£338 Find Cheap Flights to South Africa

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from the United Kingdom to South Africa departing on 20/1. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
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1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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Cheap Flights to South Africa

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Cape Town
Cape Town1 stop£538
Durban
Durban2 stops£529
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth2 stops£565
George
George2 stops£657
East London
East London2 stops£566
Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit2 stops£567
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg2 stops£809
Skukuza
Skukuza2 stops£762
Mthatha
Mthatha2 stops£657
Cape Town
Cape Town1 stop£538
Durban
Durban2 stops£529
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth2 stops£565
George
George2 stops£657
East London
East London2 stops£566
Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit2 stops£567
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg2 stops£809
Skukuza
Skukuza2 stops£762
Mthatha
Mthatha2 stops£657

Book Cheap South Africa Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for return flights to South Africa that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent return flight deals to South Africa

Mon, 19 Jan - Tue, 3 Feb
Multiple Airlines Logo
11:05 - 09:30
LHR
-
JNB
20h 25m2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
10:10 - 07:45
JNB
-
LHR
23h 35m2 stops
£470Multiple Airlines
Tue, 27 Jan - Tue, 3 Feb
SWISS Logo
17:40 - 10:30
LCY
-
JNB
14h 50m1 stop
SWISS Logo
20:15 - 08:45
JNB
-
LCY
14h 30m1 stop
£470SWISS
Mon, 18 May - Wed, 8 Jul
Lufthansa Logo
18:30 - 08:35
LHR
-
JNB
13h 05m1 stop
Lufthansa Logo
08:45 - 22:40
JNB
-
LHR
14h 55m1 stop
£470Lufthansa
Mon, 26 Jan - Sat, 7 Feb
Ethiopian Air Logo
10:00 - 03:55
LGW
-
JNB
15h 55m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
14:30 - 05:40
JNB
-
LGW
17h 10m1 stop
£471Ethiopian Air
Mon, 18 May - Thu, 9 Jul
KLM Logo
19:15 - 21:20
LHR
-
JNB
25h 05m1 stop
KLM Logo
23:15 - 16:15
JNB
-
LHR
18h 00m1 stop
£472KLM
Sun, 1 Feb - Sat, 14 Feb
Ethiopian Air Logo
10:00 - 03:55
LGW
-
JNB
15h 55m1 stop
Ethiopian Air Logo
14:30 - 05:40
JNB
-
LGW
17h 10m1 stop
£472Ethiopian Air
Wed, 4 Feb - Mon, 16 Feb
Lufthansa Logo
13:50 - 07:05
LHR
-
JNB
15h 15m1 stop
Lufthansa Logo
19:45 - 07:45
JNB
-
LHR
14h 00m1 stop
£472Lufthansa
Sun, 1 Feb - Sat, 14 Feb
KLM Logo
20:05 - 22:05
LCY
-
JNB
24h 00m1 stop
KLM Logo
23:59 - 17:20
JNB
-
LCY
19h 21m1 stop
£478KLM
Tue, 3 Mar - Mon, 16 Mar
Kenya Airways Logo
17:25 - 22:05
LHR
-
CPT
26h 40m1 stop
Kenya Airways Logo
14:25 - 15:30
CPT
-
LHR
27h 05m1 stop
£540Kenya Airways
Sun, 1 Mar - Thu, 12 Mar
Kenya Airways Logo
17:25 - 06:00
LHR
-
CPT
34h 35m1 stop
Kenya Airways Logo
14:25 - 15:30
CPT
-
LHR
27h 05m1 stop
£540Kenya Airways
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for flights to South Africa

Get data-powered insights and trends for flights to South Africa to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest flight to South Africa?

These are the best return prices found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.

The cheapest ticket to South Africa from the United Kingdom found in the last 72 hours was to Cape Town, at £349 return. The most popular route is London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Johannesburg OR Tambo Airport (JNB) and the cheapest return airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was £499.

What is the cheapest month to fly from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.

The cheapest month for flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa is May, when tickets cost £557 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is £913 and £899 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights to South Africa, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below-average price on the flight from the United Kingdom to South Africa, you should book around 1 week before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 2 weeks before departure.

Which is the cheapest airport to fly into in South Africa?

Prices will differ depending on the departure airport, but generally, the cheapest airport to fly to in South Africa is Cape Town Intl Airport (CPT), with an average flight price of £555.

