I spent three weeks in Morocco recently and traveled extensively around the country. Here are my tour guide recommendations and some experiences from me and my friends:
How to do sightseeing as a solo female traveler in Morocco
I wouldn’t personally recommend going around Morocco all by yourself if you are female. A simple Google search might reveal the reason I say that right now (and I will shed some light into why I say that a little later in this blog).
One of my favorite tour operators in Morocco: G Adventures
I used G Adventures for my Morocco adventure and was quite pleased with the tour. Here’s why I talk highly about them:
I have used the services of G Adventures for at least four different tours. I truly enjoyed each one of them (Guatemala, Costa Rica, Cuba, and Peru)
Most of their guides are commendably good (except for just one who didn’t go that extra mile like all the other G Adventure guides)
They always do the tours with small groups – which is a huge win for me, experience-wise.
The trip I took with them in Morocco was well-organized, engaging, informative, and too much fun.
It was my first time in Morocco and can frankly say that this company provides experiences like no other company I have used before.
How I got to book G Adventures – TourRadar
I did get introduced to G Adventures through that magical portal we all know as Tour Radar (tourradar.com)
TourRadar is an online marketplace for multiple day tours. Now, there are some mixed reviews out there about the company, but I have to say that I did save some money with them. If I am being more specific – my savings could be said to be savings when I signed up on the site AND I got a credit for my next trip after I took my first trip.
Some other quick pros of TourRadar:
You get to see prices for the tours in the currency of your country
Their team is quite responsive – More often than not, TourRadar took care to get back to me with answers to my queries
TourRadar is a known to be customer-friendly and is good at both aggregating a large variety of tours at a discount and providing top-notch customer service and support to customers
Some cons (yeah, I have two to share with you):
They have at one instance changed my friend’s hotel when she had just three days to go for the trip – it was because of some confusion regarding an email, but still, it was an unpleasant one-off experience
That same time, they forgot to share her hotel details with her as well – despite repeated reminders. Now, this could be some sort of miscommunication but it makes for some bad experience right at the start.
But most importantly? TourRadar helps you filter on so many options to find what’s right for you! AND, the pros seem to far outweigh the cons. So, I would say they aren’t a bad bet after all!
Words of Caution from a Local Friend – When visiting Morocco
This comes straight from a friend of mine who is from Morocco. I met her while I was in Morocco and we hit it off instantly. But a couple of days back, she posted in an online travel forum that she would advise no solo female traveler to come to Morocco at this point in time.
When she shared this piece of advice, a lot of the other ladies in the forum were offended and thought she was being unreasonable. But this is one thing we need to keep in mind: local women know best about safety and security in their own country. Listen to them. If they tell you it is not the right time to go there, it doesn’t hurt to listen. On the other hand, it might just hurt to not listen.
So, let’s check the local news to see why she was warning us at the moment
Since this is not a particularly pleasant thing, I wouldn’t write too much on the topic here. But this is the current news piece that is giving sleepless nights to women who are planning travel to Morocco in the near future:
I found this piece of news on the 31st of Dec, 2018. Fifteen men charged over beheadings of female hikers in Morocco
Synposis: Prosecutors have filed terrorism charges against the attackers. These men had beheaded two female hikers in Morocco.
I am not saying you just cannot think of even going there at the moment. All I am saying is that you just need to be aware of the safety risks at this time.
Another great recommendation for Morocco Travel Booking
Taking all the above-mentioned issues into consideration, I think another great option would be to just book some group tours on Viator. I know this company needs no introduction. But yes, it’s just a third party portal – they don’t do tours themselves.
Some people do prefer to check off other companies as shown on TripAdvisor. But one thing I can assure you when it comes to this portal is that with group tours booked off of Viator, at least you will be safer to venture around.
A local Moroccan company that comes highly recommended – Deep Morocco Tours
I just had to mention this particular company due to all the popular demand. This one is Deep Morocco Tours.
One of my close friends and her husband just came back from a 16 day visit to Morocco, and they had engaged the services of Deep Morocco Tours. In their own words? They “had a fantastic time.” They managed to get the itinerary completely customized to suit their needs and also found it relatively affordable. Deep Morocco Tours guides are known to be really informative, polite, and punctual. If you are looking for something unique and personal, Deep Morocco Tours doesn’t seem to be too bad an option.
And the cherry on top? They usually arrange a camel ride to and from the camp, so you can enjoy an authentic Moroccan experience.
Another local Moroccan travel company you can trust
This final one I’d like to recommend is Mor’hara Morocco Tours. Many women in groups of two or more take trips with this company and Hassan is often found to be a great driver, guide, and the perfect gentleman.
The company is known to take you to clean, safe hotels. And…if you like sardines, ask your Mor’hara guide – as they sure know how to find the best-tasting sardines in the Moroccan market!
So, ladies…
If you’re planning a trip to Morocco in the near future, I’d strongly recommend that you all be quite firm and stern when it comes to unwanted attention – ‘cuz trust me – you’ll find a lot of that there. Put up a brave face and don’t give out an appearance of being too vulnerable. Me and many of the solo travelers I’ve met on the way have coped in Morocco without problems. So, just read the news before you go and be well-prepared for the trip and you should be just fine, my lovely fellow travelers.
Happy 2019 and safe travels!
A Wanderer's Postcards 