Northern Namibia in the Tortoise
Ridden by the founder in 2020 · Toyota 4x4 camper (the Tortoise), two-up
Ten days in a rented 4x4 camper: Etosha, Opuwo, Epupa Falls, Palmwag and down the Skeleton Coast to Walvis. Washed-away roads and blind river crossings after the rains.
Open in the plannerChange the dates, stops and your vehicle. The planner works out fuel, night stops, sunset, weather and the grade of every road.
Distances and grades from the planner's route on OpenStreetMap roads. Your plan may differ.
Hardest stretch: Single, bike-only single track or serious 4x4 terrain. The grade reads differently by vehicle: what's fun on an adventure bike can be slow and hard in a car.
Day by day
- DAY 1 · 418 km · 95% gravel
Windhoek → Outjo - DAY 2 · 279 km · 71% gravel
Outjo → Namutoni (Etosha)
Via Andersson Gate - DAY 3 · 495 km · 92% gravel
Namutoni (Etosha) → Opuwo Country Lodge - DAY 4 · 174 km · 100% gravel
Opuwo Country Lodge → Omarunga, Epupa Falls - DAY 5 · 430 km · 99% gravel
Omarunga, Epupa Falls → Palmwag Lodge
Via Opuwo, Sesfontein - DAY 6 · 388 km · 13% gravel
Palmwag Lodge → Henties Bay
Via Springbokwasser Gate, Torra Bay - DAY 7 · 114 km · 38% gravel
Henties Bay → Walvis Bay - DAY 8 · 308 km
Walvis Bay → Windhoek Game Camp
The story
The trip started with an expired passport at the check-in counter and only got better. Ten days in a rented camper with Logistics, no fixed plan and a paper map. Etosha after the rains, puddles deep enough to lose a number plate. Back to Opuwo, where the 2017 bike trip fell apart. Five hours for 180 km to Epupa, river crossings washed away, a croc in the reeds. Then Sesfontein, Palmwag, a puncture at 40 degrees and the Skeleton Coast, which my father always talked about and never saw. Not the same as a bike. Flexible, comfortable, and it still clears the mind.
Good to know
- Gondwana Card: South Africans save up to half on Gondwana lodges.
- Epupa: don't swim in the river. Crocodiles.
- Fill up at Torra Bay junction; fuel is far apart on the coast.
- Two nights at Epupa. The planner shows it as one stop; add a rest day yourself.
Read the misadventures
Roads change. Check conditions before you go, and report what you find in the planner so the next rider knows.