threatening way so I spoke to him firmly asking what was happening. He yelled and said in broken English that I couldn’t take pictures of the mosque and something about my country — guessing an infidel shouldn’t take a picture of a mosque. It’s Ramadan and as I made my way back to my riad at around 6 or 7, people were starting to eat and the streets were empty except for lots of men. I was harassed for a good 10 blocks, one after another wanting to talk and when I didn’t, they called me whore in several languages and also a motherfucker.

Now, totally agree that there are very nice men also. Just today, I encountered about 5 super helpful men. One at a restaurant, so yes, he was a bit obliged but it wasn’t a touristy restaurant and he went out of his way to make sure I was ok and knew how to get back to my riad. Another was a guy working at a tea/herbs place off the quarter and in a mostly local traffic street. Some others young guys just coming out of a mosque. And another who helped me find my way in the maze where my riad is, expecting nothing in return except a thank you to which he also thanked me. Last night also a guy in the riad neighborhood (instructed by a woman I approached) took me out of the maze to show me the correct path to my riad.

Some accept a “no” with gentleness but the majority are rude and just awful. I’ve traveled throughout the world and I almost came to tears today because I’m here of my own choosing with my own hard earned money. I have encountered looks and discomfort in Malaysia )Pennan) and Luang Prabang Laos (they were just rude). And I’ve cried on the streets feeling helpless in Honduras as I was harassed day in and day out, just for being a woman. Just my experience.

Thanks so much for sharing your experience with my readers, Ale! It’s such a complicated country to visit, isn’t it? Full of moments of beauty that are usually followed with frustration and horror. I hope the rest of your time in the country goes well :-)

Hey Lauren, sorry to hear about your bad experience with Moroccan men. I spent a year in Morocco and travelled around a bit solo as well as with a group of friends. It is obviously a better idea to travel with friends or a male companion, however a female solo traveller can be safe even alone I think. I once shared a taxi with a woman and 3 other men out of which one harassed me (touched my leg and kept trying to talk to me). At first I told him I wasn’t interested in a polite way but he wouldn’t listen. Then I told him firmly and he still wouldn’t listen. Other passengers didn’t hear anything at first but when they noticed they told him off and later the driver told him to get out of the car. My time in Morocco, however, was great apart from this incident. I tried to always interact with women rather than men, which is a cultural norm in Muslim countries anyway (outside of the home and family, women talk to women and men talk to men and then not much can go wrong). I lived in Fes for a year and didn’t have much trouble with men there and if the harassment and cat calling ever got bad, I would put on a hijab and pretend I was Muslim and that made a huge difference in the way men in the street behaved towards me. I speak Arabic and know a lot about Islam so it worked and no guy dared to say anything stupid to me, the way they approach Muslim women is completely different from the way they approach Westerners wearing “Western” clothes. They may try asking you if you are Muslim and how long you’ve been Muslim or why you converted or why you like Islam, etc., but otherwise they’ll behave nicely, or at least they all did with me. So wearing long clothes and a hijab definitely helps. Also, another piece of advice if you’re a woman and you’re travelling solo – try to always take a taxi with other (preferably LOCAL) women, whether it’s in a city or intercity and chat with them a little before you get in. If there’s a problem they’ll stand up for you and help you, whereas with men you can’t always be sure. I once took a taxi with an English friend of mine (female) and the driver locked us in the car and wouldn’t unlock the door (from the inside) until we paid him the money he asked for, of course he totally overcharged us. After an argument with him we paid him and he let us out, there was no other way to deal with that situation and there was no one around to help us so we did what seemed the safest. Also, another taxi story – my parents came to visit and we took a taxi to somewhere in Casablanca and although I was the only one in our group who spoke any Arabic at all, the taxi driver pretended not to hear me and wouldn’t talk to me or reply. Only when my father tried talking to him in simple English he would reply or when my father repeated after me in Arabic. That was ridiculous and nothing similar ever happened to me after that but that’s just another example of how some people just wouldn’t talk to the opposite sex even in such ‘innocent’ context. As for places to visit, I definitely recommend the old medina in Fes (don’t let the few annoying locals to overcharge you though and if you’re not interested in seeing or buying their stuff make it clear to them but in a polite way if possible :)), Meknes, Ifran, Sefrou waterfall and the towns in the South, but I hadn’t visited any and regret it. I’ve been to Casa and Rabat, but those left no impression on me at all. And I didn’t exactly like Marrakech as it was very touristy and overcrowded and the men were too persistent and I got hissed at a lot but I just ignored that. So I wouldn’t go there again. Actually, if I do go again, and I’d love to, I’ll probably avoid most large cities and will visit the countryside, mountains and small villages or towns. And Chefchaouen, it looks beautiful. Whoever is reading this, I hope you will have a safe and enjoyable trip :)

Thank you so much for the amazing and helpful comment, Roonie! I so appreciate it! :-)

Thank you for your post. As a Moroccan male and an owner of a tour company, i would like to post some advice here: – Morocco is a male dominated society, especially in rural areas outside the main cities. – Ladies wishing to travel alone there are encouraged to dress moderately to avoid attention. – Avoid eye contact and smiling at males in the streets, it could be mis interpreted. – When traveling to the Sahara desert, choose to go in a group tour – When in the Sahara desert, you need to be firm with restaurants and desert camp staff, as well as local guides and camel drivers. Your kindness and smiling at their face all the time might be also mis interpreted. Luckily, last 10 years has known a big drop of numbers of female tourists and local ladies harassed in the streets, but we hear of a few minor incidents every now and then. As a tour company owner, i always advise my female clients traveling alone as above and thank God none ever had an issue. I also insist on my local suppliers in the Sahara desert that if any of my female clients ever complains about their staff, i will press charges against them, and this worked well.

Thanks for sharing!

Hi, How did you move between cities? did you have a car or your took the train. Is it safe to travel without a car?

Thank you, Lopes

Hi Lopes! I travelled by bus between cities, and took a shared taxi from Chefchaouen to Tangier. I personally wouldn’t recommend driving in Morocco, because the drivers are, um, very aggressive!

“Perhaps I was just so frustrated that I was giving off negative vibes that were angering the locals.”

I find this statement of yours very disturbing. At no time does any human have the right to heckle, grope or cause mental, emotional or bodily harm to your person no matter your locale on this planet. That fact that you said that gives you a victim mentality. That is very dangerous mental aspect to take on as it can and will mold future events in your life. “Re-path” that thinking pattern into one of security for your own protection.

No, here’s the thing: I’m not sitting down and writing a diary of my experiences here. I’m writing a guide for women who want to travel to Morocco, letting them know what to expect, and offering tips for how they can avoid having such a stressful experience. Yes, of COURSE, it’s awful that the men behave in this way, but that’s not going to be any different when my readers visit. So if my negative vibes could have been increasing the amount of hostility I received, and that plastering a smile on my face may have helped ease it, I am going to share that with the people reading this post, because I want their journey to be as hassle-free as possible. Me going off on a rant about how their behaviour is unacceptable isn’t going to help with that; me offering tips on what I thought contributed to the increasing aggression I experienced the longer I was in the country will.

I don’t have a victim mentality and I don’t appreciate your condescension either.

Morocco is still a very conservative country and most women walk around with their hair covered. This is a message to visitors that skimpy tops, shorts and revealing clothing are not appreciated by the locals. Dress modestly with legs and arms covered and you’ll avoid the wrong kind of attention. It is also helpful to carry a scarf – essential for visiting a mosque, but also worn Berber-style it helps you blend in and avoidunwanted attention. In Morocco the focus is on the family and women are expected to have husbands and children. Many Moroccan men equate women travelling alone with loose morals. It is extremely rare for the harassment to be violent, an inappropriate touch at worst, but the tongue clicks and hisses can be upsetting to some. They also back down quickly if you have a few choice words. If you’d like to avoid being an object of curiosity, get a husband and kids- fake ones. Wear a cheap wedding band and carry a photo of your “husband” and “children”. Many women travellers say wearing sunglasses helps avoid eye contact with the leering men.

If you think you are being hassled walk into a shop or restaurant and ask for help. If you find you have been groped or are receiving unwanted persistent attention make a fuss and show your disgust, locals (especially women) will come to your aid.

I dressed with my arms and legs covered and I didn’t get to avoid all the attention.

You must be very beautiful.

Not really. 95% of the women I know who have travelled to Morocco experience some form of harassment. Blame the men rather than trying to blame the victims for however they look.

Hey my name’s Abdelbar a 27 years old moroccan guy born in city called Mohammedia, it’s small city located between Rabat the capital and The biggest city Casablanca but my origin came from a village of the northern morocco which is 24 km from Chefchaouen, there where they produce Cannabis ” weed “. I am sorry that you have experienced such bad as harassment in our country but as you see it happens in bigger cities such Marrakech and Casablanca, what i can tell you that even moroccan girls get to face that more than you do. So men are attracted to sexy women and can’t not comment. Me Abdelbar i wish you good and safe trip to Morocco with nice moments.

Hi lauren, I’m in love with your article, I am from morocco, Casablanca but I’m living in japan now. Every words you said about the harassment I can feel it and it brought me a lot of memories, in behalf of all I’m sorry for that, its the worst feeling ever, I love me country but I couldn’t stay there because of this, it was the first reason that mad me leave it. I just want to advise any women going to morocco, if you will go to the north of morocco, it is all good, no one will talk to you people are very nice and well educated. if you will go to Casablanca or any where south, I would prefer that you either go with a group or with some MALE friend, it will be much fun and safer. after all it is a good country have fun

Hello Lauren, As a native Moroccan woman I feel sad and embarrased you had such negative experiences. Travelling as a woman takes guts, thick skin and is never that easy. Myself I travelled around a lot and experienced weird things even in “safe” Western countries; being groped and stalked by Italians, sexually harrased by French policemen and being robbed of 500 pounds by a young native Britt in London, because I didnt take extra precautions believing that all Westeners are honest people. Its a shame that Marrakech has attracted all sorts of opportunist that want to make a quick buck off of tourists and whose daily job it is to engage with tourists. Also the harrassement of women is an issue that needs to be dealt with because as your story shows it detremental to your freedom as a human being. This article might be helpful for travelling females. With advise on countries to avoid http://www.internationalwomenstravelcenter.com/479/

great post dear! thanks for sharing with us and keep it up.

What company did you go out in the Sahara desert with? How much did it cost? Was it worth it?

I booked it through my hostel — it cost $70 for two nights.

A couple of friends (all female) and I are thinking of a short trip to Morocco in November. We are really keen to do some exploring of cities, trekking and visit the sahara. How easy is it to find guides/trips for things if you don’t book anything in advance? We quite like winging it…!

Any advice would be really helpful

I think it would be fine. Guesthouse owners are super-helpful, so they’ll be able to recommend guides and stuff if you ask. And in the main cities, there are lots of options for hiring people.

Omg thank you, that’s exactly what I needed to read. I am currently in the south of spain and wondering if I am going to Morroco for a few weeks as a solo female traveller so your article really help me to understand what it is like. (Still not sure what’s my decision though haha)

Glad you found it helpful, Caroline! :-) Hope you have a great trip if you do decide to go.

Hi it is interesting to read this. I travelled to Essaouirra a few years ago with a friend and at first it was great but then a few days in increasingly sexual comments, being followed, shouted at, abuse at our (absent) mothers etc made it very wearing and left us with a bad memory. There were so many nice people too but of course you end up being distant with them because you don’t know who is going to be aggressive etc. I was thinking of visiting Marrakech in January with another female but now I am not sure. I can negotiate it but sexual harassment is scary and makes me angry.

I understand you well. I had the same experience in Israel. Actually I was happy and enjoying my holiday. But after that harassment it just ruined the rest. And even if the country is beautiful, I don’t like to think back. I think you have the same, or? Are you going to travel to some Muslim countries yet? Me definitely not till I’m young and attractive.

Wish you a lot of beautiful experiences and safe journies.

thank you for sharing your experiences here! I grew up in tangier, Morocco. I’m half moroccan half german but definetly looking more german and I really understand you. Even if i grew up there and even knowing the language it’s hard for me to go out alone. Travelleing completly alone in such countries is always a risk!

But I loved it when you said that even after the negative things that happened to you you loved the Country because it definetly is!

Maybe next time you should come back again with a Group. I reccoment you to definetly visit Tangier again and Asilah, a small Hippie town next to it, to probably go down to Taghatout a small Hippie-Surfer spot where you can find your Piece.

I apologize for that it is really a shame to read that and so sad that there are really still People like this in our world and pollute such a beautiful Piece of earth.

I’m happy to found your blog. I’m an experienced traveller, have been to places mostly with someone else, though. Those places I’ve travelled alone to, I loved the most, relying on myself alone is a challenge.

I was thinking about returning to Morocco where I had travelled with my ex boyfriend. In Morocco especially Marrakesh Medina was a miracle for me, had no sexual harm, assault, perhaps with a man beside me I was not a target. We travelled to Casablanca and Marrakesh as we found local people friendy and helpful, even in Marrakech, motorbikes were annoying, though, got lost in the souk was tough, and those guys alway around who wanted to help us find the way back to the accomodation when they saw us lost was tough as well, especially when we did not pay and made them angry.

Before venturing into a new solo adventure, I wanted to read about how it was to travel to Morocco as a solo woman. Reading your blog was helpful and I still hope I can make it. Whenever traveling to Morocco solo, I would return to known places first to gain self-confidence. I had a couple of nice hosts in Morocco as well and I was happy they were all Europeans living in Morocco. I would definitely return to them to feel safe. Traveling to Morocco as European I had fears even with a man beside me. There was a point when my stress was so high that I cried.

Thank you for sharing your experience, I still plan to explore Morocco solo.

Hi Lauren, I often wonder that how come these scammers have free hand? What are they upto? Are local cops only acting as a mute spectator? I am glad that your hardwork will sensitise travellers like me who will be more careful in future as well

Which scammers?

