France-Mongolia Road Trip: Which Route to Choose?

For the first quarter of 2026, I’m planning a 4x4 trip from France to Mongolia. I’ve got two route options: the safer one through the Balkans, Turkey, Georgia... to Mongolia, or the other via Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Georgia... to Mongolia. My question: Is it currently possible to cross Libya? Or are there ferries from Tunisia or Algeria to Egypt? I’m also looking for a travel companion. Thanks for your replies

Hi there,

Is this a joke? You won’t be getting to Mongolia anytime soon with your second option.

Morocco-Algeria border: closed (since 1994). Tunisia-Libya border: apparently only open for goods (trade) and locals living near the border, and in any case, there’s major political instability and visas are highly unpredictable in Libya (since the 2011 civil war). From Egypt to Jordan: you’d just have to cross the Gaza Strip and Israel. Easy peasy, right now. Entering and crossing Syria: no tourist visa system in place at the moment with the transitional government, after 13 years of civil war. Major political instability. Syria-Turkey border: say hi to all the Syrian refugees who no longer know which side of the border is safer.

Good luck finding a travel buddy.

Murielle

Hi there... Well, why make it simple? USA, Canada... and then a ferry to Russia... after that, it's straight to UB... 😏 Okay, seriously, go through Georgia, but even then, it's still not exactly around the corner...

Hi there,

You might want to head to Georgia first—actually, that’s where the real challenges start.

Michel

Hello,

Is this a joke? You won’t be getting to Mongolia anytime soon with your second option.

Morocco-Algeria border: closed (since 1994). Tunisia-Libya border: apparently only open for goods (trade) and local residents, and in any case, major political instability and visas are very unpredictable in Libya (since the civil war in 2011). From Egypt to Jordan: you’d just have to cross the Gaza Strip and Israel. Easy peasy, right now. Entering and crossing Syria: no tourist visa system in place at the moment with the transitional government, after 13 years of civil war. Very high political instability. Syria-Turkey border: say hello to all the Syrian refugees who no longer know which side of the border is safer.

Good luck finding a travel buddy.

Murielle

Between Egypt and Jordan, you don’t cross Gaza. You just cross the Red Sea near Suez, then travel through the Sinai to Taba, then cross into Israel at Eilat to Aqaba for 56 km without any issues. Between Egypt and Israel, the borders aren’t closed. However, what might cause problems is the route before that, which could raise security concerns. And the route after, of course.

You can travel up through Jordan without any issues, but there’s a risk of being forced to stop at the Syrian border, that’s true.

Best regards.