Dakar 2027: Official Calendar and Stages
The route covers a total of over 8,500 km, including approximately 5,000 km of timed special stages. The caravan will cross Saudi Arabia from North-West to South-East, before heading back up toward the final finish line on the Red Sea coast.
Date Event / Stage Route Technical Notes
01/01 Prologue AlUla > AlUla Short but technical: defines the starting order.
02/01 Stage 1 AlUla > Al Henakiyah Volcanic canyons and difficult rock navigation.
03/01 Stage 2 Al Henakiyah > Al Duwadimi The longest stage in terms of total mileage.
04/01 Stage 3 Al Duwadimi > Al Salamiya Mixed terrain: stones in the first part, sand in the end.
05/01 Stage 4 Al Salamiya > Al-Hofuf Fast stage, watch out for top speed and radars.
06/01 Stage 5 Al-Hofuf > Shubaytah Entry into the "Empty Quarter." Giant dunes begin.
07/01 Stage 6A 48h Chrono (Day 1) Night in the desert without assistance; unlimited km until 16:00.
08/01 Stage 6B 48h Chrono (Day 2) Conclusion of the marathon through the Shubaytah dunes.
09/01 Rest Day Riyadh Full vehicle overhaul and physical recovery.
10/01 Stage 7 Riyadh > Al-Duwadimi Restart on winding and dusty tracks.
11/01 Stage 8 Al-Duwadimi > Ha'il Pure "off-piste" navigation. Extremely high risk of error.
12/01 Stage 9 Ha'il > AlUla Return to millennial rocks. Breathtaking scenery.
13/01 Stage 10 Marathon Stage (Out) AlUla > Tent Camp. Assistance strictly forbidden.
14/01 Stage 11 Marathon Stage (In) Tent Camp > Yanbu. Crucial stage: a break here means losing the podium.
15/01 Stage 12 Yanbu > Jeddah Final parade and arrival on the Jeddah Corniche podium.
- The Turning Point: Note Stage 6 (48h Chrono). It is strategically placed just before the rest day. This means teams will arrive in Riyadh with exhausted machinery. Whoever manages mechanical stress over these two days will have a smoother path for the second week.
- The Final Trap: The decision to place the Marathon Stage at Stages 10 and 11 is a cruel move by the organizers. Fatigue usually leads to trivial mistakes; making them two days from the end without being able to rely on team mechanics is every factory pilot's nightmare.