“At one point, he offered to take me into the Atlas Mountains to camp after the tour, telling me I’d love the stars and the friendly Berber people.”

Two of my female friends did actually have this happen to them on a trip to the Atlas mountains. They naively agreed to go with their guide for a walk from their camp to look at the stars. Where he and his friend aggressively tried to “persuade” them to have sex. Luckily one of their male friends in the tour group had come up to see what the noise was about, and situation over as quickly as it started.

Sounds like you were quite wise to be wary of this guy. It’s a shame having to constantly be mistrustful of people, but that’s kind of how I felt in Morocco too.

Oh wow, thanks for sharing that, Bina. That’s awful.

Did you take a cab to the blue city? If so was it expensive? I plan on going to Morocco in january (solo) and just trying to pick up a few tips. I’m sorry all this happened to you and I hope for these men sake that they leave me alone because being from NYC I am a pro at getting rid of annoying street venders and ridiculous men!

Yep, I took a shared taxi from Tangier.

Thanks so much for this article!! I love the honesty. Did you speak French or Arabic before you got there? Have you ended up going back yet? I may be going for a few months to volunteer, I am still researching and haven’t completely decided yet. However, I would be staying with a host family for my entire time there, which includes meals and transportation. Do you think this kind of lifestyle could lessen the harassment /discomforts? I am still a solo female traveler, but I would think that having a family to come back to every day would give me a support system. I have one more question- was the harassment the only safety concern you had while in Morocco? I am a bit wary given the increase in terrorism scares, to be honest.

I didn’t speak any French or Arabic, and I haven’t returned to Morocco yet, but hopefully will later this year. I think staying with a host family could definitely help minimise the harassment — I have a friend who did just that and had a wonderful time.

Yeah, my only fears were harassment. As far as I’m aware, there haven’t even been any terrorist attacks in Morocco in recent years. Would you still visit France? There’s most likely a much higher risk there than in Morocco. I always remind myself that even if I was ever unfortunate enough to be in a place when a terrorist attack took place, the changes of it being in the exact same place at the same time as me is so, so, so, so low.

I am Moroccan and my sincere apologies on behalf of all real Moroccan men who value women, but those dirty minded freaks that your destiny, unfortunately, makes you encounter them are a simple minority that distorts the beautiful image of the country and its warm-hearted citizens. I am personally convinced that change will take place but it is just a matter of time.

Many thanks for imparting your Moroccan experience with us and I do really hope not be hindered from visiting our country in the future.

Dear Lauren, I really hope you would be my Guest next time you would come to Morocco, I’m owner and manager of my little Guesthouse with only 4 rooms located in Bhalil a village 24 km close to Fez.

I have hosted several young women as a single traveler, Sarah is one of them, rad her TripAdvisor review and read also the other reviews in TripAdvisor, you will understand that my Guesthouse and staff is very normal and fully respecting individuals.

Sarah stayed at our House in a village 24 km close to Fez, see how a single women was happy at our Guesthouse and village in Bhalil Morocco, then read more reviews about Dar Kamal Chaoui in TripAdvisor. you will enjoy your next trip to Bhalil Morocco.

“Beautiful place in the mountains for a single traveler, close to Fez!”

I stayed at this guest house after a long trip to Morocco for rest and relaxation. I sure got exactly that! The guest house itself is so lovely! It has wonderful decorations, beautiful rooms with a comfy bed and warm shower, lastly a really nice terrace to sit on and enjoy the view. The city is small and slow moving, which was a great change from Fez and Marrakesh. The staff at the guest house is wonderful! Kamal was a great host, always helpful and we had some wonderful conversations about many things I was curious about in Morocco. Naima makes great food and is so kind! Two nights I was there we had a guest, Rita and it was so interesting for me to get to know a young girl and learn what she does for fun and about her family. Latef is a great carpenter and makes some of the coolest wood carvings I saw in Morocco. As you can tell, I made some great friends and truly felt like family. I would recommend this guest house to anyone and everyone who comes to Morocco! I would even suggest it if you are visiting Fes, as Bhalil is close and the guesthouse is exceptional. Thank you for the hospitality!

I’ve enjoyed reading all these comments here about Morocco. No one mentioned any experiences in Agadir which I understand is a popular beach city there. I’ve met a young man from there who I met on a language web site called Speaky (speaky.com). We’ve become friends. He and his family run a BnB there which he has invited me to visit.

I am 72 years of age, married & speak Spanish fluently & some French. I’m sure that he would accompany me while in that city. Would I have to worry about this male harassment considering my circumstances?

If you were with a local guy while you were out and about, you’d definitely manage to avoid the vast majority of the harassment. I hope you have a wonderful time in Agadir!

I’m going to Morocco soon, well hopefully soon. My wife and I are planning a trip for May/June . I’m always interested in the female solo traveler perspective. I’ve heard some stories about Morocco that didn’t sound so pleasant and wanted to see what others experiences were. Yours sounds like a roller coaster of ups and downs. Hoping traveling as a couple will be a lot better for us. Appreciate your insight. Cheers,

I hope it ends up being a lovely trip for you both, Mark-Anthony!

I travelled from Marrakesh to Fez and back.

Fez the taxi drivers were wanking in front of me.

A pack of men in the Market cornered me.

I gave up my ambition of being at the sacred music festival.

I was shouted at and sworn at in many towns travelling off the beaten track.

Marrakesh I could handle.

Its sad but I have encounter so many women with the same tail.

Ugh. I’m so sorry to hear you had to go through that.

Hi Lauren, I just love your blog. Thank you so much for all your honesty. I also loved your book! I am about to book a trip to Morocco and definitely don’t want to travel alone even though I’m a seasoned traveler. I am trying to decide between a group tour (Intrepid which I used in India and loved) and hiring a one on one private guide for the entire two weeks. I generally like to travel independently but for some reason the thought of being one on one with a guide makes me a little uneasy. Do you think in a case like this it’s best to go with the tour for company? My only concern is would it be aqkward to be alone with a guide 24/7 for two weeks…I’ve never traveled like that before. Thanks for any feedback!

I would personally go for the group tour option, because I’ve heard of guides being pretty creepy with solo female travellers, so I’d prefer to have more people around me.

I’m an older woman and my husband and I have been to Marrakech three times and Fez twice. We got badly harrased in Fez on our last trip but otherwise it was fine. I got separated in the souk in Marrakech and nobody pestered me, but the men on the stalls guessed what had happened. When I moved on (as somebody said my husband had gone ‘that way’) I then got harrased by a female beggar who said ‘well, what DO you want?’ and I just said ‘my husband’. At that point a young man, about 18, got me some water (I had no phone on me, no cash and no water) and he spent two hours trying to help me find our riad. Once we got back I was unable to take him in for tea as the manager said I had no chaperone (why the hell couldn’t he have chaperoned?) Anyway my husband and I walked back through the souk and found the young man the next day and my husband gave him a healthy tip. He was overwhelmed and gave us both a big hug (old enough to be his parents, maybe even his grandparents!) i will always treasure that memory. Oh, on our final trip to Fez the manageress of the riad went out of her way to help me get a carpet bag made. I bought the rug at a supermarket but she helped me get the fastenings and lining etc from the souk. She knew of a craft school where they were thrilled to make their first carpet bag. Who knew that they were unheard of? Lots of kilims turned into bags, but not an actual rug. Sadly I don’t think we can return to Morocco due to various health issues, but with five visits we can certainly say we know and love the place.

Thanks so much for providing a counterpoint, Lynne :-)

When in Rome do as the Romans. Now I am not saying throw a veil on; your attire shows you had not done your homework about Morocco. Certainly none of the hassle you went through is excusable, however your nonchalant attire is a guarantee for serious trouble. Travel is about going toward a new culture, about melting into it. Travellers who knock on the host country’s culture and tiptoe in, humbly, will have the a richer travel experience, and that goes for anywhere in the world.

What are you talking about? My nonchalant attire? The only parts of my skin I showed when in the cities was my face, so if you’re not suggesting I put a veil on, what are you suggesting??? I covered up from my neck to my wrists to my ankles with clothes while in Morocco, as I mentioned in the post. The only exception was the one day I spent in the Sahara Desert, because my tour guides assured me it was fine. Here’s a couple of quotes from my article:

“I wore long cotton pants down to my ankles, a t shirt with a high neck, a long-sleeved cotton shirt and a scarf. I kept everything loose and light so I didn’t get too hot during the day.”

“I suddenly had hassle from men in the street, too – grabbing me, trying to touch my breasts, telling me they liked my “American tits”, whispering in French in my ear and then calling me a slut and a whore when I walked away. I was completely covered up and couldn’t have worn any more layers at this point, beyond throwing a blanket over myself.”

Don’t be such a judgmental and condescending asshole, and maybe try actually reading my post next time.

Hi Lauren! Thanks a lot for the information.

I am planning to travel solo to Morocco during october. If I understood well, you recommend visiting Chefchaouen, Marrakech and the Sahara to feel a bit safer?

Thanks a lot!

Lauren I think its really awesome and brave that you ventured Morocco solo! I did a trip to Morocco last year with my significant other with GAdventures because I honestly didn’t think I could have handled the crowd, congestion and winding roads on my own. It makes me sad to read about your not so pleasant experiences at the same time creating that awareness for other female travelers is invaluable.

Thank you so much, Michelle! Glad to hear you enjoyed your time in Morocco :-)

Sorry for the experience. Its quite shameful on mankind that in the 21st Century, women still have to stay on their guard because of the men. Apart from that, Morocco is indeed the place to be. It looks so awesome, a mixpot of the ancient and the modern sitting bang in the middle of the Sahara. I would definitely love to go there.

Hopefully things will change in the future. I’m planning on heading back next year, actually, to see if it’s changed in any way since my last visit, back in 2012!

I’m planning to visit Morocco next year, and stumbled upon your blog. First of all, I’d like to thank you for sharing your experience. And the way you manage to maintain your positivity even after all the unpleasantness you went through–I find it so inspiring. I’m still a bit nervous about going there alone as a female traveler, but your story really gives me courage. So, thanks again :)

Thank you so much! I hope you have a wonderful and trouble-free trip to Morocco :-)

It’s hard to believe what you have gone through Lauren. Those kinds of jerks are all over the places. They need to be taught about basic etiquettes at least. But I appreciate your great patience. You moved on with a positive mindset. I learnt one thing from your experience that every individual should have minimum awareness before traveling to a new destination. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Lauren.

Thanks for the kind comment, James!

Thanks for sharing your story and I’m so sorry for what you had to go through, especially this throwing the rock situation, that is truly appalling. I wanted to add on here as well for anyone else considering, especially a solo female traveler. I just returned tonight to the US and cut my trip short 10 days, because of all of the harassment, cheating I was experiencing and getting robbed.

I am an extremely savvy traveler, have traveled solo throughout Asia, Europe, South America and lived in South America and Mexico and while I’ve had incidents like my phone being stolen right from my backpack and being catcalled and even had men pull their pants down in front of me, nothing has been like the terror in the medinas and scam artists of Morocco.

In my Riad in Fes, Dar Elgahlia, the hotel stole a $100 bill out of my wallet, I know this because my wallet had been clearly tampered with in my suitcase. The manager at the hotel also told me he’d help me by getting me an overnight bus ticket to the desert, and after I paid him and later looked at the ticket, he’d given me a used ticket from the day before. This same Riad also turned away my tour guide without telling me, so that I would use a tour guide through them and they would get a cut. The snakes in Morocco are not just on the street, after this I felt I could not trust even my hotels.

I went in late December so was extremely covered up, hair tied back and sunglasses, no make up, essentially trying to look as unappealing everyday. I did not look or smile at anyone, and the catcalls didn’t annoy me as much because I’m used to that, but it was the aggression in people grabbing at me, following me and lying to my face to lead me astray. In Marrakech I was harassed by women, grabbing at me to do henna as I was walking and held my hand drawing on me walking with me, even though I dislike henna and told her no, and didn’t have money on me (which I did not) and she would not leave or stop, then demanded money and caused a big scene. I was also led astray by a man who spoke perfect English telling me he’d lead me to NOMAD restaurant and told me this big story about how his Berber family from the Atlas Mountains goes there to learn to cook, only to then drop me off at a spice shop which was on the complete opposite side of the restaurant so I could buy things. I was also followed by multiple men, saying “you’re going the wrong way.. your Riad is this way… you’re so beautiful let me take you to where the beautiful women go.”

I even went to the police station to report Dar El Ghalia at the request of Booking.com (whom I booked the Riad through) and was escorted by a trustworthy nice young Moroccan, but even after being with him for a couple of hours, he tried to make advances, touching my leg and trying to hold my hand, and asking about my sex life and preferences.

I have very thick skin and get over things quickly, but this place had me in anxiety and on the verge of tears daily. It made me so disheartened because Morocco had been on the top of my list since I was 15, and to feel like I have to be escorted around is just sad. But, that is the culture and I do recommend still going just with a sensible private guide who knows the language and people, a very protective and aware man or a tour group. I have to give it time but I will go back and visit the desert, Essaouira and beach towns but with a man and a guide.

Ugh, I’m so, so sorry to hear about your experiences, Natalie. It’s so terrible that you were treated that way. Morocco’s a tough country to travel through as a solo woman, so I’m not surprised to hear you also cut your trip short. Thanks for sharing your experiences here, so that other women can have a good idea of what to expect when they visit.

Simply gorgeous! Such a beautiful place, even though you have to always have an eye open, but totally worth it.

Thanks for sharing! I loved the pictures!

Thanks, Pedro!

I learned a lot from your post. I love the pictures! What a great place to travel. I love Morocco!

