A highlight of the Mongol Rally was reaching the ultimate destination – Mongolia. The journey was sensational, but once we reached our final country, it blew us away. These are our favorite Mongolia Pictures from the Russian Border to the Gobi Desert.
Mongolia Pictures from the Russian Border to the Gobi Desert
The Golden Eagle of Mongolia
Yurts aka Ghers
Chingis Khan
Chingis Khan is the National Hero of Mongolia
Horses
You'll see a lot of horses and yurts
However, on the Mongol Rally, We split up jobs more than usual. When Dave was driving, I snapped some shots and when I was driving, he took care of the video.
Gher Camp
It ended up being a lot of fun changing roles for 5 weeks. One can't be married to a fantastic professional photographer like Dave and not learn a trick or two. While I won't be ditching my day job as a travel writer any time soon, I did enjoy getting behind the lens every once in a while to snap a few moments in the Mongol Rally.
Beautiful landscape of Mongolia
Mongolia – Photos from the Road
Camels in the Distance
Camels
Driving Through Camels in the Desert
That is the border baby
Our Rally Car
Read: Tips for Driving from England to Mongolia
Characters
Rickety Bridges
Dave scopes out our track over the bridge
Check out Car Mishaps of the mongol Rally
Tender Moments
Oversized Trucks
Crazy Roads
Which road should we choose?
Have a laugh at: Mongol Rally, Punctures are Part of the Game
A Lotta Ladas
A lot of Russian Cars
Smashed Up Cars
Many collisions happen on the roads
Our Transportation
Our Car needs some help
Making new Friends
Locals always lent a helping hand
Oovoos
Oovos on the Side of the Road for Good Luck
Enjoy: Outdoor Living on the Mongol Rally
Charity
Our Charity – The Christina Noble Foundation in Mongolia
Visiting the Christina Noble Foundation in Mongolia. Thank you for all your contributions!
Gas Stations
Interesting Gas Stops
Read: How to Fill Up a Car on the Mongol Rally
Visitors at our Camp
River Crossings
The Adventure Really Began in Mongolia
umair says
…very very beautiful style.. i like u soo much .. thanks for sharings friends …
Melissa says
Oh wow… stunning shots! They’re so amazing! And it’s awesome to see the different perspectives!
Thanks for sharing
debndave says
Thank you Melissa. It was an amazing place to photograph. I couldn’t go wrong with a subject matter like Eastern Europe and Central Asia. It’s beautiful!
Mark Wiens says
Fantastic job Deb, great to see your photos too!
Georgie Mathew says
Hi Deb,
Great essay.. love the mother Russia image and “tender moments”
Bon voyage in Gengis Khan’s footsteps!
Georgie
Nomadic Samuel says
The rugged beauty of Mongolia reminds me of my time in South America. It’s a high priority for me to visit Mongolia on my next tour around Asia. Thanks for sharing this diverse photo essay.
Janna says
Hi Deb. With the dipping temperatures, were you able to camp at night?
davendeb says
Hi Janna, yes we camped most nights in Kazakhstan and Mongolia. It was cold, but we had down jackets and sleeping bags. If you decide to do it, make sure to bring a hat and some long johns as well. We stayed pretty comfortable in our tents I must say even when the temperature plummeted.
Christina (Jandal Road) says
I love your photos! I’m a sucker for landscape photography, and your pictures are awesome. I especially love the character picture though – the wild blonde hair, ski mask, bandana and double scarves against the desert backdrop is fab!
davendeb says
Thanks Christina. I’m a sucker for landscapes too!
Janna says
Great photos and captions, Deb. I love the first image of the lone car, surrounded by camels and blue sky. What an adventure! What were the temperatures like?
davendeb says
Hi Janna, the temperatures were extreme. In the desert they were very hot, especially in Kazakhstan but at other times it was cold in the desert. Nights were mostly cold all the time, but days fluctuated in temperatures.
Christy @ Technosyncratic says
These are such great shots, Deb!! I particularly love the first one – the hazy (dusty?) lighting is awesome. Also the “Tender Moments” shot is so, well, tender. =)
Sherry Ott says
Great shots Deb!! The horse cart one cracks me up as Dave and the guy look so serious…but all I can remember from that experience is smiles and laughter!
davendeb says
So true, good times, good times!
Cam says
Nice one Deb! Your photos tell a great story. Is the rally over then? How was (is) it?!
davendeb says
Hi Cam, yep the rally is over. It felt like it barely began. It was in Mongolia that we were really getting into it. I could have driven for another month!
Stephanie - The Travel Chica says
Great photo essay! Love the Tender Moments shot.
davendeb says
Thanks Stephanie, I really liked the tender moments too. Steve was a great guy from the Sign Up Team. We ended up running into them quite a bit and enjoyed their company through Mongolia.
Anis Salvesen says
Deb,
You’ve clearly managed to soak up some great knowledge from years of travel with Dave! I feel like I experienced Mongolia in 30 seconds (before going back and looking at the photos over and over trying to figure out which I liked best). My favorites are ‘Tender Moments,’ ‘Camels’ and ‘Gas Stations.’ This is a beautiful photostory! Congratulations Deb!
davendeb says
Thanks Anis. I am still always picking Dave’s brain though. For some reason the technical aspects of photography don’t stick with me. I think it is because I can get very lazy since Dave is the photographer in the family. But I have decided to work a little harder on it over the winter. We’re slowing down for a couple of months to catch up on 2 years of falling behind on work, so hopefully Dave can take me out to work on my photography too!
Lisa @chickybus says
Love this photo essay, Deb. Great job! It really puts the reader there with you…and that means a vicarious adventure, which is always a pleasure. Looks like a blast! PS: The oovoos are trippy… What are they?
davendeb says
The Oovoos are stone monuments paying gratitude to the spirits protecting the surrounding area. They are all along the roads in Mongolia and people stop to circle them 3 times to bring luck.
Lash says
Those are some great shots, Deb! I especially love the first one, characters, and the crazy missile thingy. Wow- some roads out there, eh?! yikes. Quite an adventure! I just read that Sherry returned to NYC- I just cannot imagine going to NYC after this!
davendeb says
Thanks Lash, and so true. New York is definitely a change from Mongolia. Here it is wide open spaces and 1 horse towns. It is only in Ulaanbaatar that there is any sort of population in Mongolia.
Gillian @OneGiantStep says
Wow! You guys should switch roles more often! Amazing Deb!
davendeb says
Thanks Gillian, Wait until you see Dave’s editing of video it is going to be amazing. Maybe we’ll keep up the role reversals for a while:-)
Denise says
Beautiful in a raw way…just the way I like it 🙂
davendeb says
Thanks Denise. That’s how I like it too.