Solo female travel in Morocco is not for a timid traveler. And, while I really do enjoy traveling by myself, I have a love hate relationship with this country. Morocco is at the top of my list as one of most difficult solo trips I have taken and it was even more complicated by being a woman. Constantly drawing a man’s attention, and not in a good way, was just one issue. Arguing with people in French when my French is in a constant state of what I would call rusty, was another. Morocco can feel overwhelming, even if you have friends to lean on. It can be even more intimidating traveling by yourself.
I spent 10 days traveling as a solo female in Morocco and I saw several parts of the country. Each location had a different feel to it, and I was on edge during most of my trip. My first stop was in Marrakesh and it started out a tad rough when a taxi driver refused to listen to me. I repeatedly told the driver that I did not want a tour of the city, but he refused to take me to the destination I had requested. When he finally dropped me off, he upped the price of our original negotiated price.
As I tried to get out of the car, he grabbed my arm to try and force me to stay in the car. My very strong tone in limited French saved me and I was able to argue my way out of the situation. This all took place on my first day in Morocco, so it made me a little nervous for the rest of my trip.
After leaving Marrakesh, I did a 4 day trek through the Atlas Mountains as well as an overnight desert tour. The tour guide was a lifesaver, as I am not sure it would have been wise to travel without one as a solo female traveling in Morocco. I was initially worried about riding with two men through the mountains by myself. However, it turned out to be alright and they kept me from being harassed by other men during the trip.
That all ended when I arrived in Fez. My hotel was nice and located outside of the medina. However, walking through the medina was frustrating even when I had a male tour guide. Outside of the stares, cat calls, and men mumbling under their breaths as they passed me on the street, a guy aggressively followed me through the medina.
I know this will sound crazy, but if I had to do it all over again, I would still be okay with solo travel in Morocco. However, I would have done a better job mentally preparing myself for the many frustrations I experienced. Here are a few tips that I wish I had followed:
I highly recommend that you do some pre planning before arriving in Morocco regardless of whether or not you are doing solo female travel in Morocco. Get a feel for some of the culture, customs and norms of Morocco before your trip. It will help you to look like you know what you are doing on the street. And, that will help limit unwanted attention. It will also give you the confidence not to cave into unofficial tour guides. Tour guides seem helpful, but ultimately want your money. This may sound contrarian, but the easiest time I had during my trip was when I joined a tour group or hired an official guide. That generally created a buffer between me and strangers. I really liked using Authentic Morocco and Viator.com to book my tours.
Dress Modest
Remember that Morocco is a Muslim country. It is not necessary to cover your head, but you should dress modestly. Wear long pants, skirts and shirts that cover the arms. As a solo female traveling in Morocco, I think some sort of cover will help you not draw as much attention.
Lodging
I am not a budget traveler, so I had no issue staying in nice hotels in the major cities. I am not saying you must stay in the most expensive hotels to feel safe. However, you should take time in choosing lodging, read lots of hotel reviews and do some research about the location.
Shared cabs
I wish I knew that sharing a cab is normal in Morocco. Do not be surprised when a cab pulls over to pick you up and there are already several people in the cab. You will probably feel very uncomfortable, especially if you have to squeeze in between a bunch of men.
Someone will keep you company!
Even if you are a solo female traveling in Morocco, it is really hard to really be alone. The fact that you are enjoying time to yourself is an invitation for Moroccans to come chat with you. I do not think this only pertains to Morocco, but it stood out to me during my trip. Frankly, it is nice that people are friendly enough to make sure you are enjoying your time. Consider returning the kindness and take a moment to get to know Moroccans!
[penci_fancy_heading p_title=”” _title_typo=”font_family:%3A” _subtitle_typo=”font_family:%3A” _desc_typo=”font_family:%3A” css=”.vc_custom_1575041127845{margin-bottom: 75px !important;}”]Visiting Morocco was such an interesting trip. As part of my bucket list travels, I wanted to spend at least one night in the Moroccan desert. Even if it was not on my list, a trip to Morocco would not have been complete without spending the night in the desert. I was happy that I was able to fit in an amazing Morocco desert tour into my travels![/penci_fancy_heading][penci_fancy_heading subtitle_tag=”h4″ p_title=”How to get there” title_tag=”h6″ _use_separator=”yes” separator_border_width=”2″ _title_typo=”font_family:Acme%3A%22regular%22|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” _subtitle_typo=”font_family:%3A” _desc_typo=”font_family:%3A”]I spent several days in Marrakesh before I started making my way through the Atlas Mountains on my way to Fez, included stops at Ait Benhaddou, Dades Gorges, and World Heritage Site, Ouarzazate. After a very interesting tour to that point, I finally reached what ended up being my favorite part of the trip. The desert!
