Travel guide
Yes — Morocco is a safe country to visit for most travellers, and millions of Canadians, Americans and Europeans travel there every year. Here is what the official advice actually says, what the real risks are, and how we plan around them.
Morocco is one of the most visited countries in Africa and the Arab world, and for the routes travellers actually take — Marrakech, Fes, Chefchaouen, the Atlas, the Sahara and the coast — it is a safe place to travel. The issues most visitors meet are the ones you would meet in Rome or Barcelona: pickpockets in crowds, over-friendly “guides” and sellers who do not take the first no for an answer.
We have hosted travellers in Morocco since 1999, as Gateway2Morocco since 2006, and the trips that go wrong almost never go wrong because of crime. They go wrong because of long, badly planned drives, a hotel that was not what the photos promised, or a stranger who “helped” in the medina. All three are avoidable.
Government of Canada (travel.gc.ca, updated February 2026): “Exercise a high degree of caution in Morocco due to the threat of terrorism.” Canada asks travellers to avoid all travel within 20 km of the Algerian border and within 30 km of the berm (the military sand wall) in Western Sahara, and to avoid non-essential travel to Western Sahara. None of our routes go near these areas.
United States (travel.state.gov, April 2025): Level 2 of 4, “Exercise Increased Caution”, because of terrorism — the same general caution the State Department attaches to many popular destinations. No specific tourist region is singled out.
United Kingdom (gov.uk, updated August 2026) gives similar advice and specifically warns about card fraud, scams and bogus guides.
In practice these warnings translate into sensible habits rather than places to avoid: stay aware in crowded spaces, avoid demonstrations, do not drive at night on rural roads, and use official guides. That last point is exactly how a private, licensed tour is built.
In the Fes and Marrakech medinas, unofficial guides offer directions, then expect payment or steer you into a shop that pays them a commission. Every city visit on our tours is with a guide licensed by the Ministry of Tourism, whom we pay directly — so there is no reason for anyone to take you shopping. If you want to visit a carpet or leather shop, you ask; nobody else decides.
Busy squares and souks — Jemaa el-Fna at dusk especially — are where phones and wallets go missing. Carry a cross-body bag, keep your phone in a front pocket, and leave passports in the hotel safe. Canada also notes that card and ATM fraud is common: use ATMs inside banks or hotels, and keep your card in sight.
Road accidents are a bigger statistical risk than crime, and both Canada and the US warn against driving at night. Our drivers are professionals who drive these roads every week; we plan driving days to finish in daylight and never schedule the High Atlas pass on the day before a flight. Our driving-times guide shows how long each leg really takes.
In late September 2025 youth-led protests over health care and education took place in several Moroccan cities. As everywhere, demonstrations can turn tense quickly: we route around them and our team in Morocco keeps drivers informed in real time.
The September 2023 Al Haouz earthquake hit villages south of Marrakech hard. By September 2025 the government reported more than 90% of damaged homes in Al Haouz province rebuilt. The valleys are open and welcoming, and travelling with local guides keeps money in communities that are rebuilding — see our Imlil day trip.
Yes, with good planning — and many of our clients are women travelling solo, with friends or with a daughter. The honest picture: Canada and the US both note that women alone may face verbal harassment, mostly persistent comments or attention in busy streets. It is rarely more than that, but it is tiring.
What helps: a driver-guide who meets you at the airport and is with you on every transfer, licensed guides in the medinas, riads with a staffed front door, and clothing that covers shoulders and knees (more about comfort than rules). Our tours for solo women are built around exactly this.
Good to know
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