Rabat – Tangier will host the start of the 18th Africa Eco Race on January 24, ahead of a 12-stage journey through Morocco, Mauritania and Senegal that is scheduled to conclude at Lac Rose on February 6.
The northern city will welcome competing crews for administrative formalities and vehicle inspections between January 21 and 23. Organizers have planned a prologue on Tangier’s municipal beach for January 24, with the first full stage scheduled for the following day.
Tangier also hosted the start in 2026, but severe weather prevented the beach prologue from taking place as planned. This offers organisers another opportunity to stage the opening ceremony and preliminary competition on the Atlantic shoreline.
Motorcycles, cars, side-by-side vehicles and trucks are expected to feature in the main race, alongside historic vehicles and entrants in the Raid category. Moroccan media have reported that organisers expect record participation for the upcoming edition, although no entry figures have been released.
Moroccan stages put navigation to the test
The Moroccan section will take crews across different types of terrain before they continue towards Mauritania. Fast tracks and difficult passages will demand careful navigation and vehicle management, with the challenges expected to intensify further south.
Dakhla is scheduled to host a rest day on January 30, when competitors can recover, and support teams can carry out repairs and maintenance. The route is also expected to pass through El Guergarat before entering Mauritania.
There, long desert stages and dunes will place greater pressure on navigation and endurance. In Senegal, competitors will encounter savannah landscapes before reaching Lac Rose, also known as Lake Retba.
The final special stage, known as “La Plage,” will take place before the closing podium ceremony. According to the organizers, this concluding section will not count towards the overall classification.
The event is also intended to offer international exposure to the Moroccan regions along its route. Organizers hope the rally’s media coverage will draw attention to local landscapes, cultural heritage and opportunities for adventure tourism, particularly in the country’s southern provinces.
Moreover, the organizers’ statement places the rally within Morocco’s broader efforts to strengthen its ties with other African countries.
They reference King Mohammed VI’s Atlantic Initiative, which seeks to improve ocean access for landlocked Sahel nations, and present Morocco’s southern provinces as an important link with West Africa.
The Africa Eco Race was established in 2008, and it continues the tradition of long-distance African rally-raids.
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