The organisers of the Africa Eco Race have presented the course for the eighteenth edition. In 2027 the rally once again heads south, from Tangier to the legendary Lac Rose in Senegal, cutting across Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal. Twelve stages spread over three countries, starting on 24 January and finishing on 6 February 2027.
The detailed route, including distances and the precise stage layout, will be announced at the end of November. The reconnaissance teams begin mapping out the course in October.
Back to the south
The Africa Eco Race stays true to the formula that defines the event: vast open plains, roadbook navigation, sand tracks and long desert stages. Morocco opens the 2027 edition with varied terrain: fast tracks and technical sections. According to the organisers, the first few days are mainly about finding the right rhythm. Mauritania brings the classic desert feel, with dunes and long special stages. Senegal forms the finale, with the final kilometres heading towards Dakar and the traditional arrival at Lac Rose on 6 February. The total distance is expected to be around 6,000 kilometres again, in line with previous years.
The general dates for the eighteenth edition:
- 21 to 23 January: technical and administrative scrutineering in Tangier
- 24 January: prologue and official start on the beach of Tangier
- 25 January: stage 1
- 30 January: rest day in Dakhla
- 6 February: arrival at Lac Rose
Tangier for the second year running
Tangier serves as host to the scrutineering and start for the second year in a row. That choice comes with a delicate backstory. At the 2026 edition, extreme weather threw a spanner in the works: the prologue on the beach of Tangier was cancelled, and the official start could not go ahead as originally intended either. Both the city council and the organisers say they are doing everything they can this year to give the prologue and the start their full sporting and symbolic value. That is an understandable ambition, but the weather cannot be planned.
For 2027 the organisers indicate they will invest further in logistics, safety provisions and media coverage. The latter supplies footage to the competitors while also making it possible to follow the race on a daily basis.
What remains open
The announcement sets the scene but leaves the sporting details still open. The distances, the exact regions and the precise breakdown per category will not follow until the end of November. Only then will it become clear how the various classifications, from Modern Race to Historic and Raid, each find their own route through the same course. For now, what stands is the core the organisers present: three countries, twelve stages and the finish on the shores of Lac Rose.
