We made it! Intrepid pair drive 10,000 miles across three deserts and 15 countries to Mongolia - in a 10-year-old 1.2-litre Nissan Micra
Friends William Roberts and Liam Squires, both 23, survived six weeks driving some of the world’s worst roads from Anglesey, in north Wales to the Mongolian capital of Ulaanbaatar.
The pair were driven to 'breaking point' as they battled through baking hot deserts and had to contend with flat tyres, broken axles and a disintegrating roof rack.
They completed the Mongol Rally - described as the 'greatest adventure in the world' - in a 10-year-old 1.2 litre Nissan Micra.
The pair said the epic journey featured 'some of the toughest and most stressful' moments of their lives.
They kept supporters updated with their travels and troubles during their 44 tough days by writing a blog.
The Welsh wanderers began their adventure at Dover castle on July 14 and drove through
France, Belgium, Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia before ending in Mongolia.
When they finally reached the Mongolian capital on Monday they wrote on their blog: 'We finished!
'The little Micra carried us all the way from Wales to Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.
'The past seven days have been some of the toughest and most stressful times of our lives.
'We were at breaking point right up till the end. Now to relax and have some celebratory beers!'
Among the spectacular sights they saw along the way was the 'Gates to Hell' - a natural gas crater
in Turkmenistan which has been burning for more than 40 years.
The travellers also witnessed a 'terrifying' lightning storm while camping on the Kazakh Steppe and appeared on national Romanian TV.
As they neared their final destination they said: 'Mongolia is slowly destroying our car, our wallets and ourselves.
'But it is beautiful, and seeing the wild camels and horses along with the herders will never get old.'
The two charity drivers were raising money for the rainforest protection charity Cool Earth.
The Mongol Rally has been held annually since 2004 by organisers the League of Adventurists
International Ltd.
Only around half of entrants reach the Mongolian capital - and some suffer serious injuries on the dangerous and unsupported rally.
In 2010, two British participants died and one other team mate was seriously hurt after a road accident in Iran.
The rally website tells rally drivers: 'This is a genuinely dangerous thing to do.
'You cannot overestimate the risks involved in taking part in this adventure.
'Your chances of being seriously injured or dying as a result of taking part are high.
'This is not a glorified holiday. It’s an unsupported adventure and so by its very nature extremely risky.
'You really are on your own and you really are putting both your health and life at risk.'
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