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.
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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
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.
[mailerlite_form form_id=40]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
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.
[mailerlite_form form_id=34]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
Luxury:
Boutique:
Budget:
Backpacker:
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 eitherAirhub 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.