I’m a solo female going to Morocco for a week and a half at the end of this month for holidays. I will be arriving in Marrakech, then wanting to visit the Sahara and if there is is time, Essaoira. Can you please suggest accommodation for me in Marrakech? Safe tours to the Sahara? and accommodation in coastal town such as Essaoira? Also, do you know of any female meet groups there ? Thanks, Gillian

Just got back from Morocco on Sunday having cut my trip for a few days due to the people I met there. I am a guy and pretty big actually but I really disliked their attitude and had to keep my temper in control due to the fact that I was thousands of miles away from home. I posted my thoughts about Morocco on my blog since I think that people should be aware of everything before they visit a new country! Personally regardless of how many good stories I hear I would never recommend Morocco for a single girl traveller!

It’s always good to receive other perspectives, so thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences, Stefan. I’m sorry to hear you ended up cutting your trip short! It sure is a challenging country to travel through.

You were brave to go alone but these kind of trips feels better with friends.

The sexual harassment we faced in Morocco was the worst anywhere by a long way. The worst place was the Marrakesh Bazaar. It was so crowded and men would grab us and making hissing noises. All the girls in our group had to cross their arms over their chests (to stop the grabbing) as we tried to get out of there. It was a horrible nightmare.

I’m so sorry to hear that, Tamara.

Oh boy. Morocco Desert Tours, your response displays such an inappropriate view of women in the modern world. But I thank you for it, so I and other female travellers can avoid using your tour. I’m going to Morocco in a few months and I wouldn’t trust anyone with such a misogynist view of women to take me to the desert. Thanks again for your making me aware of your views.

Hi As a 57 year old potential solo traveller to Morocco. Do you think my age would provide protection from male harassment?

I am likely heading to Morocco for a few weeks this summer. Regarding your age…. sadly there are lots of poor desperate shameless Moroccan men that consider anything foreign fair game in pursuit of getting of Moroccan. Descent Moroccan men you are less likely to encounter as they usually actually are in school, have jobs or have families to take care of. Better quality Moroccan men do exist … but they are not as likely to be encountered as they are not the looser that are harassing women as a profession. Local women also have issues with regular aggressive sexual harassment in Morocco. The story in Tangier really angered me as it reminded me of an experience I had in Istanbul.

I want to encourage women to be upfront about their experiences and stop describing these situations as “attention”…. this is outright sexual harassment and it should not be sugar coated. Morocco has huge problems with sexual harassment. It is does not only happen to tourist is it a common problem for local women. As a tourist dealing with that is a temporary fear, but imagine how crippling and scary it would be to have to deal with that on a daily basis?

no…..not really the young guys like old women to…they even marry them mainly for there money wait for them to die…so many there all scammer keep away from Moroccan men…

I am currently in the middle of our Morocco trip with my wife and I definately see all the harassment on a daily basis towards females which would be unacceptable in my country. The constant leering and touts at my fully covered wife even though she is by my side is concerning, I can’t imagine what it would be like as a solo female traveller. Not sure if it is a lack of self control or education or both. Makes me sad that females have to put up with this rubbish in a daily basis. Not really sure how a country can progress as a whole with these attitudes towards half their population.

Marrakech was a great place and had a great desert experience. We booked to join a group tour of about 15 people through ‘Marrakech desert expeditions’ but ‘Miftah tours’ actually operate the tour. Driver was great and none of the solo female travellers got harassed from we saw or heard.

Currently in Casablanca and honestly, don’t bother with this place if you are tight on time. The Mosque is incredible but that’s it. Might be good if you live there and have time to explore as others have mentioned but give it a miss as a tourist here for a couple of days. I reckon the harassment was on par with my time in New Delhi.

Like most people said, amazing country and everyone has different experiences. There are mostly nice people as others have said but the lack of respect towards females was definitely a downer.

good and bad in every country ….but so many bad in morocco yes don’t make eye contact helps…as if they think there the best looking things since sliced bread…full of themselves..you have to understand them .girls meaning you whoever reads this they think all tourist women are easy..there looking for a way out..and some are even married and still scamming many are married and still having there women on the side the wives don’t want that but what can they do? cant go back to there families no welfare for abused or single women with children ..morocan men in my experience of Arabic countries are the worst..lieing cheaters..and so full on with the compliments I have seen so many older women marrying younger men as if …it wont last it never does they want kids and they want your country citizenship where ever your from so they can look good when they go back..they seem caring they seem everything just believe me there either born this way or been doing there scams since childhood..i believe they love there mothers that’s all..they don’t respect women at all..i think they think women are just a vessel for things they want.and muslim country I will eat my hat..Bull crap the most unmuslim country I have come across…even at ramadam a lot sleep most of the day and up all night just change there sleep patterns..not so hard..alcohol never seen so much a lot a drinkers..and hash..they all do it most of them..hey guys its a drug and addictive and not islam I wonder if they know that…I could go on and on..I have lived there..i have Moroccan children I know a lot have lived there to..any info you need don’t mind telling..

Wow, I’m rather disappointed with most of the feedback. I am a 64 yr old woman and I will be going to Portugal next year and since I will then be retired, I thought of just flying to Morocco and spending a couple of days in Marrakesh at the Sofitel hotel there, now I’m not so sure?? Thoughts?

I spent 2 weeks in Morocco last year as solo female traveller in my 40s, this country is the worst I have been to so far. Catcalled, followed, groped, harassed… it was relentless. And yes, I dressed modestly. The landscapes were gorgeous, especially in the Atlas mountains, but I could not enjoy a single day of my holiday because I was constantly dodging unwanted attention, looking over my shoulder and I never felt like I could have a genuine interaction with the locals. Everybody wanted something, and men clearly felt entitled to my money and my body. When talking to me, a lot would just stare straight at my boobs!

I will not go back to Morocco. When I am on holiday, I want to relax and enjoy myself, and I find it deeply unpleasant to have to be on my guard every time I step out in the street. I will also think twice before going to another conservative muslim country, since women clearly enjoy a much lesser status than men in those very patriarcal societies. When you invest time and thousands in a trip, you want a positive experience, not fight every step of the way and come back more stressed than when you left!

Hi Lauren, thank you so much for sharing your wisdom!

I’m a 20 year old student about to embark on a 3 week trip to Tétouan for Arabic classes. I grew up in France and speak fluent French, and am learning Arabic in college, but I’m still nervous. I’ve never really travelled alone before, and as you described, Morocco is a daunting place to start. I did go to Rabat once but it was with my mother, and any harassment we did get was never unbearable. Do you think the season makes a difference? I’ll be traveling in January, which I assume is a relatively tourist-free time of year. I’m wondering if that means there will also be less harassment.

Any other travel advice would also be appreciated! Thanks xx

Lauren, I was just there in Morocco in October at all the places you visited for two weeks. As a male foreigner with my wife, we did get harassed to buy this or that. This occurred in the Medinas. We travelled with a tour group. However, we travelled independently on our own at midday and at night. I did get asked frequently about my origin as I was compared to a Moroccan actor. I took it all with a pleasant attitude and smiled. More importantly, we ignored unwanted remarks, sales, and offers with a preoccupied look for elsewhere and walked with a predestination in mind. We enjoyed the independent walks in Rabat, Marrakech, Meknes, Casablanca, Fes, and Essaquira. We also enjoyed a night in the Sahara Desert. We loved it and hope others will as well. I offered my advice as I have researched countries for advice. I often follow female solo travelers’ advice in visiting countries. My advice to female travelers is to blend in with the cultural norms and try to use a pleasant and friendly attitude. Be aware and astute. Morocco is worth visiting.

I’ve been stuck in morocco now 16 months yes I get bugged all the time and I really don’t care i learn how to tell them to fuck off and show them im not scared of them women as well try for harass me and I say them thanks I don’t let small things stress me out but honestly learning to swear in there language is best when your travel solo I read how if you ignore them they get mad ! I try same thing but in the end I’m say kawd meaning fuck off and they be shocked they swear back at you but this gives you the opportunity to walk away don’t let them think they are better then women we all come from the same place and for this we is all equal remember this !

I had a very similar experience in Morocco and I would never, not ever, go back. I haven’t experienced anything remotely similar anywhere else.

I’m so sorry to hear that, Kiki.

Heey, wow it’s almost sad to read these comments.. I’m sorry for all of you who felt that way.

I travelled there (solo) four years ago, and I’m going back (solo) next week. I’m so excited! I’m 1.74, blonde, light skin. I’m used to getting some attention on holidays. And I did, but albeit for one weird dude, never in an disrespectful way. But my Morocco experience has been soooooo different! There were 2 scams (the guy bringing me to the hotel) which I obviously refused to pay, and a woman with henna (too bad, I fell for that). Other than that, I was actually really really lovely!

I have a very long I-could-have-ended-up-in-human-trafficking-but-it-turned-out-amazing story, but I’m too lazy to type it out. Some guys gave me compliments, in the most respectful way ever. I got free food (and plates) from a restaurant because the man really wanted me to try out their desserts, which I later shared with the homeless people, had friendly people showing me the way, helping me out, help me get better prices at lunchplaces, found some roaming camels to cuddle..

For all the ladies traveling alone: go during Ramadan. I am not sure if that had something to do with it, but I fell in love with both the country and it’s people.

There are some horrific experiences shared here. I went with my wife back in 2008 and didn’t really experience any of the horror stories most people have seemed to encounter.

We stayed for 4 days and 3 nights (always inside the Medinas) but never felt threatened or even harassed more so than your basic sales pitches by street vendors.

Word of advice have a local show you around and never wander aimlessly. If you look like you’re lost you will be approached. Have a destination in mind and go with a local and you’ll be fine.

its exactly 1 year -i visited my best ever trip to morocco i am a male solo traveller and after going through your article i almost decided to cancel travelling to my dream deatination of morocco- and i had send you the email to get some advice -and your reply was very encouraging and it drove me to go ahead with my plan and i had a wonderful trip of life time -the people were very nice -you have to be little careful specially in fez your advice was that as a male and from india we are supposed to be always vigilant in our own place so nothing to worry and i should go ahead with the wonderful trip of moroccco

Yay! I’m so happy to hear you had a great trip, Zoher!

I’m sorry you had a tough experience in Morocco. I lived in Fez a few years back and loved it, but also had some tough experiences. The harassment in my experience was worse during the high tourist season and way more chill otherwise. I’m also sad to hear you missed Fez because it is lovely there and has a calmer vibe than some of the other big cities.

Ah, interesting! Most people told me that Fez is the worst city for harassment, so it’s great to hear you had the opposite experience.

Hey Lauren, hope you are doing great! Your post about Morrocco was wvery helpful as I’m going at the beggining of May. Do you perhaps have the contact of a tour guide and a taxi at Marrakesh? I wanted to make sure to transfer to my hostel with someone pf trust. Thank you!

Thank you for writing this, it is very timely for me. I am horrified that you had a rock thrown at your head! I am so sorry that this happened to you. To be fair, unfortunately, here in New York this has happened to people as well. Nonetheless, it is terrible and inexcusable anywhere. It so happens that I am going to Morocco later next week – with a group – but I am arriving early and staying later to work on some music. After reading your article I do now have some concerns. I have traveled all over the world and I have lived abroad as well. I was just in India for almost a month and never had an incident there. I always dress carefully and I unfortunately am probably overly cautious, and tend to do things like make sure that I am in my hotel in the early evenings, but it seems that you had issues in broad daylight in crowded areas. I am also an older woman, so I was hoping that would make things easier, but it sounds as if that has not been a deterrent for some of the women on this forum. I am also hoping that by staying in nicer hotels and getting drivers and guides through them, that some of this will be mitigated, but you have definitely raised my awareness. I really appreciate how you have made an effort not to be completely blindsided by the negative experiences, I can relate to that outlook as a traveler, but now I will be even more cautious than I normally am. If you have anything to update, I look forward to reading it. Thank you again.

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Solo Female Travel in Morocco – 14 Important Safety Tips

By: Author Sophie Pearce

Posted on Last updated: January 28, 2024

Categories MOROCCO , SOLO TRAVEL

This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for details.

Believe it or not, both times that I have travelled through Morocco I have been by myself.

The first time I visited, I didn’t even read about Morocco before I went. Let alone what to expect with solo female travel in Morocco, so I’m really happy you’ve found this page to prepare you!

Now, I’m not going to lie to you and tell you that it’s an easy country to travel solo as a woman in. In fact, that would be far from the truth. But, what I will say is that, although it’s a challenge, it’s completely doable if you exercise caution and awareness like you would in any other country that you travel solo in.

Now, because you’ve found this page, I already know that you’re an awesome woman that wants to travel on her own to Morocco! But, there are some safety tips that I think every female traveller needs to be aware of before visiting.

I would say that I am now an experienced solo female traveller, having visited and lived in countries such as Turkey, Egypt, India, UAE, and Jordan by myself. So, I’m hardened as to what to expect in a predominantly Islamic or patriarchal society.

I’ve learned some hard lessons, but I feel that I am all the better for it and wouldn’t necessarily fear travelling to a country solo (unless declared unsafe, obv) as I trust my own instincts.

Morocco is a truly beautiful country that I would encourage any woman to visit. It’s so rich in culture, home to some of the most friendly and hospitable people and there’s a colourful adventure around every corner.

So, take the leap, book the trip and follow these 14 important tips for solo female travel in Morocco – you’ll be just fine!

1. Try to keep an open mind before you visit

It seems nowadays that every man and his dog seems to chime in when you’re travelling to a country that the media deem unsafe. You can’t mention that you’re travelling to Morocco without the “is it safe?” question.

There is so much negative press about Morocco that it’s a wonder that anyone actually visits the country if this is what we based all our opinions on!

And I know it’s not just press, it’s word of mouth too. Personally, I didn’t have many bad experiences with solo female travel in Morocco, and only one isolated situation that made me feel unsafe (more on that later).

