An international auto rally through China and Mongolia will be started on Aug 13 for a total distance of 2,500 kilometers, an official of the organizing committee said on May 25.

The nine-stage 11-day rally will set off from Darhan Muminggan Joint Banner, a pastoral area bordering Mongolia, with a long history of nomadic culture, drive through Mongolia and return to Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, according to Wen Dong.

"The 2016 Gobi Rally will last for 11 days, covering about 2,500 kilometers in China's Inner Mongolia as well as Mongolia's Dornogovi Province with stages going through complicated landscapes of deserts, rivers, meadows, mud and even rocks," said Wen.

Due to security reasons, the number of drivers will be limited within 200, and invitations have been sent out to rally enthusiasts through motor sports associations in China, Mongolia and Russia, said Wen.