Good to know - Cheap tickets to South Africa

Low seasonJune
Cheapest flight£338
Best time to beat the crowds (15% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (33% more expensive on average)
Flight from London Stansted Airport to Cape Town

FAQs - booking South Africa flights

  • Which airlines operate non-stop flights to South Africa?

    British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and South African Airways operate direct flights from London Heathrow to Oliver Tambo International Airport and British Airways also operates direct flights to Cape Town International Airport.

  • What are the rules about car seats for children in South Africa?

    While it is not yet mandatory to have a suitable car seat for young children when driving in South Africa, it is advisable to take one with you if you are planning on doing a lot of driving. Alternatively, you can hire one along with your car hire and it is wise to do this in advance.

  • Where should I fly to in South Africa if I want to go to the Drakensberg?

    The Drakensberg, the highest range of mountains in southern Africa, is located in KwaZulu-Natal, so the best airport to fly into is King Shaka International in Durban. From here you can hire a car and drive to the southern part of the Drakensberg.

  • Do I need a visa for South Africa?

    British passport holders who are visiting South Africa for a period of less than 90 days do not need a visa to enter the country. However, your passport should have two blank pages in it and should also be valid for 6 months from your date of entry to South Africa.

  • Do some airlines offer more flights to South Africa for historical reasons?

    Due to South Africa's former status as a British colony and it remaining a member of the Commonwealth, British Airways has always offered the majority of flights from the UK to Cape Town and Johannesburg. The same is true of South African Airways, so you'll find plenty of flights on offer between these two carriers.

  • Are some flights to South Africa more carbon-efficient than others?

    Use the CO2 filter to find the flights that emit the least carbon from whichever airport you choose for your departure. British Airways is your best option if you're flying the most common route from Heathrow to OR Tambo. Booking with this carrier can save over 50% in overall carbon emissions.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from the United Kingdom to South Africa is likely to change within 7 days, so travellers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional return ticket. You could then fly from the United Kingdom to South Africa with an airline and back with another airline.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from the United Kingdom to South Africa?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying from the United Kingdom to South Africa up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

  • What is the cheapest day to fly to South Africa?

    Based on KAYAK data, the cheapest day to fly to South Africa is Monday when return tickets can be as cheap as £705. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Friday, when return prices are £767 on average.

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to South Africa?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to South Africa is generally at night, when retur flights cost £720 on average. Morning departures are around 100% cheaper than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to South Africa is generally in the evening, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is £755.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to South Africa

  • Looking for cheap airfare to South Africa? 25% of our users found round-trip tickets to South Africa for the following prices or less: Cheap flights to South Africa from London Gatwick £757, from London Heathrow £2,909
  • Enter your preferred departure airport and travel dates into the search form above to unlock the latest South Africa flight deals.
  • There are a number of international airports in South Africa that provide onward connections to other destinations within the country. Oliver Tambo International Airport (ORT) in Johannesburg is the central hub and from here you can get flights to all other cities in South Africa. If you want to visit the south of the country, you can fly into Cape Town International Airport (CPT), while King Shaka International Airport (DUR) in Durban will give you easy access to the coastline of KwaZulu-Natal.
  • If you are travelling to South Africa with children, you will need to ensure that you are carrying full unabridged birth certificates for each child under the age of 18, especially if only one parent is travelling with the child. While this rule may not apply if both parents are travelling, the South African authorities reserve the right to ask to see the birth certificate and will turn you away at the border if you cannot produce it.
  • Visitors looking at flights to South Africa to visit the world-famous Kruger National Park in the north-east of the country should consider flying into Oliver Tambo in Johannesburg and catching an onwards domestic flight to Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport (KMI) in Nelspruit. The flight takes approximately 45min. It is also possible to fly to Nelspruit from Cape Town and Durban. In Nelspruit you can hire a car or catch a brebooked transfer to travel to Kruger.
  • If you are planning on driving the Garden Route, you could book a flight to George Airport (GRJ), which is situated at one end of this drive from the Eastern Cape to Cape Town. George Airport only has a domestic terminal, so you would need to book a connecting flight from your point of entry into South Africa to George, where you can then collect a hire car for the rest of your journey along the coast.
  • There is a limit to the amount of South African currency that you can carry into the country in cash and it is advisable to check this limit before you fly as it changes frequently. You can also carry a limited amount of cash in foreign currency that you can change at a bureau du change in the airport or, alternatively, use your credit or debit card at an ATM in the airport.
  • It pays to consider African airlines when you want to find cheap flights to South Africa. These are quite numerous, and usually only make one stopover en route, typically in their home country. A good example is Kenya Airways, which flies from London Heathrow (LHR) to OR Tambo (JNB) in Johannesburg, with a single stopover at Nairobi Jomo Kenyatta International (NBO).
  • South Africa is a vast country compared to the British Isles that just begs for a road trip or two. It's a really good idea to book a hire car through KAYAK when you find cheap flights to South Africa. An SUV or MPV will do you well, to handle the challenging roads through some of its major natural tourist attractions, like Namaqualand or the Karoo.
  • You can often find cheap flights to South Africa by choosing those operated by different airlines in tandem. For example, fly London Gatwick Airport (LGW) to Cape Town International (CPT) on Turkish Airlines, switching to South African Airways at Istanbul International (IST). Or fly from Edinburgh Turnhouse (EDI) to King Shaka Airport (DUR) in Durban on a combination of Turkish Airlines and Airlink, switching at OR Tambo.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines flying to South Africa