Sure, I got ripped off a few times but did that pose a threat to my safety? No. Of course, everyone’s experience is different and what happened to one person, may not necessarily happen to you.

If Morocco is a country you really want to visit, you have to look beyond the negative press. Not every person in a country is bad and when do you ever hear much good in the news?

Try to keep a positive outlook and think of all the incredible places you’ll be visiting. It really won’t be much fun if you keep recounting all the bad stories you hear in your head.

2. Research Morocco and gain an understanding of the local culture & religion

Something I think that is important is to do a little research into Morocco. Remember, you’re not here to change a country, you’re here to embrace it!

Islam is the recognised religion in Morocco and accounts for almost 99% of people practicing it. This means that it is a conservative country and a predominantly patriarchal one.

Only this year, in 2018, did Morocco introduce a violence against women law. So, although there is progress, equal rights are not quite there yet.

On that subject, it is quite common for male intimidation and catcalling to occur but mostly it’s harmless if you let it pass over your head. I’m not saying that’s the right thing to do, but as it’s not your country, it’s best to try to ignore it and move on.

The local language is Arabic and learning a few phrases can go a long way;

• Hello = Salaam Alikum / Mahabah
• Thank you = Shukran
• You’re welcome = Afwan
• How are you = Kaeef halak
• Yes/No = Neam Falen/La (or La Shukran an important one!)

3. Dress conservatively – think about appropriate outfits to pack

Islam is widely practiced in Morocco with men being able to wear pretty much what they like and women needing to cover up head to toe.

You will see many women wearing a traditional abaya, burka, or conservative clothes and a hijab (scarf) on their heads. Don’t panic though, that doesn’t mean that you have to dress that way!

Tourists are given a little leeway with how to dress as locals are well aware that many tourists who are visiting Morocco aren’t Muslim. But, it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t make an effort to dress conservatively.

Solo female travel in Morocco means covering up your shoulders and legs to an extent (the furthest I went was having a wide-sleeved jumpsuit that showed my arms and a medium-length playsuit that showed my ankles).

I did see girls who were wearing strappy tops and shorts but I personally didn’t feel comfortable going out like that. As I was travelling solo, the last thing I needed was to draw more attention.

When you’re planning on what to wear, you should also consider the heat. Here are some recommendations that I have;

• Jumpsuits – the perfect all-in-one cover-up! The great thing about these is that they come in all different patterns and are super cute as well as conservative.
• Scarves/Pashminas – my ultimate weapon. A scarf is so useful in Islamic countries as not only does it cover up your shoulders but it saves you from having to borrow/buy one when entering a mosque. These can actually be bought really cheap from the souks.
• Maxi dresses/skirts – These are also a great idea as you can dress them up or down how you like
• Shawls – are the perfect addition to an outfit and they can keep you warm on chilly nights

Click here to read my women’s packing list for Morocco here!

4. Don’t be afraid to be rude

The Brit in me has definitely been kicked out in terms of politeness when I travel alone.

I no longer feel guilty about saying ‘No’. Most of the time, I walk around with a resting b**ch face as a means to protect myself. I have no qualms about being rude or strong when I need to be.

It’s not that I want to be rude, but if any men approach me in a way I deem inappropriate or try to harass me, I don’t take it lightly.

Believe me when I say that it’s better to be rude and shut whatever is happening down than for it to escalate to the point that it’s too late to leave the situation.

Trust your instincts, tell people when they make you feel uncomfortable, and don’t be afraid to cause a scene or leave the situation entirely if it escalates. Remember, you know your boundaries and you shouldn’t have to justify that to anyone, period.

5. You have a boyfriend (even if you don’t in real life!)

Isn’t it sad that your boyfriend couldn’t make it to Morocco with you this time? And, he was sick in the hotel room with food poisoning? Lol! Another one of my secret weapons.

I lost count of the number of times I was asked if I was single, married, or had a boyfriend as a solo female traveller in Morocco.

Of course every single time I told them that I had a bf/husband in the UK that couldn’t make it with me on the trip as he had to work.

If I had a pound for every time I had the same response of ‘If I was your boyfriend/husband, I wouldn’t let you go alone I would be rich. HA! If you were my boyfriend and you wouldn’t let me go alone; you wouldn’t be my boyfriend hun!

I even go as far as to screenshot a picture of me and a male friend to show them if they ask. Of course, it would be my biggest and a strongest-looking male friend to intimidate them into backing off ;).

Wear a ring, screenshot a picture of a hot guy on your phone, and lie through your teeth. You always have a boyfriend!

6. Try not to tread off the beaten path

The only time I had an incident happen was when I went somewhere alone that wasn’t on the beaten path. I actually found that, although they were chaotic, the souks were a lot safer than outside of the city walls.

The incident in question was on a walk up to the Merinid tombs in Fes. I had one guy follow me in a car up the road and beep and harass me to the point I had to cross the road to avoid him.

Another guy followed me all the way from the bus station. I never usually get spooked but as I couldn’t see anyone up at the tombs or around and I was alone, I started to panic.

Luckily, the police were up at the tombs (behind them shading from the sun) and I just burst into tears asking for help.

At once the police were like shining knights and mounted their horses to ask him why he was following me. Apparently, it was just to ask me if I wanted a tour guide but I think that’s total BS.

What I was happy about though is he didn’t come anywhere near me after that and the situation was dealt with pretty quickly.

The lesson? Always stay on the beaten track and make sure you have a means of transport available to you.

7. Avoid walking out alone late at night

An obvious tip but one that I feel should be said; avoid going out late at night.

Although I would go out at dinner times to grab something to eat, I would go straight back to my Riad after that. To avoid getting lost in the souks, I would set my google maps route to the restaurant and follow it straight back.

Another thing that I would do is to avoid drinking unless it’s in your Riad and it’s offered as a service. I had a drink on my last night at Riad Fes but it’s not a habit I take up much in Morocco.

As an Islamic country, they don’t have great views on the consumption of alcohol and it should be respected.

8. Rise above the staring and catcalling

Ugh, another unfortunate thing that happens in Morocco is staring and catcalling. Here are just some examples I had on a daily basis in the souks of Fes;

• “Do you want a Moroccan husband?”
• “Nice ass”
• “Where you going beautiful girl? Look at my shop”
• “Where are you from?”
• “I love you”

These seem like quite harmless statements but I can tell you now they were not meant or said without harmful intent.

It’s constant and it does get annoying, grinding even. Most days, I just laughed it off, played along, others I started to get annoyed.

But, that’s what they want, to get your attention and a rise out of you. So, best to just ignore it.

Looking for more amazing solo travel destinations in the Middle East? Check out this post by Jessie on a Journey! (external link)

9. Avoid giving out your social media details

So many people would ask me for my phone number, Whatsapp, a Facebook friend request, or Instagram ad.

At first, I had a hard time saying no and as I was posting stories from Morocco on my Instagram, I was bombarded with social media messages and marriage proposals lol.

Although it is nice to make friends when you travel, I would be selective on who you give your social media details.

Adding one person could mean they send your details to others and you have a whole load of new ‘friends’ that want to bug you all the time.

Save the hassle and just politely decline. Say that you don’t have a Facebook account and your phone is off/isn’t working.

Of course, they won’t believe you but it’s better to lie than to be harassed online.

10. Don’t be afraid to make a scene or alert the police if something happens

Like my situation at the Merenid tombs, don’t be afraid to alert tourist police, make a scene or ask for help if something happens to you!

If a situation makes you feel uncomfortable or scares you, it’s better to cause a scene than to suffer in silence. Nine times out of ten, this will scare the person and get them to back off.

11. Book in at a safe Riad/hotel

This is something that may be a little harder to ensure but it’s always worth checking into a safe Riad in a central location.

The next question you’ll probably ask is; how can you ensure that it’s safe?

Well, for me I always use Booking.com to book my hotels and what’s great is they have certain categories such as solo travellers. This means you can filter reviews from people and see whether, in their experience, they found it safe being there alone.

I also look at Tripadvisor and look for ‘themes’ in reviews. Is it 24-hour security? Does it feel safe? Is it in a safe location? Are the staff friendly? These things can make a big difference to your trip.

12. Look and act confident

Easier said than done but there’s a time-old saying that if you act like a victim you’ll most likely become one.

Look, act and walk with confidence. Try to look like you know where you’re going and hold your head up high.

Make sure you have data on your phone, so you can use Google maps and don’t have to ask for directions and end up on the wrong side of town.

To avoid being ripped off, act like you know (or research) the prices already, tell them you’ve been in Morocco a while or even better you live there (even if it’s your first day).

Confidence can go a long way in ensuring that you’re safe. Act like you know what you’re doing and people will think you know what you’re doing! I may sound crazy, but try it for yourself and see the difference it makes in how people treat you.

13. Don’t let any taxi drivers ‘bring a friend’

Something that really started to annoy me was the number of taxi drivers that would pick up their ‘friends’. Of course, I would be paying for their trip as I would see no money being paid to the cab driver as he came out.

One time, in Chefchaouen, we were even waiting outside someone’s house to pick up a kid for school – that’s when I lost it.

Why was I paying for people to be in my cab? Sorry, but I had no idea if it was a kid or someone else that wanted to harm me. So, I made him drive off. Not to mention I had a bus to catch that he was making me late for.

I didn’t know these people from Adam and it’s a lot harder to fight off two people than one. So, I just flat out refused if someone got in the cab after that. It may sound harsh, but you don’t know where they may take you or what could happen to you!

Don’t let ‘friends’ get in the cab if you’re alone. It’s better to be safe than sorry.

14. My biggest tip of all; embrace solo female travel in Morocco!

Some of the above tips and advice may be hard to hear but they are not meant to ward you off! I just wanted to ensure that you were prepared for some of the challenges that come with Solo female travel in Morocco.

The positives of this beautiful country far outweigh the negatives.

Morocco is incredibly diverse and is full of friendly faces, yummy food, beautiful cities, and gorgeous riads and it’s definitely an adventure you won’t forget in a hurry.

So, don’t miss out and end up regretting it. You are more powerful and stronger than you think. Go with confidence and surety that you can hold your head up high and travel safely and responsibly as a woman in Morocco.

You have got this girl – go for it!

Heading to Morocco? Read more of my articles!

The ultimate 2 weeks in Morocco itinerary

The top things I wish I knew before travelling to Morocco

What to wear in Morocco as a woman

Top things to do in Essaouira

A complete guide for Fes

How to avoid scams at Fez Tannery

Visiting the Golden Doors of Fez Royal Palace

Trying a Camel Burger in Morocco

The best Riad in Fes

Is Riad Fes worth the price tag?

Taking a Sahara Desert Tour from Marrakesh

Top places to visit in Chefchaouen

Save these Morocco solo female travel tips for later!

Thursday 28th of September 2023

As a Moroccan citizen, I would like to thank you for this post, there are many advice for women traveler

Sophie Pearce

Tuesday 17th of October 2023

Hi Yusi, thanks for your kind words. Sophie x

Monday 28th of October 2019

Very helpful blog on Morocco. Solo traveling doesn’t seem so scary now.

Sunday 3rd of November 2019

Hi Sophie, I'm glad the blog could help you and you enjoy your solo travels! Also, great name ;) Sophie x

travelwideflights

Saturday 2nd of March 2019

its remarkable journey and i am in love with it

Sunday 10th of March 2019

Thank you so much for your support! Sophie x

Shanice baker

Thursday 3rd of January 2019

This has really inspired me to visit Morocco! It has always been one of those places I’ve debated due to being a girl! Thank you for the tips!

Hi Shanice, I'm so happy to hear that! It's a magnificent country I'm sure you'll love :) Thanks for reading, Sophie x

Is Morocco Safe for Women? 12 Tips for Solo Female Travel to Morocco

Posted on Last updated: April 4, 2024

Are you planning your next adventure and wondering, “Is Morocco safe for solo female travelers ?” I have months of experience with solo travel in Morocco, and I can happily report that it’s safe for solo female travelers. You must know some essential tips and tricks for the best experience possible. Keep reading for 12 essential tips for planning your solo female travel Morocco adventure.

Quick Tip:  Book accommodation, tours, and transport ahead of time online to save money and stress.  Best Morocco Tours :  Click here to check out the top Morocco tours Best Morocco Accommodation: Click here to check out the best accommodation in Morocco Best Morocco Transport: Click here to book a bus, ferry, or train in Morocco

12 Morocco Solo Female Travel Tips

1. Wear Headphones and Sunglasses to Avoid Eye Contact With Touts

Is it safe to travel to Morocco alone as a woman? Yes, but you’ll have a much better experience avoiding touts. Popular Morocco tourist areas like Fes and Marrakech are full of fake guides called “touts.”

Touts are harmless but con artists—they usually aim to confuse tourists and demand a high tip for providing help. They will approach you on the street and try to start a conversation, which leads to them expecting money.

The only way to avoid touts in Morocco is by not giving them an “in” to start a conversation with you. Once they do, they’ll continue relentlessly following you around the souks unless you go inside a cafe or hotel.  

Morocco is a beautiful country, but the touts are exhausting, and they target women traveling alone more than couples or men. Bring a pair of sunglasses and headphones if you must travel through a busy area. This makes solo female travel to Morocco less stressful and annoying.

2. Take a Tour When Visiting the Souks to Avoid Harassment 

The souks in the Old Medinas of Fez and Marrakech are beautiful and a must-see if you plan to solo travel in Morocco . Unfortunately, as a solo female traveler , I received more harassment from souk shop owners than other tourists. Some sellers even grabbed my arm and tried to pull me into their stall! 

I recommend taking a guided tour of the souks to avoid this treatment. The harassment won’t be as bad if you’re accompanied by a local, and you can shop (relatively) in peace while learning about the local history from your guide. 

3. Organize an Airport Pickup in Advance

Taxi drivers in Morocco are notorious scammers, and the airport ones are the worst offenders! I recommend arranging transportation from the airport to your hotel in Morocco beforehand, either through your hotel or a private transfer service . 

