Badain Jaran Desert between the dunes, some of which are fresh water while others are extremely saline. These lakes give the desert its name which is Mongolian for "mysterious lakes". It is also crossed by one river, the Ruo Shui ("weak water"), which has formed an alluvial plain in the desert. Measuring over , the Badain Jaran Desert covers a significant part of the south-central part of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region as well as the North part of Gansu province. Located in the Alxa Plateau at about 1200 meters above sea level it is listed as a subsection to the Gobi Desert.
Lost in the Desert shot in two versions, one in Afrikaans and the other in English. The Afrikaans version appeared in 1969 under the title "Dirkie", and the English version appeared in either 1969 or 1970 (possibly varying according to country) under the title "Dirkie Lost in the Desert", which was sometimes referred to and marketed as "Lost in the Desert", which is possibly an alternative official title for the English version. The film was released on DVD in 2005 (copyright 1999), and this disc contains both versions of the film, selectable from the front menu. The English version is about 70 minutes long,