My journey begins perched on the rocks below the Sidi Abderrahman Mausoleum, along Morocco’s Atlantic coast.
In the port city of Casablanca, strong sea winds offer a cooling respite from the midday sun, which hangs bright and white in a cloudless sky. The mausoleum I’m visiting sits at the end of a narrow rock jetty, a tiny islet exposed to the open ocean, surrounded by a cluster of whitewashed houses – the very image that gave Casablanca its name.
I’m joined by a small audience of stray cats, silently watching together as locals further along the rocks cast their fishing lines into the sea, each catch dropped into plastic shopping bags at their feet.
It’s a brief moment of calm, enough to steady my nerves – because aside from my new furry friends, I’m entirely on my own. This is my first solo trip, and my first day on a whirlwind tour of Morocco.
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From the endless stream of TikTok and Instagram reels, it was clear to me that post-Covid the popularity of solo travel had soared. From gap year backpackers and digital nomads to wellness retreats and spontaneous weekend escapes, it seemed as though everyone was choosing to go it alone.
While solo trips may have won the hearts of travellers, in my mind there remained some hesitation. I had always travelled with friends or family; the idea of spending two weeks alone felt daunting.
Layered on top of that was the ever-present paranoia that comes with being a woman; concerns about safety were not just a passing thought, but a defining obstacle for me.
It was a birthday that came and went in a dank and dreary London that changed my mind. I decided not to allow my fears to hold me back anymore. I wanted to face the challenge, to do something for myself, by myself.
Intrepid Travel appeared to have the answer. The company’s Essential Morocco trip is one of many designed to perfectly balance a guided tour with enough free time to explore independently. It seemed the perfect first step into solo travel.
Leaving Casablanca behind, my next destination is the mountain city of Moulay Idriss. Spread over two hills at the base of the Rif mountains, life in this whitewashed city is steeped in tradition. It is considered the holiest pilgrimage site in Morocco, and my local guide explains that for many Muslims, “visiting Moulay Idriss five times is the same as taking the trip to Mecca”.
For many centuries, Moulay Idriss was closed to outsiders; perhaps as a consequence, the city has eluded many travellers visiting the country today. Alone, I doubt I would have ever set foot in this city. With my guide, however, I moved through unfamiliar streets with a comfort and confidence I never would have felt on my own.
Later, watching the sunset over the tomb of Idris (the founder of Morocco’s first Islamic dynasty), I am so grateful to have had the chance to experience both this town and the spiritual history of this country.
Moulay Idriss’s slow pace of life is a far cry from our next destination: the vibrant blue city of Chefchaouen.
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True to its reputation, the medina here is beautiful. Walking its narrow, winding alleys bathed in shades of white and blue (to represent the Mediterranean Sea), it feels as though you have stepped into a living painting.
It is here that I come to really appreciate my current company. Solo travel can sometimes seem lonely, especially in the quieter moments, when there’s no one to talk to or share the experience with.
Yet, meeting my fellow travellers in the Intrepid group, it becomes clear that many feel the same way – most are young women travelling independently, without friends or family, but still drawn to a social connection. Our motley crew of characters includes doctors, lobbyists and students from as far as Australia, Canada and the US, as well as a few Brits, who like me, had taken the three-hour flight from London.
Despite how short the journey is between the UK and Morocco, the country feels a world away from anything familiar; it’s nice to have people there to share in that wonder with.
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On the 10th day of my journey, we reach Marrakesh. Night is falling as we enter the city, the perfect time to enjoy the famous Jemaa el-Fnaa square in its full glory.
There are snake-charmers, fortune tellers, musicians, dancers, acrobats, monkeys in wedding dresses and a local dentist who shows me human teeth he has recently extracted for a “great price”. Here, colours, tastes, sounds and sights all feel charged with adrenaline, a living stage of Moroccan culture. It is as intense as it is brilliant.
Once again, I’m grateful to be able to experience this with the support of my guide. Alone, I might never have seen this side of the square. Travelling solo as a woman often means staying within the bounds of daylight, as night can bring greater risk.
Intrepid designs its trips to give solo travellers the perfect combination of group travel and free time to explore, so the next day I set out alone into the world of the red city.
Google Maps may dominate every route and turn of my normal life, but here you have to meet the medina on its own terms; that often means dodging motorbikes that fly down the narrow alleys between souks or pushing through crowds of faithful pouring into Koutoubia Mosque.
Embarking on something like this alone would usually be well outside my comfort zone, but knowing my guide is just a phone call away gives me real peace of mind. It is the perfect balance for a first-time solo traveller like myself; independence, but with a safety net.
Morocco is a beautiful and brilliant country, one that has surprised me most in its duality. It is a place of calm and chaos, of tradition and modernity – quiet sunrises over vast desert dunes, and glowing sunsets over bustling mountain cities.
In the same way, travelling with Intrepid has offered me a duality in how I experienced my journey. I leave with a deep sense of accomplishment, a personal goal finally achieved, but I have also gained so much more than I expected along the way.
Much of that came from my guide, Mohamed. He did far more than simply lead the way; he shared personal stories and a cultural context that transformed each place we visited into something richer, more layered, and more meaningful. He tells me that his work with Intrepid is driven by his own passion for sustainable travel – he wants to give back to the country that raised him.
In Morocco, I learnt to let go of the fear I had about travelling solo. I learnt that it doesn’t have to be an anxiety-inducing jump into the unknown. For those looking to take their first step this country is the perfect way to experience the real, rare, and remarkable.
Olivia’s trip was supported by Intrepid Travel.
How to do it
Intrepid’s Essential Morocco tour (starting from £485) is for travellers aged 18-35. The price includes accommodation, meals and activities as well as your local guide and ground transport while on the tour.
The first of our Independent Trips in partnership with Intrepid Travel will be an adventure through Morocco from 19 October 2026 – 25 October 2026. For more information, click here.
