I’m Kate and welcome to my article on the solo female travel experience in Morocco. I grew up in a small town on the outskirts of London with parents who liked to go on holiday to the same place every year. I think a lot of people expect me to have been galavanting around the world from a young age but I didn’t get into traveling until I was 17 years old!
I was 17 the first time I left Europe. I flew to Dubai with my sister for a few days, which well and truly ignited the travel bug inside me. With the travel bug hungry, I went to Indonesia for a month with my three best friends once we had finished school. By this point, I was addicted to traveling.
However, I had my full time job waiting for me at home as a Management Consultant. So instead of continuing to travel, I took lots of trips whilst working. My friends had all decided to go to university, so I was the only person with money. If I wanted to do all of these dream trips, I had to do them solo. And that is how my journey as a solo female traveler began.
After a while, these small trips weren’t satisfying the craving and I wasn’t happy. Why would I choose to sit at a desk all day when I could be making the most incredible memories everyday? That thought went through my head every day at work until I decided to take a 2-year career break!
I have actually only got back from those 2 years of traveling. Without a doubt they were the best 2 years of my life. I spent about a year in Latin America, both summers in Europe, and some time in Turkey and Morocco.
My Solo Female Travel Experience in Morocco
That brings me onto Morocco! It was a country that had been on my list for a while. I had never been to Africa – the culture looked fascinating and I had heard great things about the food. I had also been wanting to take my mom on a trip to show her why I love traveling so much and to share a very different part of the world with her. Morocco was perfect for that!
My first trip to Morocco this year was a one week holiday with my mom. We had a blast: riding ATVs in the desert, eating our way through Marrakesh on a food tour and relaxing in our Riads. I decided that my mom would make a great solo traveler. She was making friends left, right and center!
We both enjoyed the holiday and I fell in love with Morocco. There was something so magical about it that I felt one week wasn’t enough to uncover everything that it has to offer. Fast forward one month later, and after a stint in the Balkans, I was back in Morocco. This time for 5 weeks.
Why Morocco is Such a Magical Country
Morocco is a crazy country full of kind people, a fascinating culture and packed with adventures. I fell in love with it – the things you could do, the landscapes, the food, but also the people. I had a unique experience in Morocco. Annoyingly though, I had to get a root canal done whilst there.
Accommodation in Casablanca, where I was getting my tooth done, is expensive – so I ended up living with a guy who I had met through Instagram, and his family, for a week. I was served homemade Moroccan dishes, learnt Moroccan Arabic at breakfast and fell into the daily routine of a Moroccan – this involves spending a lot of time at cafe’s drinking tea.
That wasn’t my first time in Casablanca. I had already made friends there with two Moroccan guys. I fell in love with both of them. The connection between the three of us was insane, something I have only experienced a few times during my 2-year trip. Despite one of them not speaking good English, we adored each other’s company and spent every day that I was in Casablanca together (minus one where I needed some “me” time).
I slipped into Moroccan life with them and we even joked that I was a Moroccan girl now. I got to experience things that tourists would normally miss out on and got to know Moroccan culture. I also made incredible life-long friends that I’m desperate to visit again. Hopefully one day soon!
Favorite Place in Morocco: Essaouira
Choosing a favorite place in Morocco is hard. Was it my favorite because of the people I met? Was it because the place itself is beautiful? There are so many factors that influence my choice but I think I have to say Essaouira.
It’s a windy beach town 3 hours from Marrakech with a chilled hippie vibe. There is always live music in the square. Gnawa music (which I’m obsessed with) is from there and everyone is so friendly. It’s such a small town that you start to recognize faces and their routines. I could stay for weeks! The best thing I did there was horse riding on the beach. You feel like you’re flying across the sand (@essaouira_horseride on Instagram).
Nervous about Solo Female Travel in Morocco?
I went to Morocco with some apprehension. I didn’t know how many other backpackers there would be and everyone has heard the rumors about being hassled. I was so surprised! Every hostel I stayed in was full of backpackers, so it was easy to make friends and I ended up spending most of my time with locals anyway. I had like 2 days alone in Morocco.
If you’re thinking about taking a solo travel journey in Morocco – female or male – just do it! There are amazing hostels, transport is so easy and it’s much safer than you expect it to be. Never let the rumors scare you off.
Challenges of Solo Female Travel in Morocco
One challenge I did encounter on my solo female travel experience in Morocco was “cat-calling”. It was nearly impossible to walk down a street without a man saying hi to me or telling me I looked beautiful. For some people this can be a very uncomfortable experience. As much as I shouldn’t have to get used to it, I had already gotten it a lot in Latin America – so I just kept on walking. It’s a little annoying but I never had anyone cross the line.
Sometimes I even made a joke out of it. One time a guy called me handsome as I was walking past, so I turned around and said: “no, I’m pretty. I’m a woman”. There is no harm in improving their English!
Tips for Solo Female Travel in Morocco
- Learn a little bit of Moroccan Arabic. “La” means no and is the most useful word for you to know. If someone tries to sell you something that you don’t want, or hassle you, say that. Add on “shukran”, which means thank you, and the situation tends to turn into a joke about how you know Arabic.
- This is one for everyone: never take a taxi that is waiting. They will charge you their waiting time and will be so much more expensive than flagging a taxi from the street. Always ask them to put on the taxi meter too.
- Walk with confidence as a solo female traveler. If you don’t want to engage in conversation or don’t want to be annoyed, then walk with pace and keep your eyes looking forward so that you avoid making too much eye contact.
- If you’re nervous about being alone, consider volunteering in Morocco. Websites like Worldpackers are great for finding opportunities. I taught English for 2 weeks in Casablanca and it was a great way to meet locals.
- Haggle! Some travelers that I met in Morocco felt rude trying to haggle. Don’t! It’s part of the game here. Vendors tend to give you a price that is extortionate and you need to come back with a price that is at least 50% less than what they said. You then work towards a price you’re happy with.
A Special Moroccan Memory in Toubkal
My favorite moment in Morocco was actually one of my favorites from my entire 2-year trip. Three days before I was set to leave Morocco, I decided to climb Toubkal – North Africa’s highest mountain, standing at 4,167m high.
I’m a good hiker and wanted to go at my own pace rather than having to wait for a group. So, I hired my own guide and we took on the mountain together. I have arthritis, so whenever I take on a big challenge like this I feel extremely grateful that my body is able to do it – and at pace.
Toubkal is a 2-day hike, with the second day starting at 4am! I was eager to leave but my guide said we would have plenty of time to reach the summit before sunrise. We were one of the last to leave the refuge. I harnessed some inner strength that I didn’t know I had, or maybe it was just the reggaeton music, but I stormed up and was one of the first to the top.
It took me just under 2.5 hours and I only stopped once! When I reached the summit, I burst into tears. I was overwhelmed by a flurry of emotions – gratitude for my body, a sense of pride for what I had just achieved, complete awe for the view and sunrise that was in front of me, and a sadness that this was the last big experience of my 2-year travel journey.
If you’re thinking about solo female travel in Morocco, I can’t urge you enough to book that ticket. It’s an incredible country that offers so many unforgettable experiences – sleeping in the Sahara, hiking mountains, lounging on beaches, getting lost in the labyrinth of souks, the list goes on!
