Tangier will host, on January 24, 2027, the start of the 18th edition of the Africa Eco Race, which will cross Morocco and Mauritania before reaching Senegal. The finish is scheduled for February 6 on the shores of Lac Rose, following a twelve-stage route combining driving, navigation, and endurance.
According to a statement from the organizers, the Strait city will give the starting signal for the rally for the second consecutive year. Participants are expected from January 21 to 23 for administrative and technical verifications, ahead of the official start and a prologue on the municipal beach, scheduled for January 24.
The Moroccan route will link Tangier to El Guergarat, thus connecting the north of the Kingdom with its Southern Provinces. Competitors will have to deal with fast tracks, technical passes, and navigation sequences, putting their driving skills and effort management to the test from the very first stages.
Dakhla will constitute a major stopover on this journey, with a rest day set for January 30. This break will allow crews to recover and prepare their vehicles before continuing the competition toward the Mauritanian dunes and, subsequently, the Senegalese stages leading to Lac Rose.
The organizers announce a record participation for this edition, without specifying the exact number of entrants. The rally will bring together motorcycles, cars, lightweight SSV off-road vehicles, and trucks, as well as historic vehicles in the Historic category and participants in the Raid category.
Beyond the competition, the organization is banking on international media coverage to showcase the Moroccan regions crossed. The diversity of the landscapes, the cultural heritage, and the hospitality capacity of the destinations are among the attractions the rally aims to highlight, particularly in the fields of sports tourism and adventure tourism.
From this perspective, the stopover in Dakhla will offer an opportunity to present a destination situated at the confluence of the Atlantic and the Sahara. More broadly, the passage of the caravan is expected to help discover the territories crossed and foster encounters between participants and local populations.
The statement also frames the African dimension of the itinerary within the vision of King Mohammed VI in favor of South-South cooperation and continental integration. It mentions the Royal Initiative aimed at facilitating access for Sahel countries to the Atlantic Ocean, as well as the role of the Southern Provinces in opening the Kingdom toward West Africa.
Following the Moroccan stages, the caravan will continue its journey through Mauritania and then Senegal, along a route where mastery of navigation, endurance, and mutual aid will remain decisive. Created in 2008 to perpetuate the spirit of great African rally-raids, the Africa Eco Race thus combines sporting challenge with a human adventure across three countries.
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