Traveling to Morocco alone as a Female - Is it Safe? • Owl Over The World

Traveling to Morocco alone as a female – is it safe? Morocco is a fascinating country that has so much to offer and you shouldn’t be scared to explore it on your own.

Although, many people think that Morocco is unsafe, or a dangerous destination, I don’t think that this is true and I actually have the absolute opposite opinion.

I spent 3 weeks in Morocco and during most of this time, I was traveling solo. At the beginning of my trip there, the first 10 days or less, I was traveling with friends, but after that, they head back home to The Netherlands, and I continued to travel around the country solo.

Honestly, I didn’t meet many other solo female travelers in Morocco, just two to be exact. Most of the other girls were traveling at least in the company of another girl.

Before continuing reading is it safe to travel to Morocco as a solo female traveler, I should inform you that even though in my opinion it is a safe destination for a solo female traveler, I wouldn’t recommend to many girls to go there just by themselves. Why? Simply, because there are things you need to know before booking your trip to Morocco and in this case, the most important thing is that Morocco is not Paris or Barcelona…

Meaning? Meaning that even if you have traveled solo to places like these before, Morocco is a whole different story.

Do you feel uncomfortable walking around an unfamiliar place?

Do you feel worried about being catcalled behind your back?

Do you think you can take care of yourself?

Do you find it difficult to say no to people?

Have you been to an ”unsafe” country before?

Do you enjoy your own company?

Do you like getting out of your comfort zone?

So, if the answer to most of these questions is yes, I’m happy for you. I’m happy for you because, Morocco really is such a diverse, intriguing, and wonderful country that you shouldn’t miss just because of what the mass media is trying to impose on you about the country. But also don’t forget to check some solo female travel tips before you go.

Of course, there are many other things that you can consider but the most important thing should always be you and how do you feel about doing something.

Here are some of my stories traveling to Morocco alone as a female and my personal experience:

Hiking Mt Toubkal

One of the things that I was most excited about on my trip to Morocco was to hike Mt Toubkal. At 4, 167 meters, Mt Toubkal is the highest peak in the Atlas Mountains, North Africa, and the Arab World.

And yes, my plan was to hike there alone. This plan failed though – but it didn’t fail because I was alone but because it turned out that the weather conditions the past few days were not that good and I was not prepared for them. However, I’m sure that I was still going to make it, I was an only hour and a half before the refuge when it started raining a lot and I decided to get down. (This was a heartbreaking moment for me)…

Anyway, back to traveling to Morocco alone as a female – is it safe? Is it safe to hike Mt Toubkal in Morocco solo?

The second I got off from the taxi (in Imlil – the village from where the hike starts), people around started offering me (almost) everything that you could imagine and I was again cat called behind my back.

As I was walking the village to start the hike, I meet a couple of people on the way (mostly local men) that were asking me where I’m going and actually they were the ones that told me about the weather conditions in the past few days. So, they just wanted to make sure that I’ll be careful and stay safe. They were very friendly and helpful.

On the hiking trail, they were also other people, both locals, and fellow hikers and the path is pretty obvious, so there was nothing dangerous about that at all.

When I was getting down, I also thought for a moment that I took the wrong way between the villages. I was not but I decided to go back and ask. I asked the first person that I saw (local men), and he told me that this is the way but also kindly offered me to stay at his home as it was getting dark already. Well, of course, I didn’t and then I meet Val with whom I got back to the village.

Meeting random local people

I love randomly meeting people in general but also especially when I’m traveling, I love randomly to meet local people.

While I was traveling with friends in Essaouira, we meet a Moroccan guy in the hostel where we were staying at and he showed us around Essaouira, then he showed us around Marrakech, invited us for dinner in his home, etc. He became our best Moroccan friend and we had lots of fun together.

In Chefchaouen, while I was walking aimlessly around the blue fairytale, I randomly meet another local person. I don’t even remember how we started talking. He also showed me parts of Chefchaouene and invited me to a delicious lunch.

My point here is that actually many of the Moroccan people are friendly and you don’t need to be afraid of starting a conversation with them.

Also, my first Couchsurfing host ever, in Paris, was a Moroccan boy. Zak was wonderful and I was sure that there are many other Moroccan people like him – I was right.

The German girl

On my first night in Fes, I meet one German girl who was at the end of her 6 week trip in Morocco. She had the time of her life and she was just loving it and the people and pretty much everything. She even went to a Moroccan wedding, and yes, she was also traveling alone.

The Polish girl

When I returned to Fes, I meet this Polish girl who was also traveling alone and she was also hitchhiking on the way. It was just the beginning of her trip to Morocco, so I don’t know more about her experience and how did that end. (Kat, if you’re reading this, let me know how was your trip)

People you meet on the way – fellow travelers

You’ll be meeting fellow travelers on the way as well. That might lead to traveling along with someone else for a few days or just doing some things together.

Even when my friends left and I continued to travel alone, I was pretty much never alone. I meet some very nice fellow travelers on my trip to Morocco that I continue to keep in touch with.

Here are some tips about traveling to Morocco alone as a female:

Dress appropriately – Morocco is a Muslim country and women there don’t show any skin other than their face, hands, and feet. And although guys can dress however they like and tourist can wear whatever they want, it’s better for the tourist women to dress more conservatively.

You should always cover at least your shoulder, chest, and knees. That shows respect for their religion and traditions.

During the time I’ve spent in Morocco, I’ve seen many western girls and women that we’re feeling comfortable walking in shorts or short skirts. I know that it’s very hot but I find it a bit disrespectful, to be honest.

Especially, if you’re a solo female traveler stay smart and modesty. You will get enough unwanted attention, so don’t attract even more of it.

Always wear a scarf in you

Learn to bargain and never pay the price they ask you for

Wear sunglasses to avoid eye contact

Don’t trust the scams – the guy who will show you the way, the henna lady, the photographer.

Try to blend in – even if you get lost (and you most probably will at some point) don’t show that and don’t panic.

Get a local SIM card to stay connected

Conclusion

In my opinion, if you use common sense, dress appropriately, act respectfully and you don’t attract any unwanted attention, you’ll be more than fine. I’ll be definitely back to Morocco, to conquer Mt Toubkal and even maybe to learn surfing in Taghazout, who knows…

Alternatively, if you don’t want to travel to Morocco alone and you don’t have a friend or sibling that wants to join your trip, you can always sign for an organized excursion with a travel agency.

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