Is Morocco Safe? My Honest Experience After 3 Months of Vanlife

Before traveling to Morocco, the question I heard most often was: “But is it safe?”

Friends asked. Family asked. Other travelers asked. And to be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure myself.

We spent three months traveling around Morocco in our campervan, mostly wild camping and exploring the country at our own pace. Looking back now, my answer is simple: yes. Morocco felt surprisingly safe. In fact, there were moments when it felt safer than parts of Europe.

Wild Camping in Morocco    

Unlike many travelers, we didn’t spend much time in campsites. We mostly wild camped and only occasionally stayed in campgrounds when we needed facilities like a washing machine.

For three months, our campervan was usually parked somewhere in nature – near beaches, in the mountains, in the desert, or simply in places that looked interesting. If Morocco were truly dangerous for vanlifers, we probably would have discovered it fairly quickly. But we never had any serious problems.

There was only one night that felt a little unusual. We were parked near a cliff when someone knocked on the campervan late at night. We stayed quiet and pretended we weren’t inside. Eventually, we discovered it was the police checking on us. At the time, it felt slightly uncomfortable simply because we didn’t know who was outside, but looking back, it wasn’t really a dangerous situation at all.

Crime and Personal Safety

This was probably the biggest surprise for me. Before arriving, many people warned us that Morocco was unsafe, but our experience was completely different.

During three months of traveling, we never experienced any theft, nobody tried to break into our campervan, and we never felt genuinely threatened. Of course, common sense still applies, just as it does anywhere else in the world, but overall the level of crime we personally encountered felt remarkably low.

One thing that stood out was the lack of drunk people causing problems. In many parts of Morocco, alcohol simply isn’t a major part of everyday life, and that creates a very different atmosphere from what I’m used to in Europe.

The People

Moroccans are probably some of the most curious people I’ve met while traveling. Sometimes they can be a little pushy, especially in tourist areas, but they’re also incredibly friendly and welcoming.

People often approached us to ask where we were from, what we were doing in Morocco, or simply to have a conversation. In smaller villages, it sometimes felt like everyone knew we weren’t locals within a matter of seconds.

Did people occasionally try to sell us something? Of course. Did it bother me? Not really. Even in places like Chefchaouen, where offers to buy hashish seem to appear around every corner, it somehow felt surprisingly relaxed and almost expected. Knowing that many people there earn their living that way, it never felt threatening.

Traveling as a Woman

As a woman, my experience in Morocco was overwhelmingly positive. The only times I felt slightly uncomfortable were in smaller towns when I walked around wearing shorts on very hot days.

People stared more, and occasionally someone would whistle from a passing car. Nothing serious ever happened, but it was enough to make me realize that Morocco is generally more conservative than what I’m used to in Europe.

Once I switched to loose trousers or longer clothing, those situations mostly disappeared. It wasn’t really about safety. It was more about understanding the local culture and adapting a little. Looking back, it was a very small adjustment that made traveling much more comfortable.

Traveling with a Dog

Traveling with our Vizsla turned out to be much easier than I expected. Before arriving, I wasn’t entirely sure how locals would react to a large dog traveling in a campervan, but we never experienced any real problems.

What I found funny was that many locals seemed completely comfortable around the countless stray dogs living in Morocco, yet some children would see our Vizsla and immediately run away screaming. That happened more than once and always made us laugh.

Apart from that, traveling with a dog was surprisingly easy, and it certainly wasn’t something that limited our trip.

The Reality vs The Warnings

The funny thing is that before leaving for Morocco, many people warned us that it wasn’t safe. Looking back, those warnings were probably what made me nervous in the first place.

The reality turned out to be very different. We spent three months driving across the country, sleeping in remote places, walking through cities, visiting small villages, and meeting countless people along the way. At no point did I feel that Morocco was the dangerous destination some people make it out to be.

Of course, no country is perfect. Common sense is still important, and every traveler will have a different experience. But based on our own trip, Morocco felt far safer than we expected.

Final Thoughts

After three months of vanlife in Morocco, my honest answer is simple: yes, Morocco is safe.

Not perfect. Not risk-free. No country is. But much safer than I expected before arriving.

The biggest difference between Morocco and Europe wasn’t safety. It was simply that Morocco felt different – different culture, different habits, different social norms. Once I stopped comparing everything to home and started accepting Morocco for what it is, I felt completely comfortable traveling there.

If a friend told me today, “I’d love to visit Morocco, but I’m scared,” my answer would be simple:

Don’t be. Morocco felt safer than many places in Europe.