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.
Read the entire Mongol Rally series
When is Travel Too Dangerous?
Sleepless in Jordan
Traveling With Strangers
What I’d like for my Birthday
Paperwork Around the World
Mongol Rally Odds
Read my other Mongolia articles
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When I was planning my trip to Mongolia, I knew that I wanted to spend my time mainly in the Gobi Desert. I’m drawn to…Visiting Mongolia with Ger-to-Ger
The bus bounced along on the road north, and for the first time in 5 weeks, I just sat back, relaxed, and didn’t have to…
