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
“If you know you are going to make it, then it’s not an adventure.” –Mongol Rally Organizers

Read the entire Mongol Rally series

Border Bonding – Mongol Rally

I had been looking forward to the Mongolia portion of the trip, not only because it was the most adventurous and uncertain, but because I…

Lost in the Mongol Rally

We are traveling in Mongolia with a map that is five years old. This normally wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but in a country…

Mongolia Freedom – Mongol Rally

At 11AM, a border guard walks across the parking lot carrying passports and some forms, looking official with a stern look on his face. All…

The Mongol Rally Diet

“I’m starving!” I said as the Russian waitress brought out the menu with the usual cold grimace on her face. I eagerly open up the…

Slowing Down – Mongol Rally

Since we had made it into Mongolia, it was time to slow down and enjoy our surroundings. One problem was that Rick had to catch…

Muffler Mayhem – Mongol Rally

I took off driving today out of Khovd missing one important thing…Rick. He was unable to change his flights, and we had to continue on…

 

Read my other Mongolia articles