Posted on February 6, 2026
I need to tell you how this started.
Three months ago, I was killing time between tours and fell down a Reddit rabbit hole. I typed “Morocco scams” and spent two hours reading. And I got mad.
Not at the tourists. At us.
Thread after thread: “Every single person who spoke to me was trying to scam me.” “The taxi meter was broken.” “The place is closed, come to my cousin’s shop instead.” “I paid 400 dirham for a 20 dirham ride.”
I grew up in Marrakech. I know the medina’s back alleys better than I know my own apartment. I’ve guided for eight years. And reading those threads, I realized: we’ve built a tourism industry that treats visitors like walking ATMs.
That same week, a client on my tour got stopped by a kid who insisted the tannery was closed and offered to take him to a “better one.” I watched it happen. I intervened. But I kept thinking: What happens to tourists who don’t have a local with them?
So I started taking notes.
Every scam I saw. Every inflated price. Every “broken” meter. Every fake “helpful stranger.” I photographed receipts. I recorded taxi drivers refusing to turn on meters. I documented the real prices versus the tourist prices.
Then I started moroccoblog.net.
This isn’t a typical travel blog. I’m not here to sell you perfect sunsets and “hidden gems” that are actually just paid partnerships.
I’m here because I think Morocco is worth visiting … but I think you deserve to know what you’re walking into.
Most tourists hire guides not because they want history lessons, but because they’re terrified. That sucks. I’m writing detailed guides so you can navigate Marrakech solo if you want. Real taxi prices. Real menu prices. How to say “no” to the guy who says your riad is “closed.”
I run small tours … max six people … because I actually want to show you my city, not march you through a shopping circuit. I don’t take commissions from carpet shops. I don’t get kickbacks from restaurants. If I take you somewhere, it’s because I eat there myself.
And yeah, I have a rule that sounds crazy: If you get scammed on my watch, I’ll refund your tour. I’ve done it twice. Once for a forced rug shop visit I didn’t catch in time. Once for a “mandatory tip” a restaurant added. I paid them back out of my pocket. I don’t want to be associated with that stuff.
Morocco isn’t a nation of thieves. We’re a nation where some bad actors learned that tourists don’t know the real prices, so they make them up. The solution isn’t “don’t visit Morocco.” It’s transparency. Real information. Honest conversations.
That’s what I’m trying to build here.
Born in Marrakech. Lived here my whole life. Started guiding after my dad … who drove a taxi for 30 years … retired and told me stories about the industry that made me want to change it.
I drink too much mint tea 🙂
I’m not a corporation. I’m one guy with a notebook and a website.
I want to prove that honest tourism works.
I want the next Reddit thread about Morocco to include someone saying: “Actually, I found this guide who was totally upfront about everything.”
I want tourists to feel excited, not defensive, when they walk through Jemaa el-Fna.
And I want other guides to see that you can make a living without tricking people.
If that sounds like something you want to support … or if you just want the real data so you can visit solo … stick around. I’ll be posting twice a week.
If you have questions, email me: hamid@moroccoblog.net. I read everything.
Currently documenting: How many “broken” taxi meters I encounter this week. (Count so far: 7. Working meters: 12. We’re improving.)
P.S. If you’re visiting soon and want to check if a price you were quoted is fair, send it to me. I’ll tell you straight.