Morocco is a vibrant culture filled with exquisite scenery for nature lovers, artisans, and adventure seekers. I lived abroad in Morocco for half a year and I am going to tell you about my experience as a female living in Morocco. As a female can it really be done? I am here to tell you all about how to travel to Morocco as a solo female traveler and what to expect and prepare for.
My first trip abroad by myself was to Morocco in a study abroad exchange program. I have always had the dream to travel and took the opportunity and went to Morocco. I wanted to challenge myself in many ways. I challenged myself with drastic cultural differences, language differences, religious differences, and even gender norm differences. However, I wanted to push myself and learn about a country which can be really negatively perceived in Western media.
First things first, is Morocco safe for women?
100% yes it is. All that you may know or have heard in the Western media, take it with a grain of salt... because Morocco is not unsafe. Are there differences in gender roles and expectations or culture? Yes, however women have come a long way and Morocco is becoming more and more modern in their architecture, beliefs, fashion, and ideals. Women are not forced to dress in full "niqabs" or always be escorted by men. They are a diaspora of women who are changing the ideas and society to become more progressive.
I will say that similar to other countries worldwide going out alone at night I would caution, but my ladies from the USA would you go out alone at night in the USA? No. In Morocco, I would go to cafes by myself often and go for walks or to the stores and shops by myself. I felt completely safe and comfortable to do this. A thing you will find if you can make friends with local Moroccans is they love to do things in groups, so you can quickly make a friend and then going to tea time alone will not happen often anymore.
Can I go on solo trips to Morocco?
In my opinion yes you can. It helps a lot to be able to speak French, Arabic, or Darija (Moroccan arabic) though. It is definitely possible to solo travel around Morocco. Always be aware of pick pocketers in crowded places and don't be afraid to tell a person off. What do I mean by that? Well, Moroccans are sale persons and they are good persuaders and quite aggressive in their ways of getting you to buy things. It is not anything to be scared of, they just have a loud and pushy way of persuading people to buy things. So don't be afraid to say "no just leave me alone". They will stop and they don't take it personal.
The stare
I want to be completely honest with you as a women you will in fact get stared at. And they don't try to hide it either. This is a mixture of they are staring at you because you are a foreigner and also partially because you are a women too. Is it more because you are a women or a foreigner? Who really knows. My advice is to walk with extreme confidence, watch your belongings, and have a general idea about directions to avoid looking vulnerable. This is a solo female travel tip in general though, not just necessarily for Morocco. If they try "hitting on you" usually they are just being talkative. With their comments you will find that they are usually trying to guess your country, practice languages with you, or just get your attention. But, don't even pay attention to it. If it gets bad where you feel they are being too persistent, then tell them off or make a joke back, then they get embarrassed and will stop.
What can I wear as a woman in Morocco?
When it comes to clothing and what to wear in Morocco as a female be sure to dress with more conservatively. There are some major taboos when it comes to women's fashion and that is cleavage, showing your bum, extremely tight clothing, and showing off your back and shoulders. Morocco is very hot in the summers and depending on where in the winter there even can be snow. The suns rays are no joke here, so honestly wearing shawls, scarfs, flowy light weight shirts, and flowy clothing is the best option for you. So wearing tight clothing and showing off your shoulders will just leave you sunburnt.
If you want more insider tips on the ins and outs about travel to Morocco you can read more about it here. Morocco is an amazing place to visit and explore. They have a vibrant culture with medinas, artistry, beautiful architecture, scenery, and extremely hospitable people. Read about my guide here on a full female travelers guide and here for places to see in Morocco.
Take the time to enjoy Morocco and watch a gorgeous Moroccan sunset like this one.
So females is Morocco next on your list?