Is Morocco Safe for Solo Female Travel? The Truth About Modesty, Safety & Scams
Morocco had been on my bucket list for years. It always seemed so vibrant, culturally rich, and undeniably beautiful. Initially, I planned to go with my best friend so I’d have someone to navigate things with however, she was unable to come along.
Before my solo trip, I was terrified (shook AND panicked) and genuinely considering canceling. My research led me to countless warnings against solo travel in Morocco as a woman, which only fueled my anxiety. But despite my fears, and with some encouragement from the ladies in a solo female travel group, I decided to go and added Morocco as a paired destination to my Portugal trip.
Is Morocco Safe for Female Travelers?
From my experience, I’d say Morocco is safe for female travelers. However, as with solo travel anywhere, you need to exercise a high degree of caution, stay alert, and use common sense.
Some things I did to ensure my safety
- I did a lot of research on what to wear to ensure I didn’t stand out for the wrong reasons.
- I carefully selected my tours and accommodations and made sure I was back at my hotel before it got too dark to navigate safely on my own.
- I also reached out to my hotel (riad), all my tour guides and companies ahead of time to confirm pickup and drop-off locations and times.
Basically, I ran a tight motherf***ing ship—no stones left unturned. And while I wasn’t as relaxed as I’ve been in other destinations, I can confidently say it was a beautiful trip. The people in Morocco are welcoming and kind, and I’d definitely go back.
What to Wear in Morocco
Morocco leans more conservative as a country, so it’s important to consider this when planning your outfits. You don’t need to be covered head to toe, but you should ensure your shoulders and knees are covered and avoid wearing anything too form-fitting.
In some instances, I wore a tank top with straps about three fingers wide, but I always carried a light scarf to drape over my shoulders when needed.
Since Morocco is hot, you’ll want to wear breathable fabrics to stay comfortable and avoid overheating. Think cotton, linen, and other lightweight materials. I’d avoid satin weaves, as they tend to be unforgiving with sweat stains.
There are some situations where the dress code is more relaxed. For example, when I went camel riding and ATV riding, I wore bicycle shorts and a tank top without getting any weird looks. This may have been because we were outside the city limits, where fewer people were around. That said, I still packed a more conservative, lightweight outfit in my bag—just in case.
I didn’t visit any mosques or religious sites, so I didn’t have to cover my hair. However, if you plan on touring religious spaces, you should be prepared to do so.
Where to Stay: Riads vs. Hotels in Marrakech
For a detailed breakdown, check out Feel Morocco’s blog on the differences between hotels and riads.
In short, location is the key difference. Riads are often located within the Medina (Old Town) of Marrakech, making them very difficult to access by car. At best, your taxi will drop you off at a nearby parking lot, and you’ll have to walk the rest of the way (keep this in mind when thinking about how much luggage to bring)
Finding my riad was… interesting. Many riads aren’t numbered chronologically or in a linear fashion, which can make navigation tricky—especially since they were built long before Google Maps.
I stayed in Riad Rabahsadia, it was gorgeous, reasonably priced, clean and included a delicious breakfast every morning
To make things easier when I arrived, I arranged for someone from the riad to meet me at the parking lot and guide me. But since I knew I’d have to navigate the area on my own eventually, I picked a central starting point, recorded my journey to the riad, and used the video as my guide whenever I got lost (like I said, tight motherf*ing ship**).
Oh, and I may or may not have used a donkey as a reference point—but you’ll have to check out the Somewhere IRL newsletter for that story!
DO NOT: follow a stranger who promises to guide you to your riad and just happens to know the way there. This is a common scam, they will tell you there’s a faster way, or that the road is closed and then lead you to anywhere and everywhere but your riad. You may end up in someone’s home before having to continue your journey to find your riad on your own AND you will have to pay for this long detour
Location matters, ALOT
Paying attention to where you stay can also impact the activities you choose as well as added costs, it was fairly easy for me to walk to things I wanted to see or even take a short taxi to certain activities. However, I met some new friends during one of my excursions and they booked a hotel that was fairly outside the city and had to pay for a car service to and from every activity. Their choice of a car service was definitely convenient but if you are on a budget it will cost a significant amount of money.
Google maps also doesn’t work in the old town so its super important to pay attention to where you are going and make sure that you are able to navigate your way back
Read: Morocco Solo: A Safe & Stress-Free 5-Day Itinerary (Perfect for First-Timers) – Somewhere IRL