I was a little nervous at first because I was traveling by myself with two male guides. I also found out on my way to the edge of the Erg Chebbi desert that I would be the only person staying in the camp overnight. All of my worries ended up being for nothing because my desert tour was one of the highlights of my vacation in Morocco.
Once I arrived at the edge of Erg Chebbi, I alone mounted a camel with a guide and we started the trek into the desert. Wow…it was so beautiful. Just me, the camel, and the guide surrounded by golden sand dunes. My camel was quite stubborn and did not want to walk, but it did not bother me at all. We made it to a great location in the absolute middle of nowhere, and started hiking the dunes.
[penci_fancy_heading p_title=”What to expect” title_tag=”h4″ _use_separator=”yes” separator_border_width=”2″ _title_typo=”font_family:Acme%3A%22regular%22|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” _subtitle_typo=”font_family:%3A” _desc_typo=”font_family:%3A”]Let me just say that I never want to be trapped in the desert in Morocco during the middle of summer. I can see why so many crazy movies have been filmed in the Moroccan desert. It is a harsh environment and the sand is so fine that it gets trapped in all of your hair, including your eyelashes!
However, even in such a harsh environment, there is a calm feeling that overcomes you by being there. After playing in the Moroccan sand, we waited, watched and relaxed for quite some time to watch the sunset. It was amazing. Afterwards, I climbed back on the camel and headed to the camp.
I decided to stay in the luxury tented camp in Morocco. After so many safaris in Kenya, I could not imagine staying in anything besides a luxury camp. As the sole person at the camp for the night, it was a little strange but nice. I sat out in the quiet and took in the beautiful stars in peace.
I love the food in Morocco, and my food experience was just as great in the desert. There were a few Berbers at the camp with me, and they made me a huge feast. I stuffed my self silly on Moroccan food. Chicken tagine, beef with prunes tagine, couscous tagine, two veggie tagines, salad and soup were all placed before me. They also made me delicious deserts and a provided bottle of red wine. I finished the night sitting under the stars with a good book.[/penci_fancy_heading]
[penci_fancy_heading p_title=”” _title_typo=”font_family:%3A” _subtitle_typo=”font_family:%3A” _desc_typo=”font_family:%3A” css=”.vc_custom_1575037832072{margin-top: 50px !important;}”]After a good night’s rest, I set my alarm to get up at 6am and climbed the sand dunes to watch the sunrise. It was a peaceful morning as I sat in by myself and watched the morning sun. Afterwards, I enjoyed a nice breakfast in the Moroccan desert.[/penci_fancy_heading]
[penci_fancy_heading p_title=”How to prepare” title_tag=”h4″ _use_separator=”yes” separator_border_width=”2″ _title_typo=”font_family:Acme%3A%22regular%22|font_style:400%20regular%3A400%3Anormal” _subtitle_typo=”font_family:%3A” _desc_typo=”font_family:%3A”]
Do research on tour companies. There are several tour companies in Morocco that provide desert tours, but I recommend Authentic Morocco Private Tours. They were great and everything was as promised. I also used them to book a private tour of the medina in Fez. They took care of me every step of the way and both the driver and tour guide protected me from unwanted attention.
You get what you pay for. Morocco is no different than the rest of the world. You get what you pay for. If you want to sleep in a plush bed and have running water, then will have to pay a little extra. I think it is worth it, especially considering the environment.
Pack appropriately. Temperatures fluctuate in the Moroccan desert. Not only can it go from extreme between cold in the winter to over 100 degrees during the summer, but it can be quite extreme in one day. It is not uncommon for a summer night to feel very cold. Your packing list for Morocco should include clothes to dress in layers. Also, take a scarf with you to cover your head and face. If it is at all windy, sand will definitely be everywhere. During the winter, I recommend packing a sleeping bags for extra warmth at night.
Stay hydrated. Drink lots of water during the hot Moroccan summers. You may not feel like you are sweeting because it is such a dry heat, but you can easily get dehydrated.
Protect your skin. You are likely to be on your camel ride for several hours. Make sure you wear sunscreen.[/penci_fancy_heading]
Of all of the African countries listed on my bucket list, Morocco was at the top of my list. I had been looking forward to visiting Morocco for a very long time. Due to the timing of my trip, I ended up traveling solo, which I never mind doing. Overall, it was a good trip but not quite as I expected. I am not sure what I imagined it would be like. Well, that is not true. I have spent quite a bit of time in Spain, and for some reason I expected Morocco to feel similar to Spain. The Moors from North Africa impacted Spanish culture. Arab and Berber Muslims who crossed the Strait of Gibraltar and conquered parts of present-day Spain influenced Spanish language, culture, and dance.
