Journey of Discovery Expedition Overview.doc

JOURNEY OF DISCOVERY

8000 MILES / 50 DAYS

1,000,000th DISCOVERY

BIRMINGHAM TO BEIJING OVERLAND

www.landrover.com/million

INTRODUCTION

To celebrate the creation of the 1,000,000th Discovery, Land Rover returns to its roots for an expedition from Birmingham, England to Beijing, China.

In a convoy of three Discovery 4s, the 12-man expedition will pass through 13 countries between the UK and China and bisect some of the most wild and remote regions on the planet.

Embodying more than six decades of Land Rover know-how, these Discovery 4s are the ideal expedition companion. Their full-time four-wheel drive, locking differentials and acclaimed Terrain Response system will allow them to tackle the wildly varying conditions expected on the journey and their unrivalled load carrying capacity means the expedition can go equipped for any eventuality.

No matter how harsh the environment however, the Discovery 4s will ensure that the demands on driver and passengers are minimised thanks to its intuitive technology, comfort and the peace of mind that only comes from Land Rover levels of dependability.

The expedition will join avalanche teams in the Alps, drive through a Cold War submarine city and even join a trip into the heart of Chernobyl on the 8000-mile, 50-day marathon.

Land Rover has been exploring the planet since the creation of its first model in 1948 and for the Journey of Discovery we are aiming to raise £1,000,000 for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ water and sanitation project in Uganda.

For more information please visit www.landrover.com/million

THE ROUTE

From Solihull - the home of Land Rover - to Beijing’s Auto China 2012 show just 50 days later, the Journey of Discovery will stop off in Geneva for the 82nd Salon International de l’Auto and then the Russian capital of Moscow before crossing the continent of Asia to reach the Chinese capital city in the middle of April.

> BIRMINGHAM

> FRANCE

> GENEVA

> UKRAINE

> RUSSIA

> MOSCOW

> KAZAKHSTAN & UZBEKISTAN

> KYRGYZSTAN

> CHINA

> BEIJING

EUROPE

After the UK start from Land Rover’s factory base at Solihull the expedition makes its way first to a gala dinner at the famous Royal Geographical Society in London, before heading for continental Europe and the world’s media at the Geneva Motor Show on the shores of Lake Geneva.

Accompanied by polar explorer and Land Rover ambassador Ben Saunders, the convoy will then head into the Alps, tackling some of the highest roads on the route. Saunders will film with the busiest mountain rescue team in the world.

Saunders will be guest of honour at a celebration event in Milan, Italy before the expedition crosses back over the Alps to Munich in Germany, the Austrian capital Vienna and Budapest in Hungary.

UKRAINE

Ukraine is the second largest country in Europe after Russia. As one of the founding republics of the Soviet Union and a founding member of the United Nations, it has a fascinating history, with its culture and architecture influenced by both its eastern and western neighbours and the Orthodox Church.

The terrain is equally diverse, with 1800 miles of coastline, mountains in the west and on the Crimean peninsular, and fertile steppes and plateaus across the rest of the country.

We will be one of the first international expeditions to enter Chernobyl and also drive through an incredible underground city that was once one of most secret metropolis in the Soviet Union.

Along the way, we will also discover an intriguing pharmacy museum, craft one of world’s smallest masterpieces, and taste some of the best wine the region has to offer

RUSSIA

The culture changes dramatically as the route travels north into Russia, the largest country on Earth and the world’s eighth most populous nation. En route, we will visit a Soviet-era car graveyard, bake cars from gingerbread, explore Moscow with a member of the Bolshoi ballet and have a drive-in part in a movie made in the Russian equivalent of Hollywood

KAZAKHSTAN & UZBEKISTAN

The going gets tough as the expedition emerges from Russia into the ’Stans. Kazakhstan is first. Tents will replace hotels and dusty plains replace farmland. The crew could go days without hot water.

An oil-rich region, the Caspian Depression around the sea’s coastline delivers a landscape of oil wells on wide-open plains, while hills rising from the desert offer colourful ranges of green, yellow, pink and red.

Once into the landlocked Republic of Uzbekistan, independent since 1991, the route enters its first vast arid desert, with challenging off-road terrain and spectacular barren landscapes.

At the rapidly evaporating Aral Sea, we will see beached ships lying far from the waterline and on our journey through the wilderness we’ll hit the Silk Road for the first time – to discover a remote modern art gallery and a dungeon with a horrible history.  And meet Central Asia’s very-own ‘Elvis’...

KYRGYZSTAN

Time zone after time zone, the half-way point is deep in Central Asia. The last stop in the ’Stans is Kyrgyzstan – about as far from the ocean as you can get.

In the northern districts, a diverse ethnic population includes a high number of Russians and Dungans while deeper south it is almost entirely Kyrgyz, creating an interestingly diverse range of culture.

The last stop before China is Lake Issyk Kul - the tenth largest lake on earth. Surrounded by the Tian Shan mountains it is reminiscent of a quintessentially alpine lake but is so remote it attracts few visitors.

On this part of the route, we will experience a former Soviet Spa, build a traditional Yurt tent and visit a bustling market to pick up some very special bespoke Discovery foot mats for the final leg of our journey.

CHINA

The final frontier is the Kyrgyz/Chinese border high up in the Turugart Pass. Beyond is the world’s most populous country. Late snow could slow progress before the expedition hits the old market town of Kashgar, back on the Silk Road.

In the far southwest of China is Xinjiang province - which means ‘New Frontier’. The semi-arid region includes three different deserts – the Dzoosotoyn Elisen, the Kumtag and the Taklimakan – but also contains Urumqi, a city that is home to 2.7million people.  Despite being over a thousand miles west of the capital, Xinjiang operates on Beijing time. Dawn arrives mid-morning…

It will take just under two weeks to drive from from Kashgar to Beijing. The route follows the high dune desert reaching north to Mongolia. The beacon to follow will be the Great Wall of China - leading straight to the capital Beijing.

In China we will encounter bizarre sheep culture and a lush desert oasis where wine is made before exploring Beijing’s incredible new airport project and meeting some of the country’s future Olympic hopefuls.

The finishing point, a month and a half after leaving the UK, will be the Beijing Motor Show, where the 1,000,000th Discovery will take centre stage.