Mongol Rally Sherry Ott

The Mongol Rally – The Ultimate Road Trip Across Europe and Asia

What is the Mongol Rally?

The Mongol Rally is an unsupported road rally from London, England, to Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia. In July 2011, four well-traveled, and some may say crazy, travel bloggers set out on a 10,000-mile journey to Mongolia. This was no fluff press trip…this was us against the open road, in a car that was not meant to be driven to these lengths.

When I first heard of the Mongol Rally, I went to the site and was immediately hooked with messages like this:

“10,000 miles of bad roads, no roads, bandits, deserts, mountains and other adventuresome stuff…the Mongol Rally is supposed to be an adventure not a guided tour. It’s about getting out into the world and discovering it for yourself, so we resolutely refuse to give you a route. Think how much of a second-rate adventure it would be if we all followed the same route, like a traffic jam all the way to Mongolia.”

Is this a good idea?

This is what I kept asking myself as I went through the online signup for the Mongol Rally. What started out as sounding like a really fun, unique, crazy adventure was now sounding like a death march with every additional legal paragraph I read in the Mongol Rally waiver!

But…we persisted

4 bloggers
2 continents
9 countries
10,000 miles
Countless flat tires
1,000 wrong turns
Hundreds of dollars in bribes

Crossing unforgiving deserts, perilous mountain ranges, and non-existent roads, we faced the possibility of bandits, breakdowns, and corruption. Oh yes, and not one of us had any mechanical knowledge.

4 strangers meet and decide to take on the ultimate travel road trip – the Mongol Rally. In 2011 we packed out inappropriate little car, put our sponsor stickers on it and took off from London on the craziest, hardest, and most satisfying adventure I’ve ever done. We all believed in the power of travel and relying on others to help when we were in need. And there was LOTS of need! We made it – but it wasn’t without changed plans, near jail time, team disputes, and multiple breakdowns. Read about the entire adventure below and how we took on one of the biggest adventures in the world.

mongol rally danger
Will the Hot Box Float?
“If you know you are going to make it, then it’s not an adventure.” –Mongol Rally Organizers

Read the entire Mongol Rally series

When is Travel Too Dangerous?

“Is this a good idea?” This is what I kept asking myself as I went through the online signup for the Mongol Rally. What started…

Sleepless in Jordan

What are the odds…I am in a remote eco lodge in the middle of the desert in Jordan; surrounded by goats and Bedouins, and I…

Traveling With Strangers

When I tell people that I’m going to do the Mongol Rally this summer and I explain the whole premise of driving an ill-suited car…

What I’d like for my Birthday

Yup – that’s right…this is crass…I’m telling all of you it’s my birthday and I want presents…lots and lots of presents.  I’m totally serious about…

Paperwork Around the World

While in Jordan, I saw all of the main tourist sites, but I also had an opportunity to get off the beaten path with my…

Mongol Rally Odds

The odds are stacked against us. I asked one of the founders a series of questions about our odds of making it to Ulanbatar, and…

 

Read my other Mongolia articles