The Gobi is most notable in history as part of the great Mongol Empire, and as the location of several important cities along the Silk Road.

The Gobi is a rain shadow desert formed by the Himalaya range blocking rain-carrying clouds from reaching the Gobi.

Whilst the exact route won't be known until closer to the actual date, the race will start again out of Kashgar – the Ancient Silk Road's gateway between China and Central Asia on the westernmost edge of the great Gobi desert. Kashgar is situated west of the Gobi's Taklamakan portion of the desert at the foot of the Tian Shan mountain range at 1,290m/4,232 ft above sea level. Kashgar has a population of around 200,000covering an area of 162,000 km 2 . The area selected for the Gobi March 2008 has been closely guarded by the Chinese government due to its border position and distance from Beijing and as a result, there have been very few outsiders freely exploring the area.

Racing The Planet has been given special permission to traverse this mysterious land for the Gobi March. The climate that the area experiences varies greatly depending on the specific location due to the topography, which varies from plain, desert and mountain climates. The area annually experiences temperatures of up to 40 o C (104 o F) in the summer and has been known to drop to -24.4 o C (-11.9 o F) in the winter whilst receiving only 27mm of rainfall annually. The main Silk Route presently travels northwest through the Torugart pass about 200 km west of the present city past the present border with Kyrgyztan. Kashgar has long benefited from the Silk Route , establishing itself throughout history as both a political and economic centre.