Video: The Spirit of the Mongol Rally

As 2011 winds to its inevitable close, it is time to start thinking ahead to our 2012 adventures. One of the events that has become an annual staple on the adventure calendar these past few years is the Mongol Rally, a 10,000 mile road race from London (and other cities) to Ulaan Baatar, the capitol of Mongolia. Next year's edition of the Rally will get underway on July 14th, but the organizers of the event have released a fantastic new video that is guaranteed to whet your appetite and get you planning for your own road trip to Mongolia. The video also serves as a great introduction to what the Rally is all about for those who have never heard of it before.

Return of the Yak: A Mongol Rally Documentary

I've written about the Mongol Rally numerous times on this blog. It's the annual road rally that begins in London, and various other European cities, and covers 10,000+ miles, before ending in Ulaanbaatar, the capitol of Mongolia. Along the way, the teams cross vast deserts, snowcapped mountain ranges, and miles of lonely road.

One of the teams involved in the 2011 edition of the race blogged their experience at ReturnOfTheYak.com, and is now in the process of making a documentary of their travels. You'll find a trailer for the video below, which makes the Mongol Rally look like it is an amazing road trip adventure with a healthy dose of partying mixed in.

Warning: depending on where you are when you watch this, you may want to turn down the volume. The soundtrack could be a bit NSFW.

Video: 2011 Put Foot Rally!

Way back in March I told you about the Put Foot Rally, a driving adventure that sent teams on a 17-day, 7000km (4350 mile) journey through seven countries in Africa. The rally was designed to not only operate as a fundraiser for the Bobs For Good Foundation, an organization that delivers new shoes to underprivileged children, but also demonstrate that Africa is a safe and wondrous place to travel.

The inaugural Put Foot took place between June 21st and July 7 of this year, and was a huge success. So much so, that registration is already open for 2012, which will run from June 20-July 6. To get a taste of what the event is all about, check out the video below. It is 15 minutes in length, but not only captures the spirit of the rally, and the people who took part, but also plenty of beautiful scenes from the countries they visited along the way.

This looks simply amazing. Its no secret that I love Africa, and the Put Foot Rally looks like a fantastic way to see the continent and have a lot of fun doing it.


Put Foot Rally 2011 from D4 Productions on Vimeo.

The 2011 Mongol Rally Has Started!

One of my favorite annual events, the Mongol Rally, has gotten underway this week, with 311 teams setting out on the ultimate road trip adventure. They'll now drive more than 10,000 miles across Europe and Asia, in vehicles more suited for commuting around town, before hitting the finish line in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.

Of the 311 teams, 224 started on Saturday in the U.K., while another 87 set off from the Czech Republic. They'll now tackle grueling deserts, snow capped mountains, and roads that can barely described as roads as they race for days on end to reach the Mongolian capitol. Along the way, they'll have all kinds of adventures, explore a dozen unique cultures, and have the time of their life doing it.

The race is quite an event in and of itself, but it is also a great fundraiser for charity as well. This year's charity of choice is the Christina Noble Children's Foundation, which is based in Mongolia. The CNCF is an organization dedicated to helping improve the lives of underprivileged children living in developing countries, and each of the teams in the Mongol Rally has pledged to raise at least £1000 (about $1640) for the foundation. The goal is to raise more than £400,000 total before the end of the race.

As is typical with this rally, there are a number of unique entrants into the race this year. The press release that I received said that there is a group of racers dressed as Stormtroopers from Star Wars who are driving an ambulance. (I'm already rooting for these guys!) There is also a team of Vikings, a group driving an old fire engine, and even a school bus from the U.S. As you can imagine, it makes for quite the wacky scene, and you can check out some of the images from the start of the race by clicking here.

So? Who's up for a major road trip from the U.K. to Mongolia next year?