the daily lives of women in Morocco

Before my first visit to Morocco, I was curious to find out: How is daily life like for Moroccan women? In what ways do they run businesses and households?

With the help of Plan-It Fez Tours, I met women all throughout the country. My Arabic-speaking guide made custom arrangements so that I could immerse myself in their everyday activities.

She introduced me to Berber ladies who own a bakery, and they showed me how to prepare couscous from scratch. In this travel video, you can sense the warm energy of these women running a small but successful business together.

Inside the Fez medina, I took a beauty workshop with a grandmother, mother, and granddaughter. They passed down century-old herbal mixtures for softening the skin, and gave me my first henna tattoo – decorating my hands in intricate, brown-orange swirls.

I ended the trip with a homestay out in the dunes, with a family that taught me how to make mint tea and tagines. The most memorable moments were the simplest ones, such as when the little girl insisted on taking silly selfies, and her mother helped me carry bread on my head to the outdoor oven.

Morocco can feel like a male-dominated place, especially in areas where hawkers call out aggressively to tourists. I was glad I got to hear alternative voices, and meet Moroccan women carving out their own living in a variety of ways.

Watch a travel video about female-focused experiences in Morocco.

Morocco is a country of many beautiful facades. However, not many travelers get to go inside these doors, and experience local life.

I embarked on a road trip with Plan-It Fez, a female-run tour company that tailors itineraries to your interests. Thanks to my bilingual guide, I was able to visit women in far-off locations, and learn how they build independent careers.

When we pulled up to this Berber village, we saw women of all ages out in the streets, shopping and chatting freely.

I met a group of ladies who started a bakery together. Each worked earnestly at her role, whether it was patting out the loaves or selling them at the counter.

I took off my shoes to learn how to “roll” couscous, or prepare it from scratch. It was hard work to mix the semolina flour, and rub the clumps through a sieve.

The end result is worth it: a fluffy, fresh-steamed grain that tastes nothing like the type that comes out of a box. This blue-eyed Berber cook served me the best couscous I’ve ever eaten.

In the Fes medina, I marveled at the variety of fashion and cosmetics, including colorful headscarves decorated with sequins.

Thanks to our Plan-It Fez guide, I was able to meet locals and directly participate in cultural activities. I tried my hand at painting a Berber drum with traditional blue patterns.

I was excited to join a Moroccan beauty workshop, held in a courtyard decorated with zellig tiles. The ladies welcomed me with mint tea and pastries.

This matriarch taught her children age-old beauty recipes. Now, they run a home-based business to share these traditions with travelers.

I put on a purple caftan that matched my hair color. My teacher, wearing a stylish leopard print outfit, showed me how to grind henna leaves and herbs into a soothing paste.

Using a syringe, the women gave me my first henna tattoo. In a free-flow manner, they decorated the back of my hands in complex, floral patterns. The paste falls off by the end of the day, and the designs remain for about two weeks.

Some parts of Morocco, such as Marrakesh’s Square of the Dead, can feel a bit intimidating to visit.

However, cobra snakes aside, Marrakesh is in fact a very safe destination.

Just be prepared for a vocal onslaught from vendors, and be vigilant about touts who try to make you follow them.

I escaped from the hubbub by spending time in the lush gardens and courtyards of my hotel, Royal Mansour Marrakesh.

Next, I visited an argan oil collective run by Berber women. They showed me how to grind the argan nut by hand, and turn it into a range of products such as hair serums.

This isn’t Photoshop. We drove by an argan tree that had goats balanced on the branches.
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We stopped in Essaouira, a laid-back coastal town known for its crafts and hippie vibe.
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Many locals come here for vacation. We saw women hanging out on the 18th century fortress walls, which were featured on “Game of Thrones.”

In Morocco, female travelers should cover their arms and legs if they are visiting religious sites or conservative areas. However, in this popular beach town, nobody will bat an eye at summer clothing.

Finally, I stayed with a Berber family in a small village located hours from Marrakesh. They treated me like one their own, and I even joined the women in watching Arabic soap operas.

The mother taught me how to cook a spiced tagine, which we slowly heated over coals. She also showed me how to make traditional bread, and we baked it in a stone oven underneath the stars.

The dramatic pink sunset over Tangier seemed to sum up the goal of my trip: meeting local women, and getting a female perspective about life in Morocco.