4. Don’t Listen to Anyone Saying You’re Going the Wrong Way 

A common fraud in Morocco is called the “wrong way scam.” Touts target foreigners in the winding, maze-like streets of the Old Medinas and tell them they’re going the wrong way. Then, they turn around and demand a tip to show the tourists the “right way.” 

On my last trip to Morocco, I found the touts were significantly bolder with this scam, to the point of being funny. Guys would approach me on the street and tell me I was “going the wrong way” without knowing where I was headed!

Don’t believe anyone telling you you’re going the wrong way in Morocco. This is one of my top tips for solo female travel to Morocco.

5. Remember to Haggle

Almost everything in Morocco is up for negotiation—it’s part of the fun of shopping there! 

When you solo travel Morocco, the first price a shop owner gives you in the souks is usually two to ten times what the item costs (unless official prices are posted).

You must  haggle  with the shop owner and work them down to a reasonable price. 

6. Only Pack What You Can Carry 

Is Morocco safe for women traveling alone? You’ll have a much better experience if you only pack what you can carry on your back. Many Moroccan towns and cities aren’t car-friendly, so you must travel on foot.

On my first trip to Morocco, I visited the town of Imlil in the High Atlas Mountains . I could not drive to my hotel, so the only option was hiking up a steep incline. While I thought I had packed light (by my standards), I paid a guy with a donkey to help carry my bag the rest of the way up! This could have been avoided if I had traveled with a duffel bag or backpack.

Other places in Morocco, like the Old Medinas in Marrakech and Fez, don’t allow cars. A few times I have stayed in Marrakech, I’ve had to pull all my luggage half a mile or more into the Medina. It is not fun to have a giant suitcase, so I recommend packing light! 

7. Use a Ride-Sharing App When Possible

Taxi drivers in Morocco are the worst scammers. They sometimes charge foreigners five to ten times the price of a trip as they would a local. Occasionally, there are taxi scams in which a driver takes a foreigner around in circles and demands more money for the “long trip.”

I recommend using a  ride-hailing app in Morocco  when possible. The most popular options in Morocco are Careem, Roby, Heetch, and Yassir. Morocco solo female travel is much safer using reputable ride-sharing apps for these reasons:

• Track your ride on a map in real-time.
• See your driver’s rating. 
• Your driver knows they will be rated on their conduct at the end of the trip. 
• Prices are set, so you don’t have to haggle.  

8. Dress Appropriately 

Another essential tip for solo female travel to Morocco is to dress modestly. While I’ve seen some tourists dressed in skimpy clothes, they usually aren’t treated as well. Morocco has a vibrant nightlife scene, especially in coastal cities like  Taghazout , so you can pack some going-out clothes. However, your daily outfits should err on the side of modesty.

As a foreigner in Morocco, you don’t have to cover your hair—in the cities, a shirt and a pair of pants are more than enough. A good rule of thumb is to cover your shoulders and knees. 

You can also read about travel essentials for women here .

What to Wear in Morocco

9. Immediately Withdraw Cash

Morocco is cash-oriented—most hotels, restaurants, and activities don’t accept cards. To prepare for your solo travel Morocco experience, I recommend withdrawing cash as soon as you arrive in the country. 

Don’t use a money exchange service in Morocco, as there are too many  scams to worry about. Instead, take out cash from your account at a bank ATM. Every airport in Morocco has bank-affiliated ATMs that work with foreign debit cards. 

Top Tip : Always deny the bank’s conversion rate when withdrawing money from a Morocco ATM. The banks usually have a worse conversion rate than the global standard, and you will save money by refusing the rate.

10. Don’t Drink the Water!

Morocco is not a country where you can safely drink tap water, so you’ll see many locals drinking mint tea with every meal. Boiling water kills all the bacteria that could make you sip, so hot tea is safe to drink. I suggest packing a travel water purifier for solo travel in Morocco so you can drink tap water anywhere.

11. Know Some French 

Morocco’s primary languages are French and Arabic. You can manage with basic French in many touristy cities like Casablanca, Marrakech, and Agadir. 

French uses the same alphabet as English, so as an English speaker, I found French much easier to translate in reading and speaking than Arabic. 

Top Tip : Download both French and Arabic for Google Translate’s offline translation. It’s free and incredibly helpful when traveling in Morocco! 

12. Escape the Hectic City at Least Once

Many tourists visit Morocco only to see the big cities like Fez , Marrakech , and Tangier . While these are unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences, you’re missing out on much of what Morocco offers if you don’t explore other areas.

During my first solo female travel Morocco trip, I was burnt out after a week in Marrakech. There was endless street harassment, scamming touts, and feelings of being overwhelmed that almost made me give up on the country.

Thankfully, towards the end of my trip, I left the big city to spend a weekend in the High Atlas Mountains. Leaving the city was a breath of fresh air, and I needed the experience to fall in love with Morocco. 

Here are some excursions outside of the cities I recommend: 

• Camping in Merzouga Desert
• Spending several days in the High Atlas Mountains
• Visiting historic locations like Aït Benhaddou
• Enjoying time by the sea in Taghazout

Did You Get Travel Insurance Yet? The Insurance companies I recommend are  Hey Mondo and Safety Wing Hey Mondo  is great if you are looking for a great value flexible policy. They offer single-trip cover, annual multi-trip cover, and long-term travel cover. Safety Wing  is great value, with monthly coverage starting at $45.08. It’s super easy to use, and it just renews each month. I currently use them as they offer me free cover for my son as part of my policy. Read my full  travel insurance post  here, where I go into detail about all companies. 

Where to Stay in Morocco

• Royal Mansour
• Four Seasons
• Mandarin Oriental
• Fairmont Royal Palm Marrakech
• Palais Amani
• Karawan Riad
• Riad Excellence
• Riad Nouceiba Marrakech
• Riad La Vie
• Allegro Agadir

Backpacker:

• Hotel Riu Palace Tikida Agadir
• Tildi Hotel & SPA
• Diwane Hotel & Spa Marrakech
• Dar Tasmine

Morocco Travel Guide Planning

🚗 Where can I book bus or private transportation while I’m traveling?

I strongly recommend using  Bookaway . You can book almost all transport in the major tourist destinations through them online. They don’t just cover buses they also cover shuttles, ferries, and private drivers.

🎫  Where can I buy tickets for museums, attractions, and tours?

I recommend either  Viator  or  GetYour Guide . They have a lot of options!

👩‍⚕️ What is the best insurance to have while traveling?

I recommend using  Heymondo  for a great value policy. The app also offers you 24/7 Dr Chat. For Digital Nomads check out  SafetyWing  digital nomad insurance.

I have also written a blog post covering all my recommended travel insurance  here

✈️ Any flight recommendations?

WayAWay  offers you cheap flights with cashback. You can use this code CLAIRE22 to get 10% off. Otherwise  Skyscanner  or  Expedia  are my go-to flight searching platforms.

📱What do you use for internet connection while traveling?

I’m a big fan of personal WiFi devices and they have saved my ass so many times when traveling. I wrote a full review of the top travel WiFi devices you can read  here . I personally use  GlocalMe  as I can either pop in a physical sim card or use their local carrier.

With regards to my phone connection, I use e-sims while traveling, so rather than having to swap out my regular sim card I can download the app and buy a virtual sim card. I recommend using either Airhub  or  Alosim . Both have great coverage of multiple countries and are very easy to use.

🛏️ What is the best platform to use for booking accommodation?

The 3 best platforms that I normally use are  Booking.com ,  Hotels.com , and  Expedia  They offer great deals and multiple options. I always check all three to be sure of the best deals.

🛅  Do you have any luggage recommendations for traveling?

I do have a complete list of the best packing and luggage products that I recommend, you can check the list  here . I’m currently traveling with  this suitcase  and  this backpack. 

Solo Female Travel to Morocco: Final Thoughts

Is Morocco safe for solo female travelers? It generally is, especially with these solo travel Morocco tips. I hope this solo female travel Morocco guide helps you have a fun and safe time exploring the country! While Morocco isn’t the  most accessible  country for solo female travel , it is incredibly rewarding. 

by Katie from  KatieCafTravel.com  

Katie is a full-time traveling Digital Nomad who loves adventure, art, good WiFi, and even better coffee.

© 2023 Claire’s Itchy Feet  

Marrakech, Morocco: The Solo Female Travel Guide to a Weekend in the Red City

Posted By: theweekendjetsetter October 24, 2015

Solo female travel in Marrakech, Morocco might sound intimidating, but I think it’s the ideal destination for three reasons: it’s safe (violent crimes against tourists are rare in Morocco), the nightlife is either ridiculously expensive or nonexistent so you won’t feel like you’re missing something without friends to go out with, and the shopping is so fantastic, having a companion along would be a pure distraction.

It’s easy: There are direct flights from cities all over Europe, including Madrid, Barcelona, London, Frankfurt and Munich. From the US, you’ll have to make a connection on airlines like American, Air France, and Norwegian. Alternatively, you can fly directly from NYC to Casablanca on Royal Air Maroc and connect to a train to Marrakech right in the airport.

It’s not that far away: Flights from Spain are around two hours, while flights from the UK are around three. From New York, a direct flight to Casablanca lasts about six to seven hours and the following train ride, about three hours. Connecting itineraries from the US to Marrakech are typically around 14 to 15 hours total.

How long you need: I hit all of the below in three days, but I was in the country of Morocco for a total of 10 days my first trip and five my second (I took advantage of my office’s holiday closure). If you hire a guide for a medina tour, you’ll see most tourist attractions in one day. Set aside another day for relaxation and shopping. If you have vacation time to spare, I recommend an additional couple of days in the nearby Atlas Mountains.

photo: hagengraf /Flickr

In the spirit of full disclosure, the first time I went to Morocco I was not alone: I was with my family, including my sister, who lived in Casablanca working as a teacher for two years. A year later, I returned to the city of Marrakech by myself for two nights while my sister was doing a mountain trek with friends, because I wanted to check out a few things I had missed. I visited over the holidays when my office was closed, so I didn’t have to take any vacation days.

Without further ado, here’s my guide to solo female travel in Marrakech.

Preparing for Solo Female Travel in Marrakech? Expect Street Harassment and Dress Appropriately

During my solo time in Marrakech, I never felt unsafe. But I did feel uncomfortable. The street harassment here is absolutely horrendous and as a blonde, blue-eyed girl who clearly stands out from the crowd, I think I got it twofold. Men yelled things to me as I walked by, followed me asking questions despite my ignoring them and even tried to sit down at my table while I was eating lunch.

These guys only wanted me to eat at their restaurant. They’re not all sketchy!

The upside is that most Moroccans are ridiculously friendly and welcoming to tourists, so they’ll help you out in a pinch. When I couldn’t shake one Romeo in the medina, I went into a shop and shared my dilemma with the shopkeeper. He immediately scolded the guy and threw him out – harassment isn’t good for business!

My advice in most situations, however, is to simply ignore. Do not acknowledge their attention, as unfortunately it only seems to encourage it more.

As for clothing, how you dress in Morocco matters. Stick with long sleeves and pants, make sure your shoulders are covered, wear a scarf if it’s chilly and put your hair up. Sunglasses are helpful, too, for avoiding eye contact. You’ll certainly see tourists walking around Marrakech like they’re in Miami’s South Beach, but by dressing conservatively like local women do, you’ll draw less attention. For more details on how to dress on your trip, read my post on what to pack for Morocco .

Where to Eat

This was one of my biggest concerns, because I never saw a Moroccan woman eating alone in a cafe. Most sidewalk cafes are filled with men, giving off the distinct vibe that women don’t belong. Avoid eating out in Jemaa El Fna, the most touristy square of Marrakech, if you are alone. An open seat at your table might invite an unwanted dinner guest! I found two places that were not only safe for a woman to eat alone, they were ideal.

To find this spot I asked for directions to the well known restaurant Dar Moha on Rue Dar el Glaoui. If you were exiting the restaurant, you would turn left and then make your first left. You should see signs pointing to Henna Cafe , which is on the left again. The simple and affordable cafe serves up a variety of teas along with hummus, Moroccan salads, sandwiches and falafel – all welcome changes from the typical Moroccan tagines I’d been eating constantly. Make your way up to the small rooftop, which has outlets to recharge your smart phone or camera and “tableside henna” that’s safe and reputable. The cafe also serves as a community center, providing free education such as English lessons to locals.

Kafe Fnaque Berbere

This French-owned restaurant is located above a bookshop and boasts one of the coziest rooftop terraces. Enjoy wifi and affordably priced casual French and Moroccan food (panini poulet for me). Cool down with an iced espresso on a hot day – the layout makes it easy to chat with other visitors as you look down at the bustling souks.

Shopping & Tourist Attractions to Visit in Marrakech

Being alone means you can spend as little or as long as you’d like soaking up the incredible things you’ll see in Marrakech. Here are the four places you’ll want to hit.

Medersa Ben Youssef

This 16th century Islamic school (or “madrassa”) was where students memorized the Qu’ran and lived in tiny, cell-like sleeping quarters. The upper level living areas overlook a courtyard that has a pool in the center, surrounded by elaborate calligraphy that wraps around walls and columns, quoting the Qu’ran. This is a great place to see Moroccan mosaic tiling, stucco plasterwork and carved cedarwood. Every inch of the place is embellished with strikingly beautiful details, and its peek into the life of students from long ago is fascinating. You’ll probably get lost in the maze of the medina as you look for the madrassa, but don’t let that deter you – just ask a local shopkeeper to point you toward it. (Don’t ask a random person on the street as they may ask you for money to be a guide or try to follow you. Shopkeepers are anchored to their stores which is why they’re more helpful!).

