I am leaving sixth form this summer and would like to travel Morocco for 2-4 weeks but I'm having trouble looking into accomadation. Does anyone have any suitable suggestions for an 18 year old female travelling alone? I think I'd quite like to stay in youth hostels if there are any. Also, if I only have 2-4 weeks what are the most important things to see? Thankyou

Hi,

Two weeks is a good amount of time for a whistle stop tour of Morocco. As an 18yr old female you will attract a fair amount of hassle in the form of verbal pleas to use their taxi/hostel/guidance/food/products/business which is the norm in Morocco, most of it easy to handle and in good spirit as long as you are polite, assertive and repectful but also you might possibly attract a shadier side which might once or twice be distressing. This has occaisionally been reported where female travellers have been persistenly targeted by individuals through making unpleasant remarks, whistles and gestures although I shouldnt think this would occur more than a couple of times and although is unpleasant and maybe worrying at the time, wouldnt escalate to actual abuse. Certain Casanovas might come accross as slimy and be persistent but is actually nothing to worry about.

Go here for some good advice about Morocco in general.
http://www.triotours.com/faq/ma/index.htm
and
http://www.rhizomatics.org.uk/travel/ma-toc.html

For your itinerary do not miss: (in order north - south from Tangier)
Tangier
Chefchouen
Fes
Essaouira
Marrakech

These are essential.
You might like to add onto this:
Volubilis - Roman ruins, close to Meknes
Rabat - bustling capital, not much to see although museums and mosque are good.
Excursion into the Atlas mountains - fantastic mountainous scenery and great hiking, good for a couple of days.
Excursion south from Marrakech into the dunes/desert with/without camels, chance to experience a sample of Berber culture.

I would recommend hiring a guide for a good tour of at least one of the Cities' Medinas+Souqs (half a day is good and keep the hasslers from you although the goods from stalls will be more expensive due to commission.) Fes's souq is a real marvel - don't miss the Riads (old town houses) and the tannery...

You will find hostels wherever you go with accommodation from about 50Dh (£3.50) for a night. ATMs are everywhere.

As always get a Lonely Planet or Rough Guide (just updated) and it will all make sense...

Harry

Thanks Harry, that information was really helpful. I think at the moment I'm thinking I'm going to fly into Marrakech then travel to Tangier via either Rabat or Fes, then fly out from there if I can find something suitable. Thanks again, I'll certainly take the things you said into account.
Hazel

Hi
As a single 18 year old girl you need to be very assertive & aware of what is going on around you. Its a fantastic cheap country with very friendly people on the whole BUT do not dress as you do at home, IT is NOt spain its a third world muslim country & needs some respect. It can be very hot so covering yourself up is a good idea.Why not buy some of the clothes they wear in Marrakech.The travels you have in mind are good but bear in mind the country is very large & on the whole travel is slow.I have just come back from their & one bus jounney of 127km took 5 hours it did only cost £2 mind you.
Hope you enjoy it, i am sure you will go again & again
Barry

hi there

i's safe to travel in morocco inspite of all horror stories about morocco , there are a lot of females who visit morocco around the year and they don't face any troubles.just don't pay any attention to nuissance people .
for more information about moroccan desert contact me on my email straight_tomcat@yahoo.com
i'm from moroccan desert and i arrange trips in the heart of dunes.
have a look at my website www.foxofdesert.50megs.com

hi,
im going to morocco in june for about a month with 3 friends. It has been good to read the advice already on here but was wondering if anyone could recommend a good company to do a camel treck with (Its one of the things i am most looking forward to!).

Also on a different note, i recently got a digital camera so was hoping to take that with me. however i am a bit confused at the moment how i would go about storing the photos while out there?
obviously i wouldnt be able to keep them all on the memory card but wondered if it would be possible to store them to CD or something in an internet cafe??
any advice would eb great.
thanks!
kat xx

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Originally posted by hazegardenfreshfk:
Thanks Harry, that information was really helpful. I think at the moment I'm thinking I'm going to fly into Marrakech then travel to Tangier via either Rabat or Fes, then fly out from there if I can find something suitable. Thanks again, I'll certainly take the things you said into account.
Hazel

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South of Marrakech is definitely more interesting if you're into deserts and mountains and stuff - and imo there's less hassle South of Marrakech (people are predominently Berber, the place of women in society is slightly different than within Arab society)

Try to find information about "la petite boucle" - there are some iteniraries as well going from Marrakech over the Atlas into the desert, coming back by Essaouirra. (and the High Atlas is not to be missed)

We had a great time and can highly recommend doing a Camel safari with Ali from Merzouga Erg Chebbi .The Bivouac Tent was isolated in a beautiful location next to a huge sand dunes with a wonderful view ,and a very clean area .
The camel man was very friendly and focussed a client services ,the food was also great .
Have a look at : http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/794ca/
Contact : erg_chebbi@vtmail.com

Happy travel

I've heard about a festival in Asilah in August. I am leaving Rabat, have one week then fly out from Casablanca. Does anyone know exactly when this festival takes place and for how long as I can only really go from August 6th to 11th. Thanks

Just want to say thanks to everyone who posted on this topic. I've just returned from Morocco after teaching english for about 3 weeks in Rabat (see www.ICYE.co.uk for details) with idpendant travelling at the weekends and about 2 weeks travelling with a new found friend at the end. I visited Marrakech, Fes, Chefchouen, Essouriria and parts of the Sahara, and many places in between, all of which come highly recomended. If anyone would like any info about anything then please feel free to email me on hazegardenfresh@lycos.co.uk