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from the United Kingdom to South Africa? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
8.1
EmiratesOverall score based on 3462 reviews
7.9Food
8.1Boarding
8.2Entertainment
8.0Comfort
8.3Crew
Airline reviews

Both flights to and back from Lyon with buses taking extra time and delaying flight at DXB. Food serving needed work.

6.0 GoodWoei, Dec 2025
LYS - DXB
Read more Emirates reviews

Both flights to and back from Lyon with buses taking extra time and delaying flight at DXB. Food serving needed work.

The journey was nice, all the crews were very good and services are excellent

Great flight - Clubhouse met our needs, and the staff provided good service. Boarding felt a little chaotic, but given the size of the aircraft, it's always going to be challenging. Whilst the crew were friendly, the number of passengers meant that we received our breakfast items, but had finished breakfast before we were served a drink. Lunch was much better organised, and throughout the flight, the crew were attentive. Found the seats and ICE to be excellent. Disembarkation was fine, and everything possible to expedite the process was being done.

It was delayed for 2 hrs. Flight attendants were not attentive.

Crew were excellent and the bar service and chat fantastic. Cheese board delicious. Amenity kit good, very disappointing not getting pyjamas on this leg of the flight and needed to reuse from earlier flight.

We loved flying with Emirates in business class, the staff were fabulous, going above & beyond

Emirates First Class is always a treat with Caviar and service is always personalised.

They should resume the fast track for business / first class passengers

Wifi was not operational for the whole trip. Other than this, flight was well received .

The seating is spaced out nicely, The crew could have offer more drinks.

Terrible last row seats many seats available but no offer to move to better seat

Delay on my previous leg, had to run to catch my flight. But that happens. Overall ok.

Delay and had to run between flight to get my connection due to this delay but besides that the overall experience was ok. I arrived with just an hour of delay.

At the airport, terrible, I do not want to even remember it. It was too humiliating for a business class passenger.

Couldn’t get boarding pass in SLC even with help from a redcoat, so had to find a desk in AMS to get boarding pass. Technical problems so not sure why. Very inconvenient. The KLM app is not as user friendly as most apps. Also had to wait almost an hour on the tarmac for a fuel truck, which caused us to miss a connecting bus in LUX.

The immigration hall in Amsterdam was understaffed, so passport checking was slower than it should be for a major airport. They need to get the automatic readers up and running for non EU passport holders. Waiting in line after a long flight feels a bit abusive.

First of all we couldn’t check in online, then we learn at the airport we were on stand by for KLM’s mistake of overbooking. The seats were not comfy at all. Our luggage got lost.

Ad experience - been flying many years with them but they are losing out to other carriers with their service and bagage / seating policy. My 2 12-yo kids were not placed with the parent. Absurdity.

Short flight so it was okay. Nice crew, all very pleasant and professional. We were near the back in row 27 so just as we got our drinks, we started our descent so had to drink very quickly!

KLM remains a quality flag carrier airline which maintains its standards whilst all their competitors are lowering theirs.

