Dakar 2027 in Morocco

Key facts

The Dakar, the best-known rally raid (a multi-day off-road race for motorbikes, quads, cars and trucks), returns to Morocco for its 49th edition after an absence of some twenty years. On 30 October 2026 the organiser, ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation), announced that the race was leaving Saudi Arabia for this edition only: a prologue and twelve stages from 9 to 23 January 2027, between Loulé-Faro in southern Portugal and Marrakesh. The 2028 edition, the 50th, is due to return to Saudi Arabia.

The route covers 7,824 km, including 4,341 km of special stages, the timed sections. Morocco hosts eleven stages and the rest day.

The route through Morocco

The prologue is held on 9 January at the Algarve Stadium, followed by the first special stage in Portugal the next day. Competitors then cross the sea overnight to Nador and head to the first Moroccan bivouac at Bouarfa, in the Oriental region. The race runs south along the Atlas through Zagora, in the Draa Valley, then reaches Agadir for the rest day. It then pushes into the deep south towards Smara and almost as far as Dakhla, before heading back north via Smara and the Atlantic coast to Marrakesh, where it finishes on 23 January.

The finish is subject to approval by the World Motor Sport Council of the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile), which must validate the calendar.

Watching the Dakar

The Dakar is best followed in the stage towns: the bivouac, where the teams camp, and the finish are where the vehicles and the atmosphere of the race come together. Three of these towns make a good base for a stay: Marrakesh for the finish, where La Mamounia stands on the edge of the medina; Agadir for the rest day, with the Sofitel Agadir Thalassa on the beach; and Zagora, gateway to the desert in the Draa Valley. Details of the bivouacs and timings are published by the organiser as the start approaches.