Mongol rally how long

We broke our rear axle twice in two different places. We also broke the drive shaft. I've driven here. DG: On the route, Iran was sort of a big unknown for me and Scott.

We really didn't know what to expect. I think our family and friends, when we told them we were doing the rally and they asked where we were going and we told them we were going to Iran, most people thought we were crazy. I've traveled to something like 58 countries, but I've truly never had such a welcoming experience and such hospitality as we experienced there.

It was absolutely incredible. We had a couple of rules when we got to Tajikistan: that we would convoy with other cars because we knew we would be extraordinarily remote and that we wouldn't drive at night. It was our first night we were in the country, and we were breaking both of those rules. We were driving along this amazing river and it's getting darker and darker and on the other side of the river is Afghanistan.

We're driving along the highway and we came across what I guess is a truck stop, a place in the middle of absolutely nowhere that had sort of fairy lights on.

Outside, they had daybeds, and there was a big touring bus that a young couple from Holland was traveling in. We ended up spending the night there. The next morning, we woke up and we were surrounded by trees: pomegranate trees, apple trees, and trees with fruit on that I'd never seen before. The owners of the truck stop brought us some tea and this amazing plate of fresh figs. But I felt so overwhelmed by, I suppose, by the achievement of it. We've driven this shitty little car, in this extraordinarily beautiful place, and we're being looked after by these amazing people with whom we can't communicate properly because neither of us speak each other's language.

It was just a totally magic moment. The woman said they saw us talking to the people down at the other service station and had followed us because they wanted to make sure we weren't being taken for a ride. Her husband went in to talk to the mechanic and said that it wasn't the right mechanic for the problem the boys had. They suggested that we go with them, and that they knew someone who was better.

In those situations, you are putting your trust in people, going off a gut reaction as to whether or not you think they're leading you astray or that they're being honest. But all of us felt that this couple were completely genuine, so we're towing the boys, again, and following the couple and we get to this other shop.

He said "Leave your car with me—I know these people, and I'll call them and let you know what's happening. The couple insisted we come to lunch, took us to their house, and said they were spending the day out on their boat on the lake with their eight-year-old son, and asked us to come with them.

So off we go around this manmade lake, looking at all these beaches and amazing houses. And he would not take a dime. That kind of interlude—the people you meet, the experiences that you have—you can never have anything like that again, ever. It would have been a great addition to our gear list and we will definitely use it on the next major road trip. Luckily for us, most truck drivers have a compressor in their cab though, so if you flag one down, they can help you out.

We also should have had a roll of chicken wire. We had to borrow from fellow drivers to hold our muffler, exhaust and other loose items together. Make sure that you have all the original copies of your ownerships and insurance papers. For certain countries like Iran you need a carnet de passage. This you will you need to get at the embassy in Europe or England before you even leave the country.

When planning a travel one of the most important and difficult aspects is sorting out your visas. If you are traveling through multiple countries on a trip, it can be very complicated.

Out of the 15 countries, 5 require Visas and two of those five require an invitation and a multiple entry. Using Google Maps and Google Earth we checked border crossings to see if roads actually were drivable on the good old fashioned maps that he ordered for Mongolia and Kazakhstan. We would love to simply be able to hop in the car and drive west, but in certain countries borders are closed or off limits and some roads are impassable. Get your visas purchased before trying to cross the border.

They will put together letters of invitation and obtain our visas for us. All we have to do is hand over our passports for about a month with the dates that we want our Visas to be active. Be prepared to be asked for bribes. Have your paperwork in order, follow the speed limit and be nice. We found that playing dumb was the best thing. Once your paperwork is all in order you can easily talk your way out of bribes.

See our picks for the Best Road Trips on Earth! When it comes to police, if they have you speeding they can ask for hundreds of Euros to let you go through. In the middle of the highway it can be 90 km per hour one minute and then drop to 60 km with no warning. It seemed ridiculous at times when we were going 60 km per hour on a two lane highway, but everyone else was as well. Most places take credit card but do have cash on hand just in case.

Carry a few hundred dollars worth of small and crisp bills for emergencies, but otherwise go to the ATM. Sometimes you may want to exchange a small of money at the border. Know the capacity of your tank as you have to prepay for your petrol via the amount of litres you needed.

Our car held 50 litres so when we were near half a tank we normally stopped to fill up. We would as for 25 litres of 92 grade fuel. Once we entered Kazakhstan we asked for 95 grade. For filling up the car, most places take credit card including American Express. Never rely on only one payment method.

Looking to book your next trip? Why not use these resources that are tried and tested by yours truly. Flights: Start planning your trip by finding the best flight deals on Skyscanner. Book your Hotel: Find the best prices on hotels with these two providers.

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Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Hope to be able to experience all of these first hand. Tried rallying here in Paoay here in the Philippines, and this one looked pretty tough and challenging as well. Will definitely try! Wow, what an adventure! Love that you did it in an affordable car too, even if the costs did mount up.

Rush hour. No cell service. Welcome to hell. Getting from here to there on a map was only half the battle. Finding a place to park and sleep was another. In the pressure cooker of planned grit, there is no autopilot. Whenever we did find our home for the night it felt like we had just survived reentry from space. We had nothing else to do. It was just: eat, sleep and move east. There were no texts to answer, emails to check, or corporate asses to kiss.

That was the only goal. This reality left us harnessing the power of three things: uninterrupted thought, unbridled focus and collective discomfort. Camping in the middle of nowhere with 8 other people, with nothing but a campfire and a couple bottles of alcohol after a day moving east is one of the best memories of the trip.

Pure contentment met full immersion…for hours on end. Type keyword s to search.