The Dakar Rally (or simply "The Dakar"; formerly known as "The Paris Dakar" or "Paris to Dakar Rally" and now as "The Lisboa Dakar") is an annual off-road race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation. The race is open to amateur and professional entries. Amateurs typically make up about eighty percent of the participants.

Despite its name it is an off-road endurance race, called a rally-raid rather than a conventional rally—the terrain the competitors traverse is much tougher and the vehicles used are true off-road vehicles rather than the modified sedans used in rallies. Most of the competitive special sections are off-road, crossing dunes, mud, camel grass, rocks and erg among others. The distances of each stage covered vary from several kilometers up to 800 to 900 kilometers (500-560 mi) per day.