Land Rover Journey of Discovery Concludes in Beijing

In early March we reported on Land Rover’s “Journey of Discovery,” an 8,000-mile transcontinental overland expedition that celebrated the production of Land Rover’s 1,000,000th Discovery and raised money for the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. The “Journey” recently came to an end in China, documenting some unbelievable photos along the way.

Setting off from the Geneva Motor Show, the Land Rover team saw early adventure in Italy’s Aosta Valley watching a team of experts execute a controlled avalanche that posed a threat to local adventurers.

From there, the group had fun with ice driving in Austria as they made their way through Europe.

(Former World Rally Champion Ernest Loidl gives the team some helpful pointers on driving on alternative surfaces)

Traveling east, the team passed through Milan, Sazburg, Vienna and Budapest before making their way to the infamous “lost city” of Chernobyl the Ukrainian city forever remembered for its nuclear disaster in 1986.

(Police escort through Budapest)

Following their foray into former Soviet Union landmarks the team traveled to Tula, Russia, (birthplace of world famous Russian author, Leo Tolstoy) where the Journey team encountered a vast collection of Russian automobiles owned by Mikhail Krasinets. Mikhail was a former test driver for former automaker Moskvich.

Next Stop, Moscow where the Journey of Discovery team took in the sights and sounds of the Russian city having completed approximately half of their trip.

Things got bumpy when the caravan of Discovery 4 (LR4) trucks traded the smooth, paved roads of Russia for the dirt and deserts of the “Stans” (Kazakhstan, Kurdistan, and Uzbekistan).

The curious photo (below) with ships in the otherwise arid backdrop was taken in Uzbekistan's Aral Sea, which is now completely dry.

The team did ultimately meet the Chinese border, but the adventure was far from over. First stop was Kashgar a popular stop along what was once the Silk Road. Driving through China posed a variety of challenges for the team, and required a number of special considerations.

The Taklamakan Desert provided some more off-road fun for the team:

In the end, Land Rover was able to complete their quest proving that even after 1,000,000 Discovery model vehicles, the Land Rover is as capable as it ever was, making it an ideal vehicle for this transcontinental adventure.