La Palais de la Bahia

photos: insmu74 /Flickr

The building of “La Bahia” began in 1860, and when Grand Vizier Abu Bou Ahmed took up residence in 1894 and used it as a harem to house his four wives and 24 (!!) concubines. But what makes this place truly special are the quarters of his favorite wife, Lalla Zineb. She spent her days enjoying a spacious living area decorated with shining marble finishes, stained-glass windows and intricately painted ceilings – almost enough to make up for the fact that he was cheating on her with 27 other women, right?  The Palais de la Bahia is located near the Mellah, or Jewish quarter, on the other side of Djemma el Fna from the madrassa.

Saadien Tombs

Located near the Kasbah mosque, the 16th century Saadien Tombs are a short walk from La Bahia. Sultan Ahmed Al-Mansour defied the saying “you can’t take it with you” when he decided to go out with a bang, sparing no expense on his tomb built of imported Italian marble, stalactite plasterwork, mosaic tiles and even pure gold. At busy times there’s a line to glimpse inside the most famous part of the mausoleum, where Al-Mansour and his favorite family members are buried amidst 12 impressive marble columns. Lesser beings like court servants and wives low on the totem pole are buried nearby in simple garden plots, while Al-Mansour’s mother has her own small private room. One interesting thing to note: the tombs were sealed off after the collapse of the Saadien Dynasty under Moulay Ismail’s reign. He had many beautiful sights ransacked and destroyed under his rule, but left the tombs intact, probably due to superstitions about the dead. They remained hidden until 1917, when they were spotted from the air and subsequently restored and open to the public.

Jardin Majorelle

top photo: ninara ; bottom: davidstanleytravel /Flickr

The Jardin Majorelle is a garden that was designed by French artist Jacques Majorelle, who spent 41 years turning it into a luxurious oasis. Years later, it was purchased and revived by fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and his partner Pierre Bergé. When YSL passed away in 2008, his ashes were scattered at the Jardin Majorelle and a memorial was built there in his name.

It’s easy to see why YSL chose it as his final resting place: the garden is peaceful and colorful at the same time, with bold hues of blue and yellow popping alongside lush, leafy plants and cacti.

The fastest way to get to the Jardin Majorelle is a taxi. Taxis are easy to find in Marrakech, and should all be familiar with this popular tourist sight on Rue Yves Saint Laurent. Make sure you agree on a price before you get in, and feel free to negotiate.

Shopping in the Souks

The souks of Marrakech also offer some of the best shopping I’ve ever seen, with hand painted, hand carved home decor items that will cost you less than half of what you would pay in a boutique back home. It’s like Anthropologie but better, and 75% off. The second time I visited Marrakech, I was wise enough to leave plenty of extra space in my suitcase!

photo: Flickr

Visit a Hammam in Marrakech

Once you’ve finished shopping and sightseeing, it’s time for some relaxation. An upscale spa catering to tourists, Hammam de la Rose is beautiful and offers a full menu of treatments. I was able to book a massage for the same day.

While the fancy spa was a nice treat, one Moroccan tradition you should participate in if you’re not too freaked out about being naked in front of lots of other women is the public hammam . A hammam is a bath house with a steam room where Moroccans go at least once a week to cleanse themselves and get scrubbed to the bone. It’s an important part of Moroccan culture, and many women spend hours there socializing with friends and even scrubbing each other – something you don’t see happening in the United States!

A hammam visit provides a unique peek into the lives of Moroccan women, with whom you’ll rarely interact with on the streets.  Moroccan women might be conservative in public, but in private among friends and families they let it all hang out. And plus, during your solo female travel in Marrakech, it’s nice to have some time with other women away from the pesky men!

During a hammam visit, you buy soap and start off cleaning yourself by dumping buckets of water over your head. Next, you’ll sit in a steam room until it’s your turn for scrubbing. A well-muscled woman will come get you, have you lie down on the table, and proceed to reveal a new layer of skin. It’s a little intimidating to go in and have no idea what you’re doing, but the other women and hammam workers were happy to point me in the right direction despite the obvious language barrier.

What to bring: a change of underwear (it’s very common but not required to wear underwear in the hammam, but they will get wet), flip flops, things you like to have in the shower (razor? shampoo?), and black soap, a scrubbing glove and a bucket (you can buy this all directly at the hammam in most cases).

Solo Female Travel in Marrakech: Where to Stay

I strongly advise tourists in Morocco to avoid Western-style hotels and instead opt for riads. There are tons of great riads – gorgeously decorated private homes turned into B&B’s – in Marrakech and the rates are very affordable.

Riad Les Trois Mages, one of my favorites.

If you’re looking for solitude, it’s easy to find. If you want to mingle with other travelers, there are also some hostel-riads. Riads offer excellent service and the owners and staff will likely be the best resource when you have questions about Marrakech. Knowing that Moroccan friendliness and hospitality, you’ll likely even become friends by the end of your trip! If you want to book a guide for a medina tour or taking a cooking lesson, your riad can provide an authentic experience that you just won’t get at a big hotel.

Cooking lesson at Riad Les Trois Mages.

If you’re thick-skinned and adventurous, solo female travel in Marrakech is totally doable. While the situation with street harassment was uncomfortable at times, most of the men were harmless and I felt safer in this crazy city than I have in some more “mainstream” destinations. Remember that violent crime against tourists in Morocco is not common, be smart, and keep an open mind – you’ll be just fine!

Questions about Morocco or other travel destinations? Get your questions answered in the Weekend Jetsetters group on Facebook!

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37 comments on "marrakech, morocco: the solo female travel guide to a weekend in the red city".

Fantastic article thank you. I will be arriving in Marakech around 10 am with friends joining me at around 6pm. I was concerned about being alone in the markets but it seems like i neednt be. I want to see as much as i can while i am waiting for my friends. I fly back the following day around 8pm. If you have any other advice that will be great!

Thanks for this,I’m travelling alone arriving on the 4th. This is my first time so it’s quite encouraging reading your post. I quite like the idea if a cooking class tho I’m not staying at a riad and i love the hamman visit. Thanks again for your ideas

Great article, i like your part of night life ( you are not actually missing anything ). Yes, absolutely true, night life in Morocco in ridiculously expensive!

Is it safe to travel as a single woman from Casablanca to Marrakech by Train?

Hi Jodie, yes in my opinion. Your best bet would be to get a first class ticket. In first class, you are assigned a seat in a six person compartment. Your seat is guaranteed. In second class, which is only slightly cheaper, you are not assigned a seat. If the train isn’t busy, you won’t have any trouble finding a seat but if it’s prime time, you may have to stand for some or all of your trip (no fun).

Is it safe to travel from Casablanca to Marrakech by train as a single female?

So glad to have found your post. It really helped put my mind at ease before going to Marrakech. I’ve just returned and cannot agree more with everything you’ve said. Thank you!

Hi Wendy, glad you found it helpful and love hearing that you enjoyed your time in Marrakech! Thanks for reading!

Thank you so much for this post. I’m considering going alone in March, and this was definitely encouraging to read 🙂

Hey, are you going in March? I’ll be there from the 5th.

Is anyone planning to go on April 2016? Or know of a forum where solo females can coordinate there stays to have safety in numbers?

I will be there May 7th. But would also love to find a forum where solo females can coordinate.

Hi Diosa! I recently created a Facebook group for “Weekend Jetsetters” – people who work full time and also love to travel. While not specifically geared toward solo female travel, I’d love to invite you to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/158166777897387/ . I’ll be ramping things up and inviting more members soon 🙂

Brilliant article thank you for sharing. I’m heading out on my own on 7th and also had the cliche comments,your going alone..is it safe.. Is it a good idea etc. I’m super excited for my little adventure, just need to decide on accomdation, there’s sooooo many RIads to choose from Thanks again Lou

Hey Lou, I’ll be there from the 5th-9th if you want to meet up?

Hi guys, I’m arriving on Saturday, any solo females around? Feline B, Zara?

Hey yeah I’m there 7th to 11th so be good to meet people doing a similar trip 🙂

Awesome, what’s your email address?

[email protected]

Hey Lila. I would have loved to meet up but I don’t arrive until the 10th 🙁

Just noticed the comments that a few might be around in march.. Im traveling to marrakesh on the 14-15th march? anyone still there keen to meet up?

Hi Wendy! I recently created a Facebook group for “Weekend Jetsetters” – people who work full time and also love to travel. While not specifically geared toward solo female travel, I’d love to invite you to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/158166777897387/ . I’ll be ramping things up and inviting more members soon 🙂

Hi guys! I’ll be in Marrakech with another female friend from the 15th – 18th March and after that I’ll be solo till the 22nd March. Anyone want to catch up?

Hi everyone!

I am also traveling solo from the 3rd to the 10th of April. Let me know if you want to meet up 🙂

Hi Teresa! I recently created a Facebook group for “Weekend Jetsetters” – people who work full time and also love to travel. While not specifically geared toward solo female travel, I’d love to invite you to join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/158166777897387/ . I’ll be ramping things up and inviting more members soon 🙂

Love this article, so helpful for planning my trip this fall! Do you have any tips for how to pick a riad? I’m finding myself overwhelmed by the sheer volume of choices (that all seem to have glowing reviews). Are there certain areas within the medina that you think are particularly ideal?

Hi Nikki, honestly if they have good reviews, you can’t go wrong! They are all amazing! In terms of location in the medina, it’s pretty dead at night so it won’t matter in terms of noise. And typically owners will come out and help you find the building in case you get lost! I would just avoid the main Jemaa el-Fnaa square. It’s VERY crowded, loud and touristy.

Really helpful post – thank you – I’m going to Marrakech on my own in May as my boyfriend and I (whom I booked the holiday with) are no longer together. Really looking forward to it – I like solo travel and hope that it will be fairly straight forward. Can’t wait to check out some of the places that you’ve mentioned – and get a good scrub in one of the Hammams. Thanks again

You’ll have the best time Tanya! And the hammam is *amazing.* Enjoy!

I will be in Marrakeck May 28 to 31, solo professional female if you are solo traveling also

Thank you for this I am travelling their alone on Monday for three night’s. Your article has totally giving me peace of mind.

Any solo female to travel morocco in sep 2016?

hi, what are top 10 things to buy and shop in morocco?

What a great article, thanks for writing it! I am going to Marrakech solo on the 24-26th September and friends will arrive after then.But would would like to a full day tour on the 25th, can you recommend any good tours? and / or any cooking classes with market tour?

Also if any other solo travellers are around then it would be great to tackle the markets together.

Thanks for any info 🙂

I love the architecture in morocco the handy crafts are amazing and the best is the tanning products of leather!! leading quality.. you have a great blog! i enjoy reading it!

I can’t wait to holiday Marrakech one day! This is an excessive guide for alone travelers, particularly as a solo female! Stunning photos too!

I really love the way you have explain the morocco beauty and culture that people love to explore morocco beauty.But some important things you need to know before going to morocco. 1. WHAT YOU WEAR MATTERS (MORE THAN YOU THINK) 2. IGNORING IS FINE (AND NECESSARY) 3. DON’T BE AFRAID TO SAY ‘NO’ 4. NIGHT-TIME STROLLS ARE FOR TUSCANY, NOT MOROCCO

5 Trackbacks & Pingbacks

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Travel Guide

- 5 min reading time

10 must see places in morocco for solo female travelers, march 19, 2021.

Morocco is a beautiful northern African country less than a 2 hours flight from Europe. The country is known for its hospitality towards tourists, and for the diversity of its landscapes, but many women are still apprehensive about visiting alone. You have to know that Morocco is a modern but still a muslim country, some things may be jarring and traditional to you. What to expect as a solo female traveler? 👩When going into the Medina (the historic city center) we advise you to wear respectable clothes , as it is filled with mostly male shop owners and some elderly, so wearing something revealing would attract attention to you and would be disrespectful towards elderly men. 🏕 Camping for example is not something you should do alone as most camping sites are not safe for solo female travelers. 🚌🚉🚖In Morocco, different Public transportations are available. We recommend using CTM or Supratours (bus companies)  and ONCF (the national railway operator) Taxis in Morocco don’t use apps to book a ride you either go to the street and wave to a taxi, or go to a specific place. They also don’t use credits cards, so always have cash on you. There are 2 types of Taxis:

• Grands taxis (shared cabs) come in the Grey colour, they don’t use the meter so the fee is always set ( they vary from one city to another) take up to 6 passengers but with covid, it’s down to 3. Note that some Grands Taxis can travel between cities.
• Petits taxis are recognizable by their color (colours differ between cities), they can take up to 3 passengers and the cab fare is calculated by the meter. Note that petit taxis don’t go outside the city.

Morocco is widely known for its hospitality, its people are among the most welcoming people in the world. The places we recommend are safe but we still urge you to keep your wits about you as always. Most of these spots are enjoyable and have easy access, but we think that Dades and Ouzoud are better experienced with other people as you can’t have your pick in public transportation, going with a travel agency would be advised.

And without further ado, let’s get to it!

1- Chefchaouen- the blue diamond

Chefchaouen is located in the Rif mountains in the north of Morocco. Its blue building and peaceful alleys are what makes Chefchaouen a magical place to be in, it is for that reason that it’s called the most “instagrammable place” in Morocco. Other than strolling in the center, you can also hike around the mountain paths.

Is it easy to travel to as a female solo traveler ? 👍Yes because you can go either by bus (CTM) or Grand taxi.