Food has been disappointing in both legs of flight to india

Great staff great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Great staff, great experience, made a 2 hour delay very bearable

Food was the worst I’ve had on a VA flight. Normally it’s a lot better

I was my pleasure to fly virgin on my birthday for my first solo trip ever 🫶🏼

These are one of the older seat arrangements facing away from the windows! Not particularly convenient sets. No storage spaces. NO COAT HANGING HOOKS. Inconvenient business class seat compared to any other airlines of similar class. Staff are excellent! Extremely professional, friendly. Food is good too.

Overall, flight was excellent but check in was very slow for Premium Economy. Economy queue was shorter but we weren't allowed to use it.

The staff was not very polite but the flight was very very nice and comfortable and the entertainment was great

Great crew - old style upper class seats on the older fleet now feels dated

Premium economy more comfortable than economy, but not by much. Did was awful, do not try the omelette. Flight crew were helpful. Flight was delayed by over an hour. Overall but bad, arrived safely and thank God.

The plane was ok, I was in business class and was surprised there were no pods and each seat was right next to another one. That said it was comfortable and the food and coffee were good. Entertainment wise again I was surprised to see only movies and no TV shows. Check-in at Toronto Pearson was an absolute disaster, which was especially disappointing as I was a business class passenger. There was no dedicated staffing for the business counter and four (4) airlines employees assisted one economy class passenger for about 15 minutes when one could have easily assisted me. Overall room for improvement, particularly in the on-ground experience and airplane infrastructure.

Check in took over an hour because printer was not working. Attendant did not know how to give free layover Addis Ababa hotel vouchers or update frequent flyer number. After repeated attempts, got voucher emailed. However hotel wanted printed voucher hence more delay. Bus time from hotel back to airport was printed 4:50 hours, but hotel reception called at 3 pm saying bus will leave at 4 pm. Then hotel reception called again saying 4:15 pm. We rushed at 4:15 pm and bus was not ready until 4:40 pm. Many audio outlets were not working in planes.

I had a memorable experience. I dont have any comments at this time regarding waht could be better.

The crew was not helping us in the airports ..Very bad experience..the washrooms are not meeting the expectations..need more good service... The hotel service was good but there is a very long wait time which wasted time to go through..

Need to do a lot of improvement on service and cleaness

Our first flight was delayed and when we got off that plane, nobody was really helping to direct us to the next gate. It was very frustrating. One staff simply said hurry, which wasn’t helpful. We had to go a long way to get to the next gate. Another issue on the plane itself was the bathrooms were disgusting and filthy and it didn’t seem like anybody was checking on them were cleaning them and it was a long flight. There was urine on the floor and they stunk. Also, the screen in front of my seat did not work, and I tried different headphones and still had no sound. You would think somehow those things are reviewed occasionally for working order.

They only gave us 30 minutes to make an international connecting flight. We didn’t make the connection but they did do a good job rebooking us despite the chaos. Our bags didn’t make it back and their process for customer support is pretty bad when it comes to luggage.

The Boeing 737 MAX on this route, flown in the middle of the night, is an UTTER FAILURE for business travellers. The whole point of business travel is to arrive alert and recover from travel quickly, and this little aeroplane with its quarter recline uncomfortable business seats does nothing for that. It’s a small step up from economy in that you have decent legroom, but that’s it. Absolute margin at the cost of the traveller.

The food was terrible and the seating was uncomfortable, but the airline did a great thing letting us board in Abbis Ababa on our connecting flight after our original flight was very delayed.

Lost suite case and pillow that’s used by senior and they didn’t leave it at the airport

Check-in experience, for business call please provide a premium experience

Lost my luggage, ran out of food choices in business class, ground crew was completely unapologetic.

Excellent. The crew and flight were great. Checking in was easy and everyone was very helpful.

Late. And service was very slow - passengers sat for well over an hour with dirty trays etc surrounding them

Entertainment devices on A380 need to be fixed, the seats might do with updates.

I like everything about British Airways. Excellence. Perfect. Exquisite service.

The plane was dirty the food was awful and the boarding process took too long

Everything. Employees offered to help me because I had to use a cane.

Check-in and boarding were great. On flight staff were rude and disrespectful. Paid for extra room and found it incredibly cramped. Bathrooms kept in poor condition. Overall negative experience.

The business class seating arrangement for LHR to MAA was very uncomfortable. The movie options were terrible.

Everything you need to know for your flight to South Africa

Cabin class types available on flights to South Africa

Cabin classes available on flights to South Africa. Prices are the lowest found on KAYAK over the last 7 days. Price and availability is not guaranteed.