Why a female driver in Morocco makes a difference

In Morocco, almost all the drivers who take travelers around are men. Soukayna is one of the few female drivers from Marrakesh. Travelers who have been on the road with her write that they laughed a lot and enjoyed her company. Having a woman behind the wheel changes some things about a trip and leaves others exactly as they are.

How traveling with a driver works in Morocco

Outside the big cities, a private car with a driver is the normal way to see Morocco. The train connects Marrakesh with Casablanca, Rabat and Fes, but it does not go to the Atlas Mountains, the desert or the coast at Essaouira. You can drive yourself. For many people, though, the mountain passes, the city traffic and parking near the medina take the vacation out of it.

A driver drives and sets the pace, knows where you can get a decent lunch and where the restroom is clean, and knows the road over the Tizi n'Tichka (2260 meters) even when the fog rolls in. Soukayna drives herself. She is not an official monument guide, because in Morocco that is a separate profession with a license. Where a local guide adds something, in the medina of Fes for example, we arrange one. There is more about the different ways to travel under getting around Morocco.

What changes when your driver is a woman

You relax sooner

You notice it the moment you get in. You don't have to think about whether to sit in the back or the front, whether to make small talk or stay quiet, or whether you are going to get questions about your marital status. You are in a car with another woman, and that is all there is to it. That relaxed feeling stays with you for the rest of the day.

Things go differently on the road

When you stop at a viewpoint or a shop, there is a woman next to you who speaks Darija. Vendors are less pushy then, and the tone is different. If you are tired, you say so. Skipping a stop is always possible, and you don't have to invent an excuse for a restroom break. It sounds minor, but on a long driving day these things matter a lot.

You get into places men don't

Some spaces stay closed to male drivers: the women's side of a hammam, the workroom of an argan cooperative, the kitchen of a family in a mountain village. A female driver is allowed in. Women in villages also talk more freely when no man is present. That way you see a side of Morocco you would otherwise miss.

What you don't have to explain

There is a scarf in the car in case you forgot yours. If you have a low-energy day, that is understood. A stop at a pharmacy does not get awkward, and in the heat Soukayna does not drive overly long stretches in one go. A woman gets that without an explanation. If you have a question along the way about the country, about how women live here, or about what you should and shouldn't do, you get a firsthand answer and not one from a guidebook.

What a female driver does not change

Morocco is still Morocco. You dress with respect for the country (see our guide on what to wear) and people in the souks will still approach you. The mountain roads stay winding, and the desert is cold at night in winter. A female driver does not take any of that away, though it is easier to deal with when she is next to you.

Safety also remains your own responsibility. Read our guide on safety for women even if you travel with Soukayna, because you will also have evenings and free hours on your own.

What a day looks like

Soukayna picks you up at your riad or hotel. You briefly go over the plan and what you feel like doing. Along the way she stops at places that are worth seeing, and not at the shops where a driver gets the highest commission. You have lunch at a place she knows. In the afternoon there is time to walk, take photos or sit with a glass of mint tea. At the end of the day she drops you off where you are staying. How that works out per tour is described under all trips.

On a multi-day trip, Saïd comes into the picture. He co-organizes and arranges the special moments, such as a night with a local family. One traveler wrote that he took care of that even during Ramadan. Read more about that season under traveling during Ramadan.

Who this is for

It suits women traveling alone who are tired of negotiating and weighing every decision. It also suits friends who want to travel without one of them having to arrange everything all the time, and mothers and daughters looking for a pace that works for both. Couples and families are just as welcome. The trips were made with women in mind, but nobody is turned away.

What travelers say

Travelers call Soukayna punctual, cheerful and funny, and write that she made the trip even more enjoyable. Their words are on the home page and on the reviews page. We only publish real experiences.