Dakar 2027 Route: Portugal and Morocco, 9 to 23 January
Published: 30 October 2026
This morning, ASO's official statement arrived in our inbox, and the waiting is over. The 49th Dakar will start in Portugal and race through Morocco. On 19 October ASO had already told us by phone that the rally would move to Europe and Africa, as we wrote in Dakar 2027 Leaves Saudi Arabia. Now we have the route, the bivouacs and every stage.
The short answer: The Dakar 2027 runs from 9 to 23 January 2027 in Portugal and Morocco. According to the official statement of ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) of 30 October 2026, the rally starts with a prologue in the Algarve, crosses to Morocco by ferry and finishes in Marrakech after a prologue and 12 stages. The route covers 7,824 kilometres, including 4,341 kilometres of special stages, with six bivouacs and a rest day in Agadir. The Dakar Classic follows the same move. The dates are still subject to approval by the World Motor Sport Council of the FIA.
What Is the Official Dakar 2027 Route?
Host countries: Portugal and Morocco, as an exceptional decision for 2027. Saudi Arabia will host the Dakar 2028, the 50th edition.
Dates: 9 to 23 January 2027, subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
Format: prologue plus 12 stages.
Distance: 7,824 kilometres in total, including 4,341 kilometres of special stages.
Bivouacs: six, in Loulé/Faro, Bouarfa, Zagora, Agadir, Smara and Marrakech, plus a marathon refuge.
Rest day: 17 January 2027 in Agadir.
Season: the Dakar 2027 opens the FIA and FIM World Rally Raid Championship.
Categories: the Dakar Classic, the Dakar Future Mission 1000 and the Dakar Saudi Next Gen programme follow the move.
It is the first time since 2007 that the Dakar starts in Portugal and races in Africa. The 2008 edition, which was also due to start in Lisbon, was cancelled the day before the start.
How Does the Dakar 2027 Start in Portugal?
The start camp is at the Algarve Stadium between Loulé and Faro, the 30,000 seat arena where the Portuguese round of the World Rally Raid Championship finished in April.
5 January 2027: opening of the service park in Loulé/Faro
6 to 8 January 2027: administrative and technical scrutineering in Loulé/Faro
9 January 2027: prologue around Loulé/Faro, 29 kilometres of special stage
10 January 2027: stage 1 with 100 kilometres of special stage in Portugal, then a transfer through southern Spain to a Mediterranean port and an overnight ferry crossing to Nador in Morocco
11 January 2027: arrival in Africa and a 590 kilometre transfer to the first Moroccan bivouac in Bouarfa
This answers one of the questions from the last weeks: scrutineering moves from Santa Susanna and Barcelona to the Algarve.
All Stages of the Dakar 2027 at a Glance
Special stage distance first, total distance in brackets:
9 January, prologue: Loulé/Faro loop, 29 km (129 km)
10 January, stage 1: Loulé/Faro, 100 km (300 km), then overnight ferry to Nador
11 January, transfer: to Bouarfa, 590 km without special stage
12 January, stage 2: Bouarfa loop, 390 km (490 km)
13 January, stage 3: Bouarfa loop, 410 km (490 km)
14 January, stage 4: Bouarfa to Zagora, 490 km (750 km)
15 January, stage 5: Zagora loop, 365 km (540 km)
16 January, stage 6: Zagora to Agadir, 365 km (760 km)
17 January: rest day in Agadir
18 January, stage 7: Agadir to Smara, 500 km (790 km)
19 January, stage 8: Smara to the marathon refuge, 355 km (525 km)
20 January, stage 9: marathon refuge to Smara, 390 km (625 km)
21 January, stage 10: Smara loop, 470 km (560 km)
22 January, stage 11: Smara to Marrakech, 455 km (1,035 km)
23 January, stage 12: Marrakech loop, 22 km (240 km), finish
The detailed description of every stage follows on our Dakar 2027 route page.
Where Will the Dakar 2027 Be Decided?
Stage 2 on the Rekkam plateau: faint tracks that, according to ASO, recall Saudi Arabia, and navigation from the first Moroccan day.
Stage 4 through Merzouga: the only passage through the dunes of Merzouga, the longest special stage of the first week with 490 kilometres, and camel grass that punishes anyone who gets stuck.
Stages 5 and 6 in the Erg Chegaga: around fifty kilometres of dunes on each day in Morocco's largest dune massif.
