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Opuwo is the last dependable fuel before the Kaokoland tracks. Check your tank against the long fuel-free stretches on each route out of town, and see how much extra to carry.
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Opuwo is the last dependable fuel before the Kaokoland tracks, and running out on these roads is a danger to life, not an inconvenience. Enter your tank size and your vehicle's real fuel use, and this works out the longest stretch with no fuel on each of the main routes out of town — and, when your tank won't cover it, how much extra to carry. It only does the arithmetic on the figures you enter; it never tells you a road is safe.
How much fuel your tank holds when full.
Highway figures from the handbook are optimistic out here — soft sand, corrugations and a loaded vehicle use far more. If unsure, enter a higher number.
Fuel you want to arrive with, never run down to. 20% is a sensible minimum.
The most-driven Kaokoland trip — Opuwo to the Kunene River at Epupa and back, about 180 km each way via Okangwati. Okangwati sometimes sells container fuel from drums, but it is unreliable and often dirty, and Epupa has none. Plan to do the whole return trip on what you leave Opuwo with.
Longest stretch with no fuel: Opuwo → Opuwo — 358 km
Your tank should cover this stretch.
That is the maths on the figures you entered — not a promise. Always carry a reserve and check the road report before you set out.
The far-northwest expedition: Opuwo to Okangwati, over Van Zyl's Pass and down into the Marienfluss valley, then back — roughly 250 km each way, with no fuel anywhere beyond Opuwo. Exploring the Marienfluss and Hartmann valleys adds hundreds of kilometres more (one day between the two valleys alone can be 270 km of track), so treat 500 km as a bare minimum and plan well over it. Soft sand here burns far more fuel than gravel, and the pass is for experienced 4x4 convoys only.
Longest stretch with no fuel: Opuwo → Opuwo — 500 km
Your tank is short by about 43 km.
Carry at least 6 L extra to cover the gap.
This is the bare minimum to bridge the longest stretch on paper. Carry well beyond it — sand, headwinds, detours and idling all burn more.
The southern desert-elephant route down towards the Hoanib — Opuwo to Purros and on to Sesfontein, about 400 km with no fuel until Sesfontein. Purros has a community campsite but no fuel, and Sesfontein's supply is small and can run dry, so carry enough to reach it with a wide margin.
Longest stretch with no fuel: Opuwo → Sesfontein — 400 km
Your tank should cover this stretch.
That is the maths on the figures you entered — not a promise. Always carry a reserve and check the road report before you set out.
Fuel only at Opuwo, Ruacana and Sesfontein
Sand and corrugations drink fuel
The rains close these roads
Longest stretch with no fuel: 500 km
Opuwo → Opuwo
3 roads into town · check your tank before you go
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