Planning your 2027 rally season? Here is every major rally raid that European riders travel to, from the Dakar in January to the Saharan rallies and Gulf bajas in November, with dates, location and what makes each one different. We keep this page up to date as organisers publish their dates.
Last updated: 8 October 2026. “Confirmed” means the organiser has published the 2027 dates. “Expected” is based on when the event took place in 2026; always check the official website before you book.
Rally raid calendar 2027 at a glance
| Rally | Dates 2027 | Base / country | Status | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dakar Rally | 1–15 January | Saudi Arabia | Confirmed | Round 1 of the FIM/FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). |
| The Real Way to Dakar | 18–30 January | Morocco → Mauritania → Senegal | Confirmed | Long-distance GPS rally for privateers, Race and Adventure categories. |
| Africa Eco Race | 24 January – 6 February | Tangier, Morocco → Dakar, Senegal | Confirmed | The “original” Dakar route along the Atlantic coast; bikes (450 rally, enduro and adventure), cars, SSV and trucks. |
| Tuareg Rallye | March | Morocco (Erfoud, Merzouga) | Month announced | The organiser has announced 2027 as the final edition. |
| Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge | 21–26 March | Abu Dhabi, UAE | Confirmed | Round 2 of the W2RC, in the big dunes of the Liwa desert. |
| Morocco Desert Challenge | 8–17 April | Morocco | Confirmed | Ten days across the Moroccan Sahara for bikes, SSV, cars and trucks; 2026 ran from Ouarzazate to Saïdia. |
| Olympia Rally | 18–23 April | Ancient Olympia, Greece | Confirmed | Peloponnese, with a two-day marathon to Kalamata. |
| Hellas Rally | 23–30 May | Nafpaktos, Greece | Confirmed | One of Europe’s biggest amateur rally raids, with an Adventure class. |
| Roadbook Adventure Challenge | June (expected) | Apuseni Mountains, Romania | 2026: 10–14 June | Romania’s biggest roadbook rally: three days in the Apuseni Mountains. |
| Rally Albania | June (expected) | Albania | 2026: 6–13 June | The oldest rally raid in the Balkans. |
| Rallye Breslau | late June – early July (expected) | Poland | 2026: 28 June – 3 July | Sand and forest; cross-country, extreme and discovery categories. |
| South African Safari Rally | 14–19 June | Sun City, South Africa | Confirmed | Round 3 of the W2RC, with one central bivouac. |
| Bosnia Rally | July (expected) | Kupres, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2026: 12–18 July | Untimed roadbook and GPS training rally, popular with adventure-bike riders; separate track for heavy bikes. |
| Dinaric Rally | 21–27 August | Knin, Croatia & Bosnia and Herzegovina | Confirmed | Rocky Dinaric terrain, roadbook only. Rally plus DARE! for first-timers. |
| TransAnatolia | late August – early September (expected) | Turkey | 2026: 29 Aug – 6 Sep | About 2,300 km across Anatolia. |
| Greece Rally | September (expected) | Serres, Greece | 2026: 19–26 September | Northern Greece, marathon stage to Kavala. |
| Rally-Raid Portugal | 21–26 September | Portugal | Confirmed | European round of the W2RC. |
| 1000 Dunas | mid-October (expected) | Morocco | 2026: 17–24 October | Bikes-only rally raid in the Moroccan Sahara. |
| Fenix Rally | late October (expected) | Tunisia | 2026: 23–31 October | Sahara dunes, ferry crossing from Europe. |
| Rallye du Maroc | 24–29 October | Morocco | Confirmed | Final round of the W2RC. |
| Addax Rally | late October (expected) | Merzouga, Morocco | 2026: 25–30 October | Prologue and five stages, about 1,470 km of timed sections around Erg Chebbi. |
| Sahara Rally El Chott | early November (expected) | Tunisia | 2026: 1–9 November | Long-running small rally for enduro bikes, quads and cars in the Tunisian Sahara. |
| Oasis Rally | to be announced | Tunisia | Dates not yet published | Motorbikes and buggies, beginner-friendly, digital roadbook. |
Riding in the Balkans? Compare Hellas, Albania, Bosnia Rally and Dinaric Rally in our guide to Balkan rallies 2027.
Bajas: shorter cross-country races in 2027
Bajas are two- to three-day cross-country races and a popular way to train navigation and pace between the long rallies. All the events below have motorcycle classes; most are rounds of the FIM Bajas World Cup, which visits the Middle East and the Iberian Peninsula.
| Baja | Dates 2027 | Country | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Baja | late January (expected) | Saudi Arabia | 2026: 29–31 January |
| Jordan Baja | February (expected) | Jordan | 2026: 12–14 February |
| Baja TT Extremadura | June (expected) | Spain | 2026: 19–20 June |
| Baja Aragón | summer (expected) | Teruel, Spain | 2026: moved to 11–13 September |
| Qatar International Baja | late October (expected) | Lusail, Qatar | 2026: 28–31 October |
| Dubai International Baja | November (expected) | Dubai, UAE | 2026: 5–8 November |
How to plan a rally raid season
- Leave at least four to six weeks between rallies. A week of stages is hard on body and machine; you need time to rebuild the bike, service the navigation set-up and rest.
- Mix terrain. Desert rallies (Morocco, Tunisia) teach sand and dunes; Balkan and Greek rallies teach rocks, mountain tracks and fast gravel. Both make you a better navigator.
- Check licence and insurance early. Requirements differ between national, FIM Europe and world championship events.
- Book transport and support early. Rally agencies and rental bikes for popular events are often fully booked months ahead.
Where Dinaric Rally fits
Dinaric Rally runs on 21–27 August 2027 in Knin, Croatia, between the early-summer rallies in Poland and Albania and the autumn events in Greece, Portugal and North Africa. It gives you a full week of roadbook navigation on rocky Dinaric terrain, with a prologue and five stages, a marathon stage and a bivouac being rebuilt into an official campsite. Riders new to rally raid can start in DARE!, which uses the real stages without a stopwatch.
Frequently asked questions
Which rally raid is best for beginners?
Look for events with a separate, unranked or adventure class and a strong safety set-up. At Dinaric Rally that is DARE!; other organisers offer adventure, discovery or raid classes. The Roadbook Rally Bootcamp with Untamed Academy prepares you for your first event.
Do I need a racing licence for a rally raid?
It depends on the event status and your national federation. World championship rounds need an FIM or FIA licence; many amateur rallies accept a national licence or a one-event licence. Read our licence and insurance guide.
When are the 2027 dates of the other rallies published?
Most European amateur rallies publish their dates between autumn and early spring. We update this page as soon as new dates are announced.