I cannot tell you how much I LOVE Spain. My dream is to retire in Seville! But, this is a post about Morocco. Morocco is not the Spain of North Africa, as I thought. Outside of some architecture aspects, it is quite different in almost all respects. I will start by saying that I am glad I took this trip. There were a lot of great highlights. However, even though I have lived in Africa and I have visited Arab countries, I was still not prepared for my cultural experience in Morocco. While I never really felt unsafe, sometimes being solo complicated my travels. My travel to Morocco was filled with surprises. Here are the good, bad, and the ugly things I wish I knew before my trip to Morocco.
Old world feel,
I’m going to start off with what I loved most about Morocco…its old world feel and the food! Traveling through Morocco almost makes you feel like you have stepped back in time. A time when the community helped and served each other to accomplish the most basic things in life. The donkey is still the main form of transportation for many Moroccans. You will definitely see a lot of donkeys or mules used to move people and goods in the medinas, especially since a lot of streets are too narrow for cars. Also, do you remember the last time you got your meat from the butcher? Probably not, since for most Americans that time has long since passed. In Morocco, you notice that:
You can drop off your bread dough at the baker and he will bake it for you.
Chickens are usually bought alive because they have to be slaughtered based in Islamic law. Butchers take care of that for you.
Got fresh ground meat? Someone will grind it for you while you wait.
Most dresses are handmaid.
Someone will make you fresh philo dough for all of your pastillas, desserts and meat dishes.
Moroccan Food
Morocco food was a highlight for me. However, I will say up front that I though Moroccan food was pretty much the same everywhere I went, but I still loved it. I ate a lot of lamb, beef, or chicken tagine. Tagine is a Maghrebi dish which is named after the earthenware pot in which it is cooked. Inside of that wonderful pot, Moroccans prepare an aromatic stew. When properly cooked, the meat is super tender and flavorful. I never had a tagine dish that was not fresh, hot and delicious.
One dish I wish I had discovered earlier in my trip is pastilla. It is a wonderful meat pie based on a sweet and savory combination. The filling, which usually consists of pigeon or chicken, is enclosed in several layers of an extremely thin dough called warkaor warqa (sheet of paper, in Arabic). If you get the opportunity, you can see ladies making the dough in the market. Do not leave Morocco without eating this dish!
Do not forget to drink my three favorite beverages in Morocco; mint tea, fresh orange juice, and red wine. They make mint tea with Chinese gunpowder green tea and spearmints. Moroccans drink this tea with LOTS of sugar. They will usually add in the sugar for you, so let them know if you are like me and do not like super sweet tea. I drank this tea all the time while I was in Morocco.
Moroccans also are famous for their fresh orange juice. You will never buy orange juice out of the supermarket again once you have a taste of Moroccan OJ. Some say it is the best in the world. Best place to get it in the markets or medinas, but I am sure you can also get it at restaurants.
Finally, you must try Moroccan wine. Unlike many Muslim countries, you can drink in Morocco. Thank goodness, because the red wine is quite good. You can buy wine and alcohol in most major supermarkets and restaurants.
Take a cooking class. Taking a cooking class on every continent is on my bucket list. Up to this point, I had not taken a class in Africa. Since Morocco has fantastic food, I had to do it.We cooked a few of Morocco’s traditional dishes like tagine, salads, and “Msemen,” which is a folded Moroccan crepe. Of course, like most cooking classes, we had a feast after we prepared all of our dishes. I booked my class through Viator.com and took the Farmhouse Cooking Class from Marrakech. I enjoyed the experience and learned a lot about cooking Moroccan food.
Do a food tour. Finally, I did a Tasting Trail by Night food tour in Fez through Plan-it Fez. Food tours are a must for me on my trips because you either discover mom and pop restaurants you would have never otherwise found or you get to discover new cuisine. This food tour was a stretch for me. I am an adventurous eater, but you will not catch me eating bugs or brain. Bugs were not on the menu during my tour, but brain was. However, my guide did not pressure me to eat it. I did, however, enjoy snail soup, beef tongue and cheek, and preserved meat. Preserved meat is kind of weird, which is preserved in salt and fat, but it tasted way better than I expected. I also tasted about 12 different types of Moroccan honey, which is a must.
Now that I have spent time telling you about all of the yummy food to eat in Morocco, let me address one of my biggest pet peeves about this country. Let me start by saying that nothing in Morocco is free!! Moroccans are kind people, but they want to be paid for that kindness. I hated worrying about being taking advantage of as a foreigner for the entire duration of my trip, which was 10 days. By the time I arrived in Morocco, I had already traveled to over 30 countries. I am very much aware that in many developing countries, negotiating and bargaining is a way of life. I get it! But, it really wore me down on this trip. Here are a few of my thoughts to help endure what you will encounter and help you avoid scams and rip offs while in Morocco.
