From Keetmanshoop you drive about 160 kilometres south on the B1 to Grünau. There you turn east onto the B3. It reaches Karasburg after 53 kilometres and Ariamsvlei on the border after another 125. The South African post is called Nakop, and the N10 takes you the last 130 kilometres or so to Upington. Fill up in Keetmanshoop or Grünau before the long run east.
According to the South African Revenue Service, Nakop is open around the clock. Check before you go, as of October 2026. Your rental car needs cross-border permission from the rental company. One traveller in 2023 spent about 40 minutes on the South African side and roughly an hour on the Namibian side, and found the two posts further apart than expected.
Allow five and a half to six and a half hours of actual driving for the 475 kilometres, plus time at the border. After the rain in March 2026 several side roads around Ariamsvlei and Karasburg were closed, including the road from Karasburg to Aroab. The main route was not reported closed.
The route at a glance
- Roads
- B1, B3, N10
- Distance
- 475 km
- Surface
- tar all the way
- Driving time
- 5.5 to 6.5 hours
- Fuel on the way
- Keetmanshoop, Grünau
Distances and times as of October 2026, driving time without stops or detours.
Routes that use this stage
Keetmanshoop to Upington: frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Keetmanshoop to Upington?
Keetmanshoop to Upington is about 475 kilometres on tar via Grünau, Karasburg and the Ariamsvlei/Nakop border. Allow five and a half to six and a half hours of actual driving plus time at the border.
When is the Ariamsvlei/Nakop border open?
According to the South African Revenue Service, the Nakop border post is open around the clock. Check before you travel that this still applies.
Where can I get fuel between Keetmanshoop and Upington?
Between Keetmanshoop and Upington, refuel in Keetmanshoop or in Grünau, where the B3 turns east.