Marrakech is a city of chaos and beauty, and is sometimes nicknamed the ‘Red City’ due to the reddish-pink ochre that it is bathed in. If you’re looking for a trip that will keep you on your toes, then Marrakech is the place, but there’s a couple things to be aware of before you visit – especially if you’re a solo female traveller.
clothing
There isn’t exactly a dress code exactly in Marrakech, but certain outfits will make you stick out more and pinpoint you as a tourist. It’s also important to be aware of the way that the locals around you are dressing, so that you can dress respectfully and not attract any unwanted attention. I suggest wearing long, loose shirts with long shorts or trousers, keeping yourself modest. It’s unnecessary to wear a hijab – but if you’re entering a religious site, it’s always a good call to cover your hair, regardless.
photos
The idea that you should never take photos of people without their knowledge is even more prominent in Marrakech. If you’re walking through a souk and stumble upon someone soldering pipes, melting metals, or dyeing leathers, (AKA, taking part in their own personal livelihoods) then it’s merely the respectful thing to not take photos without their consent. Try not to treat the locals like commodities, and if you do so, be prepared to either pay a large sum or get yelled at.
food and water
One afternoon, we were walking around the medina with Abdou, our guide, and stopped at a little cafe for some drinks. The waiter brought out glasses of water to go with our coffees, and just as I went to take a sip, Abdou put his hand out and stopped me – instead ordering us bottles of water from the bar. He told me to avoid drinking tap water in Marrakech as unfriendly bacteria flourishes in their pipes, and also suggested to avoid food that hasn’t been blasted with heat. You should also not buy cookies from carts in Djem al Fna, and avoid ground beef and seafood.
walking by yourself
Whilst Marrakech is generally a safe place, if you’re a female then I recommend that you don’t travel alone. Not only are you more likely to get hassled and led down the wrong alleyways, but it could be quite dangerous if you’re alone on a dirt road with no one else around you. Even if nothing bad were to happen, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
henna
One of the worst scams in Marrakech is regarding the ladies that hover around the souk and dive at you with henna tattoos. Several times, I was walking through and minding my own business when a woman complimented me and aggressively snatched at my hand, diving at it with her needle. Once, the lady refused to let go, even with all my tugging, and I had to rip my hand back hard for her to finally leave me be, muttering things as she walked away. Not only are the henna tattoos a scam (they tattoo you first, then offer a price for their shoddy work after), but they’re downright dangerous. They are often done with black henna which is banned in the EU, and are made up of gasoline and paraphenylenadiamine. These chemicals cause burns, open sores, scarring, blisters, and allergic reactions, and at the end of the day, it’s just not worth it.
animals
A sad monkey on a chain caught your eye? You want to take a photo, or walk over to greet it? I can promise you that you’ll be doing more harm than good, as the Barbary monkeys are stolen from the Atlas Mountains and live really horrible lives. The snakes you see littering the medina are also a no-go – their mouths are sewn shut so that they don’t attack the ‘snake charmers,’ and they often die after a mere few days in their owners’ company. If you like animals, be sure to stay away from these creatures.
“i know the way”
Be wary of any locals that come up to you suggesting that they know the way to wherever you’re going – often they do it to toy with you (“you’re going the wrong way,” “that museum is closed”), but if they lead you the full way, a lot of the time they will expect payment for their services. We had a lot of people come up to us – some with good intentions, some with the intent to make us lost – with one particular character being a small child. When we told him that we actually knew the way to Bahia Palace, he proceeded to swear at us and raise his tiny fist in the air. Being skeptical here isn’t a bad thing.
money
Related to the above point, be aware of who is offering services to you and why. Whilst on a trip to the Atlas Mountains, we stopped at a little roadside where a bunch of goats were in the Argan trees eating the nuts. I took some photos, and then the farmer asked me for some money in exchange for the privilege. Agreeing that that was fair enough, I handed him a couple euros. “More, more,” he would persist. The other tourists had gone, and I didn’t want to offend him with such a low offering, so I gave him another euro. He still looked displeased, so I emptied out my pockets. He smiled and said, “thank you, shukran.” In essence, I had just been mugged by a goat farmer and his camels.
Marrakech is a truly beautiful city, but it’s also one that you can never be too careful in. Be aware of where you are and how you’re acting, and follow these above rules, and you’ll be fine. After all, Morocco is filled with generous, caring people – but it only takes one slip-up to land yourself in trouble.
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Thank you so much for sharing all those info and scams! It’s always good to know that in advance and be prepared!
Wow these are such good things to know! I’m sorry you ended up basically getting mugged by that farmer. Everything else is great to be extra cautious about.
Thank you for the post, I will save it for later. Good warning about henna. Some tourists fall for that for sure!
Thank you for sharing these tips! I’d love to travel to Marrakech because it seems such a beautiful place but it’s better to go prepared and watch out for scams!
I had a trip planned to Marrakesh in March which was cancelled. Enjoyed reading this post. I hope I get to go next year
Great tips. I’m really interested in visiting Marrakech and Morocco so this was really helpful. If you like travel books I recommend The Caliph’s House by Tahir Shah who doesn’t a year living in Morocco. Such a funny story that covers a lot of the culturally differences you’ve mentored
Thanks for sharing such a honest post! I would hate if someone grabbed my hand like those henna ladies.
I’m glad you made the point about getting consent before taking photographs. I’d be totally annoyed if random people were constantly taking my photo too!
Thanks for sharing, I know the avoid drinking tap water reminds me a lot of the times I was at the Philippines, I was warned by a fan who lived there, and the money thing reminds me of Thailand when they would try to throw theses super cute animals that we were told by the Navy to not hold and stay away (unless at the zoo) I don’t remember why, but they would throw the animal at you and try to take a picture and say you owe them money now.
¡¡Hola Amy!! He venido para ver como sigues y por donde andas. Te has escapado también a Marrakech, tiene que ser un lugar muy bello, pero es verdad que se tiene que tener mucho cuidado viajando a ciertos países. Gracias por todos tus consejos, creo que son importantes.
Besitos y que sigas disfrutando de tus patines.
Cool curiosities! I have always wanted to visit Marrakech and it looks like such a beautiful place, no wonder it’s one of your favourites! There’s definitely new dangers in every country you visit, and from someone who lives in a completely opposite place to Marrakech, this is a great guide!
I love Marrakech as a solo female traveller, but I agree that travelling as a female solo travel here for the first time can be a bit overwhelming! Saying that, I was actually hassled more when I was with others than when I was alone – even on laundry day when I had to wear tighter clothing.
Your tip on the tap water is spot on!
these are such great tips! i’m 1/2 middle eastern, so i am somewhat familiar with the culture, but i know it can be quite a shock to westerners. i always tell people to be “culturally prepared”… and i think you’ve done a great job of helping people prepare so they can avoid culture shock.
This is a list of really useful tips especially about the animals. I agree, definitely doing more harm. Thanks for educating us!
Thank you for sharing all these important advice with us!
I am so glad you included information about the henna tattoo scam! That happened to me and it was awful (plus I was allergic to it) The women was screaming at me to pay her for henna that I did not even want. It was one of the things that made me not keen on Marrakech (although I loved the more rural areas of Morocco…)
I haven’t been here before so these tips will definitely come in handy when I do eventually visit.
Thank you for sharing these tips and I wouldn’t have thought about half of these scams. I haven’t been to Marrakech yet, so I’m saving this for later.
Good to know these scams in advance – Marrakech is on the bucket list!
These are really good tips. I agree about the one on taking photos, especially if you’re unfamiliar with the language so are unable to get their consent either way!