• Research the cost of cab fare. Take some time before you plan to hop into a taxi to do some research. I found a great website called MoroccoCab that can assist you. Always negotiate your cab fare before you get in the vehicle! I learned this from the moment I stepped out of the airport. Before I had arrived in Marrakech, I had done some research about how much I should pay for a cab ride from the airport to the hotel.
Several of the cab drivers wanted to charge me double the normal fare. Once I found someone willing to take what I knew to be a fair price, it turned out he was not even the driver. He haled what I had hope to be a legit cab. When I get into the car, the driver asks me how much do I want to pay. When I quote him the price, he claimed “that is the day price.” I had to fight with the drive to get him to accept what I knew to be the appropriate fare.
•Be clear about your destinations. As I have said, Moroccans are nice and they are proud of their beautiful country. Cab drivers will want to show you their city as they drive you to your originally stated destination. Be mindful that if you choose to be “shown” around, the negotiated price you agreed to when you got in the vehicle is now out the window. However, you will not find that out until you have arrived at your final destination and the driver quotes you a new price two to three times higher than the original price.
I am not suggesting that you do not take advantage of a local driving you around to unscheduled destinations, but I would recommend that you immediately renegotiate the price. I will note, that even though I made it clear that I did not want to be driven around, my driver disrespected my wishes, and then tried to charge me almost four times the originally negotiated price. Lucky for me I had enough French to argue with the driver.
• Do not use unofficial tour guides. This is easier to fall victim to than you think, especially in big market places like Jemaa el-Fnaa and tourist sites. It will be very clear to Moroccans that you are a foreigner. Someone may approach you, start walking along side you, and strike up what seems to be an innocent conversation. They will ask you questions like, “where are you from?” and “how long have you been here?” They will seem very impressed that you have traveled such a long way just to visit Morocco.
Then they may ask you something like, “have you been to the best pottery shop in Marrakech? It has the best pottery in town and is very affordable.” It may even be more innocent, such as a Moroccan pointing to different locations of interests. Do not fall into any of these traps. Do not let anyone guide you anywhere unless you are committed to paying them for their service. A few things to help you avoid this trap are to:
Have a plan and stick to your plan. Go over your plan before you leave your hotel.
Look like you know where you are going as it may help you to draw less attention.
Ultimately, be polite, but say no thank you and keep walking!
• Know what you are paying for. Morocco has great olive and argan oil and saffron. However it is not all real. Many places mix the oil with vegetable oil and god knows what they use to trick you into believing that you are buying saffron. Best bet is to do your research before purchasing. Separately, I swear by using official tour guides as the best way to see Morocco. However, there were a few times when the tour guide rushed us through our trip so that they could take us to their “friend’s” shop to buy stuff. This annoyed me. I do not like to pay for something and then be forced to do something completely different than expected.
• I have a reservation! After spending A LOT of time researching hotels in Fez, I found just the one I wanted, in the exact area I wanted. When I arrived at the hotel, to my surprise, they told me they had moved me to another hotel. They did not move me to a dump, but it was completely outside of the part of town I wanted to stay in. I tried to stay positive about the entire situation, but in the end, it was still annoying.
Is this Clean?…
I am a true believer in trying to conform and appreciate the culture, customs, and norms of any country I visit. I think taking this attitude makes for a more enjoyable trip. However, I really had to practice this philosophy during my trip to Morocco, particularly when it came to cleanliness regarding food preparation. You name it, I saw it in Morocco. I will say that I still ate everything and I never once got sick!
• I do not think there was ever a time when I did not see people using bare hands to touch my food. The yummy, homemade bread you can get with meals sometimes is placed on dirty counters or tables to be cut before being served. I usually saw people touching the bread I planned to eat.
• I ate in at least two restaurants where dead animals or dead animal heads hung within a few feet of my table. The food was great and was prepared right in front of me, but I feel like the smell of those animals stayed with me for days.
• You will regularly see people cough without covering their mouths no matter who is near them. I more than once saw people sneeze all over food counters.
• Since Moroccans use donkeys and mules for transportation, you will see them all throughout the medina in Fez. That also means you will be walking through a lot of excrements.
• The Fez medina is a maze and is very tight. There are great food stalls and I highly recommend you do a food tour in Fez. However, I did see quite a few people step on their counters to get from behind their stalls, the same stalls where they place food. Remember the donkeys?
• As people cooked meat dishes, I on occasion saw them place the cooked meat on the same plate they had just used for raw meat without washing the plate first.