Stage 7 to Smara: the longest special stage of the rally with 500 kilometres, on the historic route the Dakar once took towards Mauritania.
Stages 8 and 9, the marathon refuge: competitors spend the night without their assistance crews, in traditional nomad tents near the Dakhla lagoon. Every mistake has to be fixed by the crew itself.
Stage 11 to Marrakech: 1,035 kilometres in total, the longest day of the rally, including around twenty kilometres flat out on the sand of Plage Blanche along the Atlantic.
ASO expects most special stages to be between 350 and 500 kilometres per day. Race director David Castera promises an "uncompromising" Dakar.
What Does the New Route Mean for Privateers and the Dakar Classic?
For European privateers, the start in Portugal changes the logistics completely. Scrutineering takes place in the Algarve instead of Barcelona, and the crossing to Africa happens during the rally, overnight on the ferry. Many teams will find the way to the start shorter than in recent years.
On the sporting side, Morocco is no easy option. ASO itself says that Morocco's deserts are among the most demanding in the world. The combination of dunes, stony plateaus, long navigation days and a marathon refuge without assistance makes tyre management, reliability and navigation decisive, also for the Dakar Classic.
ASO has confirmed that the Dakar Classic follows the move. The statement does not yet detail the Dakar Classic itinerary. We are planning the new logistics together with our customers.
What Does ASO Say About the Dakar 2027?
According to ASO, the route was designed in recent weeks on the basis of the experience of its teams and several reconnaissance missions. Portugal and Morocco agreed to open their territories to the rally again, and the ACP (Automóvel Clube de Portugal), organiser of the Portuguese round of the World Rally Raid Championship, supports the start in the Algarve.
David Castera says that the relocated edition will meet the usual sporting standards of the Dakar despite the short timeframe, and that competitors will discover Morocco from one end to the other. According to ASO, 350 competitors have already entered, and the Dakar will again be broadcast in more than 190 countries.
What Has Changed Since 19 October?
Finish: 23 January 2027, not 22 January as reported earlier.
Countries: officially confirmed, Portugal and Morocco.
Start camp: officially confirmed, the Algarve Stadium in Loulé/Faro.
Scrutineering: 6 to 8 January 2027 in Loulé/Faro.
Dates: still subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
All dates are on our Dakar Rally 2027 Dates page.
Our View
Two weeks ago we published a thought experiment on where the Dakar could go after Saudi Arabia. Morocco was our most realistic candidate close to Europe, limited mainly by space. ASO's answer is a route that uses Morocco from the far northeast to the far south, and a start in Portugal that brings the Dakar back to its European roots.
We thank ASO, Portugal and Morocco for making this possible in such a short time. For our customers at the Dakar Classic, the work now starts in earnest: new logistics, new terrain and an adventure that feels like the Dakar of the old days.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does the Dakar 2027 take place?
In Portugal and Morocco. The rally starts with a prologue in the Algarve on 9 January 2027, crosses to Morocco by ferry and finishes in Marrakech on 23 January 2027.
When does the Dakar 2027 start and finish?
The prologue is on 9 January 2027 in Loulé/Faro and the finish on 23 January 2027 in Marrakech. The dates are subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council.
Where is the scrutineering for the Dakar 2027?
In Loulé/Faro in the Algarve, Portugal. The service park opens on 5 January 2027, and administrative and technical scrutineering takes place from 6 to 8 January 2027.
How long is the Dakar 2027 route?
7,824 kilometres in total, including 4,341 kilometres of special stages, over a prologue and 12 stages.
Where is the rest day of the Dakar 2027?
In Agadir, Morocco, on 17 January 2027.
Does the Dakar Classic 2027 also go to Portugal and Morocco?
Yes. According to ASO, the Dakar Classic follows the move to Portugal and Morocco.
When will the Dakar return to Saudi Arabia?
In 2028. Saudi Arabia will host the Dakar 2028, the 50th edition of the rally.
About the Author
Sven Syfrig is the founder and Team Principal of TimeOut Racing, a rally raid assistance team based in Wollerau, Switzerland. Founded in 2014, the team has supported private crews at the Dakar and Dakar Classic every year since 2022.
Source: ASO official statement "Portugal and Morocco to exceptionally host the 49th edition", Paris, 30 October 2026.
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