2- Ouarzazat

Ouarzazate aka, The city of Yunkai, if you are a Game of Thrones fan, you will definitely remember this site Ait Benhaddou . Other movies have been filmed there, the site Ait Benhaddou is a UNESCO World Heritage Site set to transport you centuries back in time. Is it easy to travel to as a female solo traveler ? 👍Yes because you can go either by bus (Supratours and CTM)

3- Merzouga The village at the foot of the dune is located at the gate of the Sahara Desert, where you can spend the night in the desert contemplating the stars and bask in the spectacularity of the sunsets. A few miles away from Mezrouga, nestled in the Sahara, you will find a seasonal lake Dayet Srij , where you can watch hundreds of desert birds, especially the flamingos. Is it easy to travel to as a female solo traveler ? 👍Yes because you can go by (Supratours)

4-Fez Fez is considered Morocco’s cultural and spiritual city. Home to the oldest university in the world-University of al-Qarawinyyin built in 859, Its Medina was founded in the 8th century and is considered to day one of the best historic towns of the Arab-Muslim world. The tanneries in the Medina are still operating as they did centuries ago, it’s one of the “must sees” for visitors. Is it easy to travel to as a female solo traveler ? 👍Yes because you can go either by bus, train or taxi.

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5- Meknès The imperial city Meknès was the capital of Morocco under Sultan Moulay Ismail (1672–1727) where he created a massive imperial palace complex encircled with massive walls and monumental gates. Under his reign, he built a grand subterranean prison - Qara’s Prison named after a portuguese prisoner who is rumoured to have designed it in order to gain his freedom. Its unusualness comes from the fact that it lacked doors and bars, prisoners were thrown in from holes in the ceiling and were left to die. The prison was inescapable due to the fact that it was designed as a labyrinth and is rumoured to extend miles beyond the city. Is it easy to travel to as a female solo traveler ? 👍Yes because you can go either by bus, train or taxi .

6- Marrakech the red city Marrakech , needs no introduction, when you ask if someone went to Morocco, they will tell you “ yes I’ve been to Marrakech”. Marrakech is a perfect blend of tradition and modernity, the tourist hub distinguishes itself with the orange-red colour of its buildings and is home to the largest traditional market (souk) in Morocco.The districts of Gueliz and Hivernage are the most modern where you’ll find international brands, restaurants, hotels and many nightclubs and bars. Palm trees are scattered around the city, and cutting them down is illegal under the penalty of a 500EUR fine each. Is it easy to travel to as a female solo traveler ? 👍Yes because you can go either by bus, train or taxi.

7- Dades Gorges Located in the Souss-Massa-Drâa region , Driving there will earn you a medal, the road is most definitely not made for the fainthearted but is perfectly safe. And if you’re a fan of hiking, the red-coloured canyons will be to your satisfaction. You can pass by the Monkey fingers, a beautiful rock formation in the shape of monkey fingers and see the ancient Ksour and Kasbahs (old forteresses) . A 40km drive will take you to Kalaat M'Gouna , a city famous for its Roses Festival which takes place in May. The festival lasts 7days in celebration of the season of the roses. Visitors have their pick from various rose derived products- rose water, perfumes, oils… Is it easy to travel to as a female solo traveler ? 👎No because you can go only go by a shared grand taxi.

8- Ifrane Nicknamed the Switzerland of Morocco and distinguished for its Alpine climate, Ifrane was built as a hill station during the French protectorate. It is known for its cool climate during summer, Ifrane is quite a relief from its surrounding cities (Fès-Meknès) that tend to swelter in heat. It is also surrounded by the largest cedar forest in the world. If you go there, don’t miss out on the Barbary Macaques show the little monkeys put for the tourists. Beware, they will steal your food right off your fingers. Is it easy to travel to as a female solo traveler ? 👍Yes because you can go either by bus or taxi.

9- Ouzoud falls Nestled in the Middle Atlas Mountain 150km from Marrakech, Ouzoud is a natural preserved site where you can bathe, hike, camp or just sit and relax, and most importantly, eat Berber cuisine from the many restaurants scattered around. The waterfalls are considered one of the most beautiful in Morocco.

The site is also famous for its prime entertainers, the Barbary Macaques, who roam freely in the site. Is it easy to travel to as a female solo traveler ? 👎No because you can go only go by a shared grand taxi.

10- Dakhla Dakhla is just one more example of Morocco’s landscape diversity. Located in the south of Morocco and nestled between the waters of the Atlantic and the sands of the Sahara. Dakhla is known for its magnificent beaches and tempered climat, it is also paradise for sliding sports fans. The internationally renowned spot “Pointe de l’Or” is the IT place for surfers 🌊. Is it easy to travel to as a female solo traveler ? 👍Yes because you can go by (Supratours or CTM)

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To join the community of female globetrotters, you can download NomadHer App on IOS & Android . Follow NomadHer on Instagram: @nomad_her .

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• Africa & Middle East

The Solo Female Traveler’s Guide To Marrakech

Published: October 12, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Leonora Bergstrom

• Plan Your Trip
• Travel Guide
• Travel Tips

Introduction

Welcome to Marrakech, a city that effortlessly blends old-world charm with modern comforts. Known for its vibrant souks, stunning architecture, and rich cultural heritage, Marrakech is a dream destination for solo female travelers. From exploring the bustling Medina to indulging in traditional Moroccan cuisine, this city offers a myriad of experiences that will leave you captivated.

As a solo female traveler, it’s essential to prioritize your safety and well-being. Marrakech is generally considered a safe city, but it’s always prudent to be cautious and take certain precautions. With reliable transportation options and a range of accommodation choices, you can navigate the city comfortably and find a suitable place to stay, ensuring a memorable trip.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore everything you need to know about traveling solo in Marrakech. Discover the must-see attractions, delve into the vibrant Medina, learn about shopping tips, and savor the local cuisine. You will also gain insight into cultural etiquette and dress code, as well as exciting day trips and excursions to enhance your experience in and around Marrakech.

So, whether you’re an adventurous soul or seeking spiritual enlightenment, Marrakech offers something for everyone. Let’s embark on this journey together and unlock the secrets of this fascinating city.

Safety Tips for Solo Female Travelers in Marrakech

While Marrakech is generally a safe city for solo female travelers, it’s always wise to take precautions and be aware of your surroundings. By following these safety tips, you can ensure a worry-free experience during your time in Marrakech:

• Dress modestly: As Morocco is a predominantly Muslim country, it’s important to dress modestly out of respect for the local culture. Opt for loose-fitting clothing that covers your shoulders, knees, and chest. This will not only show respect but also help you blend in with the locals.
• Avoid walking alone at night: While Marrakech is relatively safe, it’s still advisable to avoid walking alone at night in dimly-lit or isolated areas. Stick to well-lit and busy streets, and consider using a taxi or reliable transportation service if you need to travel after dark.
• Use licensed taxis: When using taxis, always opt for licensed ones with official markings. Insist on using the meter or agree on a fair price before starting the journey to avoid price negotiations at the end. If possible, ask your hotel to arrange transportation for you.
• Be cautious of scams: Like any popular tourist destination, Marrakech has its share of scams. Be wary of overly friendly strangers who offer unsolicited help or try to guide you to specific shops or establishments. Research common scams beforehand and trust your instincts.
• Register with your embassy: Before traveling to Marrakech, it’s a good idea to register your trip with your embassy. This allows them to assist you in case of any emergencies or unforeseen circumstances.
• Protect your valuables: Keep your valuables, such as passport, money, and electronics, secure at all times. Consider using a money belt or a concealed pouch to keep them safe. Avoid flaunting expensive jewelry or accessories that might attract unnecessary attention.
• Learn basic Arabic phrases: While many locals in Marrakech speak English or French, it’s always helpful to learn a few basic Arabic phrases. This shows respect for the local culture and can aid in communicating more effectively.

By being alert, respectful, and taking basic safety precautions, you can enjoy your solo adventures in Marrakech with peace of mind. Remember to trust your instincts and seek assistance from authorities or trusted sources if you ever feel uncomfortable or unsafe.

Transportation Options in Marrakech

Getting around Marrakech as a solo female traveler is relatively easy, thanks to the city’s various transportation options. Here are the main modes of transportation you can choose from:

• Taxis: Taxis are a popular and convenient way to travel within Marrakech. You can easily find them throughout the city, and they are recognizable by their distinctive beige color. Make sure to use licensed taxis with official markings and insist on the meter or agree on a fixed price before starting your journey.
• Local Buses: The local bus network in Marrakech is extensive and offers an affordable way to travel around the city. While buses can get crowded, they provide access to various neighborhoods and attractions. Bus stops are clearly marked, and you can purchase tickets onboard or at ticket booths.
• Horse-drawn Carriages: For a unique and nostalgic experience, consider taking a horse-drawn carriage, locally known as a caleche. These carriages can be found in popular tourist areas and are a charming way to explore the city’s sights. Negotiate the price beforehand and agree on the duration of the ride.
• Bicycles and Scooters: If you’re comfortable with two-wheeled transportation, renting a bicycle or a scooter can be a fun and flexible way to get around Marrakech. There are various rental shops throughout the city, and you can explore at your own pace while enjoying the pleasant weather.
• Walking: Marrakech is a relatively compact city, and many attractions in the Medina can be easily reached on foot. Walking allows you to soak in the vibrant atmosphere, discover hidden gems, and stumble upon local markets and shops. However, be prepared for crowded streets and narrow alleyways.

When using any mode of transportation in Marrakech, it’s important to remain vigilant and follow safety precautions. Opt for well-lit and busy routes, especially at night, and consider traveling with a friend or in groups whenever possible. While Marrakech is generally safe, it’s always beneficial to prioritize your personal safety and well-being during your solo adventures in the city.

Accommodation Choices for Solo Female Travelers

When it comes to finding accommodation in Marrakech as a solo female traveler, you have a wide range of options to suit your preferences and budget. From budget-friendly hostels to luxurious riads, here are some popular choices:

• Riads: Riads are traditional Moroccan houses that have been converted into boutique guesthouses. Known for their stunning architecture, serene courtyards, and personalized service, riads offer an authentic and luxurious experience. Many riads have private rooms or single occupancy options, providing an intimate and safe environment for solo female travelers.
• Hotels: Marrakech is home to a plethora of hotels, ranging from budget to high-end options. Staying in a hotel ensures comfort, convenience, and access to various amenities, such as restaurants, pools, and spas. Look for hotels that have positive reviews regarding safety and security.
• Hostels: If you’re on a tight budget or prefer a more social atmosphere, consider staying in a hostel. Marrakech has several well-rated hostels that offer dormitory-style accommodation or private rooms. Hostels are an excellent option for meeting fellow travelers and accessing communal areas and organized activities.
• Guesthouses: Guesthouses are another great choice for solo female travelers seeking a more intimate and homey environment. These accommodations often have a limited number of rooms and offer a cozy atmosphere with personalized attention from the hosts. Guesthouses can be found both within the Medina and in the newer parts of the city.
• Airbnb: If you prefer a more independent experience, renting an Airbnb apartment or house could be the ideal option. You can find a range of properties throughout Marrakech, from traditional homes in the Medina to modern apartments in the newer neighborhoods. When booking through Airbnb, ensure you choose a property with positive reviews and a responsive host.

Regardless of the type of accommodation you choose, it’s essential to prioritize safety. Look for accommodations that have secure entrances, 24-hour reception, and good lighting in common areas. It’s also recommended to read reviews from other solo female travelers to gauge their experiences and see if the accommodation is suitable for your needs.

Remember, Marrakech is a popular tourist destination, and many accommodations are accustomed to hosting solo female travelers. By choosing a reputable and safe place to stay, you can relax and enjoy your solo adventure in Marrakech with peace of mind.

Must-See Attractions in Marrakech

Marrakech is a city brimming with history, culture, and breathtaking sights. As a solo female traveler, make sure to explore these must-see attractions that define the essence of Marrakech:

• Djemaa el-Fna: The heartbeat of Marrakech, Djemaa el-Fna is a vibrant and bustling square in the heart of the Medina. Here, you’ll find a kaleidoscope of sights and sounds, from snake charmers and street performers to food stalls offering traditional Moroccan delicacies.
• Koutoubia Mosque: This iconic landmark stands tall over Marrakech with its magnificent minaret. Although non-Muslims are not permitted to enter, the exterior of the mosque is a sight to behold, especially when it is lit up at night.
• Bahia Palace: Step into the luxurious world of Moroccan architecture at the stunning Bahia Palace. This 19th-century palace showcases exquisite tilework, lush gardens, and intricate details that will transport you to a bygone era.
• Majorelle Garden: Find tranquility amidst the bustling city at Majorelle Garden. Created by French painter Jacques Majorelle and later restored by Yves Saint Laurent, this botanical oasis offers a serene retreat with vibrant blue buildings and exotic plant species.
• Saadian Tombs: Uncover Marrakech’s rich history at the Saadian Tombs. Dating back to the 16th century, these royal tombs were rediscovered in 1917 and highlight exquisite craftsmanship with intricate mosaics and carvings.
• Medersa Ben Youssef: Immerse yourself in Islamic architecture and learning at the Medersa Ben Youssef. This former Islamic school boasts stunning Moorish design, intricate zellij tilework, and peaceful courtyards.
• Museums: Discover the cultural heritage of Marrakech at its various museums. The Museum of Marrakech, Dar Si Said Museum, and the Berber Museum are just a few of the institutions that showcase Moroccan art, history, and traditions.
• Jardin Menara: Escape the hustle and bustle of the city at Jardin Menara. This tranquil garden features beautifully manicured lawns, an expansive olive grove, and a picturesque reflecting pool with the Atlas Mountains as a backdrop.
• Atlas Mountains: If you have time, venture outside of Marrakech and explore the stunning Atlas Mountains. Embark on a day trip or multi-day trek to witness breathtaking landscapes, traditional Berber villages, and the hospitality of the local people.

These attractions provide a captivating glimpse into the history, art, and natural beauty of Marrakech. As a solo female traveler, embrace the opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant culture of this enchanting city.

