We finished the Rally on 4th September 2017
Please read our Blog here.

The route we have chosen is based on our own interests in history, culture, food, wine, mountains, deserts as well as beautiful seascapes and landscapes. This is only a rough guide as time and delays will likely change the route.

Footie Mad Nomads Mongol Rally 2017 – The Tour

Countries covered: UK, France, Switzerland, Italy, San Marino, Greece, Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgystan, Kazakhstan, China, Mongolia and finally end up at the finish line in Ulan Ude, Russia!

Return leg: Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Holland, UK (25 unique countries!)

Map 1 – England to Italy

England to Calais, France. Reims to Troyes, then Dijon, onto Bern, Switzerland then around the Alps Meiringen, down to Gletsch, to Furka Pass, to Andermatt, to Chur, to Vaduz, Lichtenstein, back to the Swiss Alps to San Moritz, to Engine,  down the Stelvio pass, to Trento Italy.

Map 2 – Italy to Turkey

Picking up in Italy at Trento, onto Verona, to Padua, to San Marino, to Foligno and towards Spoleto, to Eggi in Perugia, to Visso in Macerata, to Castelluccio, Perugia, towards Norcia, Perugia (Norcia, famous for its truffles, sausages and Benedictine monastery, with the Sibillini mountains looming behind.) Next head toward the east coast to Pescara, down the east coast to Tremoli, Campomarino, to Lesina, to Capoiale, to Lido del Sole, to Vieste, to Barletta, to Bari, and then Brindisi. If we have time before the boat to Greece we will go the following extra route around the heel of Italy (from Brindisi to Lecce, to Otranto, Leuca, Gallipoli to Lecce to Brindisi)

Boat via Brindis to Patras, in Greece to Olympia, to Corinth, to Delphi, to Volos, to Meteora (Monastery of the Holy Trinity by the side of a cliff on a mountain) to Thessaloniki, to Philippi, then onto Uzunköpru, in Turkey.

Map 3 – Turkey to Georgia

Picking up in Turkey at Uzunköprü,  Edirne, to Istanbul, to Sungurlu/Çorum Province, to Cappadocia, Nevşehir, to Nemrut Dağı Turları(Mount Nemrut royal tomb), to Lake Van, to Ağrı Dağı(Mount Ararat), Kars, then onto Akhaltsikhe, Georgia.

Map 4 – Georgia to China

Picking up in Georgia with (Posof, Turkey – Border – Vale, Georgia), Khertvisi fortress, Vardzia, Tbilisi, Jvari monastery, Tusheti, Omalo (Caucasus Mountain), Bodbe Monastery, (Matsimi, Georgia – Border – Lagodeki, Azerbaijan). Azerbaijan – Diri Bada Mausoleum, Baku old town, Baku port, boat to Turkmenbashi, Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan – Awaza, Yangykala Canyon (north of Balkanabat), Köw Ata (underground lake), Ashgabat, Door to Hell in Derweze desert, back to Ashgabat, Ancient city of Merv, Turkmenabat border crossing. Uzbekistan – Bukhara (It was a prominent stop on the Silk Road trade route between the East and the West), Samarkand Bazaar, border crossing to Tajikistan. Tajikistan – Dushanbe, Khujand, Konibodom border crossing Uzbekistan – Kokand (Khudayar Palace), Border crossing to Kyrgystan. Kyrgystan, Toktogul – Vladimir Putin Peak, – Bishkek border crossing to Kazakhstan – Almaty, – Almaty Lake, – Zharkent border crossing to China.

Map 5 – China to the Finish Line

Entry via Horgos, Kazakhstan – (Bezeklik thousand buddha caves, to Echoing-Sand Mountain (Mingsha Shan), to  Jiayuguan Pass in Gansu (end of the great wall), to Zhangye Danxia landform, to  Mati Temple Grotto, to The Zhongwei Gao Miao / High Temple, to  Western Xia Tombs, to Hongshixia, to Hengshan Hanging Temple, to  Yungang Grotto, to Erenhot – border crossing to Mongolia. Mongolia,Sandshand, – Bayanzag Flaming Cliffs, – Gobi Gurvan Saikhan National Park, – Erdene Zuu Monastery, – Ulaanbaatar, – Tsonjin boldog, – Amarbayasgalant Khiid, – Ulan-Uda, Russia – Finish line

Map 6 – Return Home

Flying back to London via Moscow.