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Motorcyclist on a BMW GS adventure bike on a dune crest in the desert

To the Dakar by enduro bike: Dirk von Zitzewitz offers accompanying tour through Morocco

Published by Thomas Menzel on 5. November 2026

Series: Dakar 2027

Anyone who wants to follow the Dakar 2027 neither as a competitor nor merely on a screen can now turn to a commercial offer from Germany: Dirk von Zitzewitz is advertising a guided motorcycle and 4×4 tour through Morocco from 11 to 23 January 2027, which, according to the listing on zitzewitz.com, is to run parallel to the rally’s route. According to the provider, the price ranges from €4,650 to €10,865.

The tour page carries a publication date of 30 October 2026. On the same day it was announced that the Dakar 2027 will take place not in Saudi Arabia but in Portugal and Morocco.

What the organiser announces

According to the listing, participants fly to Ouarzazate on Monday, 11 January 2027, where the motorcycles are said to be waiting at the hotel. The return flight leaves Agadir on Saturday, 23 January 2027. There is no detailed itinerary yet: the page marks the route as “to follow” and the details as “in preparation”.

According to the provider, the announced programme includes:

  • access to the Dakar bivouac on the rest day in Agadir,
  • several trips to the Dakar 2027 route and to the start and finish of various stages,
  • a total of around 2,000 to 3,000 kilometres, of which roughly 1,700 to 2,600 kilometres off-road,
  • GPS routes for the entire tour: those who can navigate themselves may ride freely by GPS, while everyone else rides in guided groups,
  • medical personnel, such as a doctor or paramedic, as well as a mechanic accompanying the tour,
  • transport of your own motorcycle from Karlshof to Morocco and back, luggage transport and secured fuel supply in the desert,
  • overnight stays mainly in guesthouses and hotels in double rooms, plus up to two nights in organised bivouacs.

According to the listing, the tour is to be led personally by Dirk von Zitzewitz, who presents himself on his site as a Dakar winner. The offer is aimed at riders of sport enduros such as the KTM EXC through to adventure bikes such as the BMW R 1300 GS or the Yamaha Ténéré; taking part in a 4×4 off-road vehicle is also possible. Von Zitzewitz describes his aim as follows: he wants to give participants “a rally feeling” without subjecting them to competitive pressure. The “meet and greet” with big names of rally sport advertised on the page is an announcement by the provider; the listing does not say which riders or teams are due to attend.

Motorcyclist in a white riding suit sitting on a BMW GS on a dune crest in the desert
Adventure bike on a dune crest: archive photo from the tour organiser’s website, location and date not given. Photo: Zitzewitz Moto Events, photographer not named (source)

Costs and requirements

The listing gives a price range of €4,650 to €10,865. The published text does not explain which service belongs to which price, for example motorcycle or 4×4, own or rented vehicle. The page also gives no date for the prices.

According to the provider, the following are not included: the flight from Germany to Morocco and back, trip cancellation insurance, fuel for your own or rented vehicle, lunch and snacks, dinner on the first and last day, as well as souvenirs and alcoholic drinks.

Participants need a passport valid for at least six months beyond the date of entry and international health insurance covering repatriation. The motorcycle must be registered and insured, have new or nearly new tyres and should be no more than six years old; exceptions are possible after consulting von Zitzewitz. Recommendations include mousse inserts, that is, tubeless solid-foam inserts to guard against punctures, a GPS device, a tank of at least 12 litres for sport enduros, and the Green Card insurance document for Morocco.

Two BMW GS adventure bikes in the sand in front of a lit tent camp in the desert at dusk
Motorcycles in front of a desert camp: archive photo from the tour page, location and date not given. Photo: Zitzewitz Moto Events, photographer not named (source)

The setting: Dakar 2027 in Portugal and Morocco

According to an FIA statement of 30 October 2026, the 49th Dakar will exceptionally be held in Portugal and Morocco, from 9 to 23 January 2027. The dates are still subject to approval by the FIA World Motor Sport Council. According to the FIA, the reason for the change of location is the decision not to hold the 2027 edition in Saudi Arabia following recent developments in the region; the rally is due to return there in 2028.

After the prologue and first stage in Loulé-Faro, the FIA says an overnight ferry crossing to Nador follows. From 11 January 2027 the route runs via Bouarfa and Zagora to Agadir, where the rest day takes place, then on south via Smara towards Dakhla and back north to the finish in Marrakesh on 23 January. A total of 7,824 kilometres is planned, of which 4,341 kilometres are special stages.

The FIA statement does not give the exact date of the rest day in Agadir. How the accompanying tour will adapt its route to the course of the rally can only be judged once the provider publishes the itinerary.

Sources and image credits

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