Exploring the Medina: A Solo Female Traveler’s Guide

The Medina of Marrakech is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a labyrinth of narrow streets, bustling souks, and hidden gems. As a solo female traveler, navigating the Medina can be an exciting and immersive experience. Here are some tips to make the most of your exploration:

• Get a Reliable Map or Use a Navigation App: The Medina can be overwhelming, especially for first-time visitors. Make sure to obtain a reliable map or utilize a navigation app on your smartphone to help you find your way through the maze-like streets.
• Be Prepared for Crowds: The Medina is a vibrant and bustling place, filled with locals and tourists alike. Be prepared for crowded streets, especially during peak hours. Stay alert and mindful of your belongings, keeping them close to you at all times.
• Explore the Souks: The Medina is renowned for its vibrant souks, where you can find everything from spices and textiles to traditional crafts and Moroccan treasures. Get lost in the winding alleys and barter with the friendly shopkeepers for unique souvenirs.
• Be Mindful of Local Customs: Respect the local customs and traditions by dressing modestly and remaining mindful of cultural norms. Avoid wearing revealing clothing and be considerate of religious sites and customs while exploring the Medina.
• Try Street Food: One of the highlights of exploring the Medina is indulging in the delicious street food. From freshly squeezed orange juice to flavorful tagines and delectable pastries, relish the flavors of Moroccan cuisine from the local food stalls and small eateries.
• Engage with Locals: Interacting with the locals is a great way to immerse yourself in the local culture. Engage in polite conversations, learn a few basic Arabic phrases, and embrace the warm hospitality of the Moroccan people.
• Don’t Be Afraid to Wander: While it’s important to have a general sense of direction, don’t be afraid to wander off the beaten path in the Medina. Some of the most enchanting discoveries are made when you explore the hidden corners and stumble upon local artisans and quaint Riads.
• Take Breaks at Riads or Cafes: The Medina can be overwhelming at times. Take breaks at tranquil riads or cozy cafes scattered throughout the Medina to rest, recharge, and enjoy a cup of Moroccan mint tea.
• Trust Your Instincts: As a solo traveler, it’s crucial to trust your instincts. If a situation or place doesn’t feel right, heed your gut feeling and make decisions that prioritize your safety and well-being.

Exploring the Medina is a truly immersive experience that will take you on a sensory journey through the heart of Marrakech. Embrace the chaos, embrace the charm, and let the Medina enchant you as a solo female traveler.

Shopping Tips for Solo Female Travelers

Marrakech is a shopper’s paradise, with its vibrant souks offering a wide array of goods, from traditional crafts to modern fashion. As a solo female traveler, here are some shopping tips to help you navigate the bustling markets and make the most of your shopping experience:

• Practice the Art of Haggling: Bargaining is a common practice in Moroccan markets, so be prepared to negotiate on prices. Approach the process with a friendly attitude, start with a lower price, and be willing to compromise until both parties are satisfied.
• Do Your Research: Before visiting the markets, familiarize yourself with the approximate prices of the items you’re interested in. This will give you a better understanding of what constitutes a fair price during the bargaining process.
• Shop Around: Don’t settle for the first vendor you encounter. Explore multiple stalls and compare prices and quality. This will give you leverage while bargaining and ensure you get the best deal.
• Inspect the Quality: Take the time to inspect the quality of the items you intend to purchase. Check for any defects or flaws and ensure that the materials used are genuine.
• Ask for Recommendations: Seek recommendations from fellow travelers or locals on reputable shops or stalls. Word of mouth can lead you to hidden gems and reliable vendors.
• Keep Your Valuables Secure: While shopping, be vigilant about your belongings. Keep your valuables in a secure bag or money belt, and avoid flaunting expensive jewelry or accessories that may attract unwanted attention.
• Be Mindful of Customs and Regulations: Some items, such as certain antiques or cultural artifacts, may be subject to export restrictions. Familiarize yourself with the customs regulations to ensure a smooth return journey.
• Learn a Few Basic Phrases: Learning a few basic Arabic phrases can go a long way in establishing a rapport with the vendors and showing respect for the local culture. Simple greetings and thank-you phrases will be appreciated.
• Trust Your Instincts: While Marrakech’s markets are generally safe, it’s essential to trust your instincts. If a vendor or situation feels uncomfortable or suspicious, politely decline and move on.
• Support Local Artisans: By purchasing from local craftsmen and artisans, you are supporting the local economy and preserving traditional crafts. Look for authentic and handmade items that reflect the rich Moroccan heritage.

Remember, shopping in Marrakech is as much about the experience as it is about the purchase itself. Enjoy the vibrant atmosphere, engage in friendly interactions, and appreciate the unique treasures you’ll find in the lively markets as a solo female traveler.

Enjoying the Food and Nightlife as a Solo Female Traveler

Marrakech is not only a feast for the eyes but also a culinary delight. As a solo female traveler, you can savor the local cuisine and experience the vibrant nightlife in a safe and enjoyable manner. Here are some tips for enjoying the food and nightlife in Marrakech:

• Try Moroccan Street Food: Indulge in the flavorful and aromatic street food that Marrakech has to offer. From piping hot tagines and freshly baked bread to spicy harira soup and sweet pastries, the local street vendors will tempt your taste buds.
• Visit Local Restaurants and Cafes: Marrakech is home to a thriving food scene, with numerous restaurants and cafes offering both traditional Moroccan dishes and international cuisine. Look for establishments that are well-reviewed and consider asking locals for recommendations.
• Join a Cooking Class: Immerse yourself in the local culinary traditions by joining a cooking class. Learn to prepare authentic Moroccan dishes like couscous or pastilla from experienced chefs and gain insights into the local ingredients and cooking techniques.
• Experience Moroccan Tea Culture: Moroccan mint tea is an essential part of the local culture. Enjoy a cup of tea at one of the many tea houses or cafes, and savor the traditional tea pouring ritual while soaking in the ambiance.
• Explore the Night Markets: Marrakech truly comes alive at night, and the night markets, known as “Jemaa el-Fna by Night,” are a must-visit experience. Enjoy street performances, sample local delicacies, and soak up the lively atmosphere as the square comes to life after dark.
• Join Organized Group Activities: If you prefer to experience the nightlife with other travelers, consider joining organized group activities such as pub crawls or guided nighttime tours. This can be a great way to meet fellow adventurers and explore the city’s hidden gems.
• Stay Vigilant and Aware: While enjoying the food and nightlife, it’s essential to stay vigilant and aware of your surroundings. Avoid excessive alcohol consumption, and be cautious of your belongings. Stick to well-lit and busy areas, and trust your instincts at all times.
• Respect Local Customs and Dress Code: When dining out or enjoying the nightlife, dress modestly out of respect for the local culture. While some venues may have a more relaxed dress code, it’s a good idea to carry a shawl or cardigan to cover your shoulders if needed.
• Plan Your Transportation: Before you head out for a night of fun, plan your transportation back to your accommodation. Prearrange a reliable taxi or use a ride-hailing service to ensure a safe and hassle-free journey.
• Embrace the Vibrant Atmosphere: Above all, embrace the vibrant and lively atmosphere of Marrakech’s food and nightlife scene. Engage in conversations with locals, soak in the energetic ambiance, and create unforgettable memories as a solo female traveler in Marrakech.

With its diverse culinary offerings and vibrant entertainment options, Marrakech promises a delightful and unforgettable experience for solo female travelers who wish to indulge in the city’s food and nightlife scene.

Cultural Etiquette and Dress Code in Marrakech

Respecting the local culture and customs is essential when visiting Marrakech as a solo female traveler. Understanding and adhering to the cultural etiquette and dress code will not only show respect but also enable you to have a more immersive and fulfilling experience. Here are some guidelines to keep in mind:

• Modest Dress: Marrakech is a predominantly Muslim city, and it’s important to dress modestly out of respect for the local customs. Ensure your clothing covers your shoulders, knees, and chest. Loose-fitting clothing made of breathable fabrics will help you stay comfortable in the warm weather.
• Head Coverings: While it is not mandatory for non-Muslim women to cover their heads, it is advisable to carry a scarf or shawl to use when visiting religious sites or if you find yourself in more conservative neighborhoods.
• Be Mindful of Public Displays of Affection: Public displays of affection should be avoided, as they are not typically displayed in the local culture. It’s best to be discreet and respectful of the conservative values observed in Moroccan society.
• Taking Photos: Always ask for permission before taking photos of individuals, particularly locals, as a sign of respect. Some people might decline, so it’s important to be understanding and respect their wishes.
• Greeting Customs: The traditional greeting in Morocco is a handshake accompanied by a warm smile and the Arabic greeting “As-salamu alaykum” (peace be upon you). It is customary to greet elders and those of higher status first.
• Respecting Ramadan: If you happen to visit Marrakech during Ramadan, respect the fasting period by refraining from eating, drinking, or smoking in public during daylight hours. Be mindful of the reduced operation hours of some establishments during this time.
• Remove Shoes in Certain Places: When entering homes, mosques, and some shops, it is customary to remove your shoes. Pay attention to whether others are doing the same and follow suit.
• Learn Some Basic Arabic Phrases: While many locals in Marrakech speak English or French, learning a few basic Arabic phrases can go a long way in showing respect and making meaningful connections with the local people. Simple greetings like “hello” (marhaba) and “thank you” (shukran) are always appreciated.
• Be Polite and Courteous: Politeness and courtesy are highly valued in Moroccan culture. Remember to say “please” (afak) and “thank you” (shukran), and treat locals with respect and kindness.
• Observe Local Customs and Traditions: Pay attention to and respect local customs and traditions, including the call to prayer. Be understanding and adapt to the local way of life during your stay in Marrakech.

By following these cultural etiquette guidelines, you will demonstrate your respect for the local culture and foster meaningful interactions with the people of Marrakech. Embrace the opportunity to immerse yourself in the rich traditions and customs of this vibrant city as a solo female traveler.

Day Trips and Excursions from Marrakech

While Marrakech has plenty to offer, taking day trips and excursions to nearby destinations allows you to expand your exploration and experience the diversity of Morocco. As a solo female traveler, here are some recommended day trips and excursions from Marrakech:

• Atlas Mountains: Just a short drive from Marrakech, the stunning Atlas Mountains offer breathtaking landscapes and opportunities for outdoor activities. Join a guided hike, visit traditional Berber villages, or simply enjoy the serene beauty of the mountains.
• Essaouira: Escape to the coastal town of Essaouira, known for its beautiful beaches, Portuguese architecture, and vibrant medina. Explore the fortress walls, stroll along the seaside promenade, and savor delicious seafood in this laid-back and charming town.
• Ouzoud Waterfalls: A day trip to the Ouzoud Waterfalls will treat you to the spectacle of cascading water, lush greenery, and stunning natural beauty. Take a walk to the bottom of the falls, enjoy a boat ride, or simply relax in the picturesque surroundings.
• Ait Benhaddou: Travel back in time with a visit to Ait Benhaddou, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a fortified city along the ancient trade route. Explore the maze-like streets, visit the historical kasbahs, and admire the architectural marvels of this captivating destination.
• Ourika Valley: Embark on a journey to the picturesque Ourika Valley, located in the Atlas Mountains. Discover the traditional Berber way of life, visit local markets, and hike to the Setti Fatma waterfalls while enjoying the stunning mountain scenery.
• Agafay Desert: Experience the beauty of the desert without venturing too far from Marrakech by visiting the Agafay Desert. Take a camel ride, enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner under the stars, and witness the magical sunset over the desert landscape.
• High Atlas Villages: Explore the charming Berber villages nestled in the High Atlas Mountains. Immerse yourself in the local culture, learn about traditional practices, and enjoy the warm hospitality of the Berber communities.
• Day Trip to Casablanca: If time permits, consider taking a day trip to the bustling city of Casablanca. Explore the modern metropolis, visit the iconic Hassan II Mosque, wander through the vibrant souks, and experience the fusion of traditional and contemporary Moroccan culture.

When booking day trips or excursions, ensure you choose reputable tour operators or hire trusted guides. It’s also advisable to inform your accommodation or someone reliable about your plans for the day and share your contact details for added security.

Whether you’re seeking natural beauty, cultural immersion, or historical marvels, these day trips and excursions from Marrakech will provide you with a well-rounded experience of Morocco’s diverse landscapes and attractions.

Marrakech, with its rich history, vibrant culture, and enticing attractions, is a captivating destination for solo female travelers. From exploring the narrow streets of the Medina and indulging in the local cuisine to venturing out on day trips to stunning landscapes, Marrakech offers a wealth of experiences that will leave you enchanted.

While traveling solo in Marrakech, it’s important to prioritize your safety and be mindful of cultural customs and etiquette. By dressing modestly, respecting local traditions, and staying vigilant, you can navigate the city confidently and immerse yourself in the vibrant atmosphere that Marrakech has to offer.

Take advantage of the diverse transportation options available, from taxis to local buses, to explore the city and its surroundings at your own pace. Choose accommodation that suits your preferences and budget, ensuring a comfortable and secure stay throughout your journey.

As you wander through the Medina’s maze-like streets, discover hidden treasures in bustling souks, and soak in the rich history of architectural wonders, such as the Bahia Palace and the Koutoubia Mosque, you’ll understand why Marrakech is a dream destination for intrepid solo female travelers.

Indulge in the local cuisine, from street food to traditional Moroccan delicacies, and venture into the lively nightlife scene to savor the vibrant atmosphere. Engage with locals, learn a few basic Arabic phrases, and embrace the warm hospitality of the Moroccan people.

Consider day trips or excursions to nearby destinations like the Atlas Mountains, Essaouira, or the Ouzoud Waterfalls to further broaden your Moroccan adventure. These journeys will allow you to experience the diverse landscapes, immerse yourself in local cultures, and create lasting memories.

In conclusion, Marrakech is a destination that beckons solo female travelers with its alluring blend of history, vibrant culture, and warm hospitality. By embracing the essence of the city, respecting the local customs, and staying open to new experiences, you’ll embark on a journey that will leave you with unforgettable moments and a deep appreciation for Morocco’s captivating charm.

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