Along Namibia's coast

Discover the freedom of the open road as you journey from LUderitz on Namibia's southern coast to Torra Bay in the north, en route to Kaokoland.

-  Cyril Klopper

Guided tour groups are great, but sometimes you want to go your own way at your own pace. Our route covers 3 000 km, and ensures early, stressfree arrivals at your campsites each day. We depart early morning from Pretoria, following the N14 to Upington - a distance of 800 km - where we stop at the Kalahari Lifestyle Lodge. This is the longest driving day of the tour; from here on, you'll only spend about four hours a day behind the wheel. Holidays are for relaxing, after all.

Kalahari Lifestyle is located next to the N14 as you enter Upington and offers 12 grassed stands with private ablution facilities and a fully equipped kitchen. Get a good night's sleep on the first night of your journey because tomorrow, we enter Namibia.

The Nakob border post is an hour and a half from Upington and operates 24/7. The customs officials are strict, and you must have the registration papers for your vehicle and off-road trailer at hand. They will also search your freezer, as South African meat may not be brought into Namibia.

Across the border, we follow the B3 through Ariamsvlei and Karasburg to the B1 main road, then take the C12 gravel road to our first overnight stop in Namibia: the Hobas campsite near the Fish River Canyon. We prefer Hobas over Ai-Ais, as the latter, despite years of effort, remains rundown. In contrast, Hobas is well kept, with clean ablution facilities and friendly staff.

Today's journey covers only 400 km. If border post procedures go smoothly, you'll likely have enough time to visit the Fish River Canyon lookout spot. However, the canyon is most beautiful in the morning when the sun lights up the opposite cliffs, so you might prefer to relax now and visit it tomorrow.

Hobas has 14 spacious stands and six chalets. There's also a swimming pool, shop, bar, and a restaurant serves delicious meals at reasonable prices. Breakfast, for example, costs N$180 per person.