The preparations for the Highway to Mongolia Challenge are on the finish line. Final packing and adjustments to the route are being made. A pile of documents, maps, visas and other crucial papers are being gathered in one folder and are beside the car keys the most important things to be taken. The Zebra Cayenne is already in Istanbul waiting to meet up with Craig, Robert and Jan. The start is planned for 6th of October 2016 on the European side of Istanbul. The team will depart from The Bosporus Bridge at noon local time.
After crossing the Bosporus, Robert, Craig and Jan will head north to take the coastal route to Georgia. Further north crossing over 1,700km in Russia to reach the Kazakhstan border near Uralsk. The sinusoidal route through vast Kazakhstan will make the team face autumn and winter weather conditions. After Kazakhstan, The Longest Drive will again enter Russia to reach the border with Mongolia in the south-west part of the country – a border crossing where the distance between the Russian check-point and the Mongolian checkpoint is almost 30km long. The team is prepared to spend time there as all advice and remarks coming from friends and followers state that the Ulaanbaishint Checkpoint might be the most time-consuming one – up to minimum 6hours of waiting. However, Robert, Craig and Jan hope to manage to pass through smoothly and much faster. Taking the southern path to Ulaanbaatar, in order not to encounter cold weather conditions in high mountains, The Longest Drive Team expects to reach the capital of Mongolia on the 11th of October late afternoon. Close to 10,000 km in less than 5 days in total – driving non-stop!
As the weather forecast predicts dramatic changes from summer conditions at Day 1 to winter conditions and below zero temperatures at Day 4 and 5, The Longest Drive Team must be well prepared. Thus, not only we have special tires waiting for us in Almaty in case these are needed, but also winter clothing and extra food supply are ready to be packed in the Cayenne. All forecasts show that the nice and warm trip will end just before the border with Kazakhstan. The more east TLD goes, the more wintery it will be. This, of course, brings threats and hindrance, but Bob, Craig and Jan hope to manage.
As always more updates will follow along the road. The Longest Drive Team will keep you posted as much as possible on social media and the homepage. Apart from photos and posts, the team will happily share videos and if the internet connection allows, maybe even a live 360degree stream will be available. All to be announced on Facebook in order for friends and followers to be prepared and not miss anything.