£270 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 20/5. 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.
1 adult

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to South Africa

Travellers love KAYAK
41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

Save 26% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Flights Deals
Useful Info
Flights Deals

Best South Africa Flight Deals

Cheapest return prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours

Cape Town
Cape Town3 stops£526
Durban
Durban2 stops£500
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth2 stops£531
George
George2 stops£605
Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit2 stops£854
East London
East London2 stops£634
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg2 stops£772
Skukuza
Skukuza2 stops£864
Mthatha
Mthatha2 stops£810
Cape Town
Cape Town3 stops£526
Durban
Durban2 stops£500
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth2 stops£531
George
George2 stops£605
Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit2 stops£854
East London
East London2 stops£634
Pietermaritzburg
Pietermaritzburg2 stops£772
Skukuza
Skukuza2 stops£864
Mthatha
Mthatha2 stops£810

Cheap Flight Deals to South Africa

 
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.

Recent return flight deals to South Africa

Recommended return deals departing in the coming months from the most popular airlines that fly to South Africa.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.
 Logo
07:05 - 07:30STN-JNB
23h 25m2 stops
 Logo
17:50 - 11:30JNB-STN
18h 40m2 stops
Mon, 2 Jun - Sun, 8 Jun
 Logo
20:00 - 07:30MAN-JNB
34h 30m2 stops
 Logo
17:50 - 10:25JNB-MAN
17h 35m2 stops
Sun, 1 Jun - Sun, 15 Jun
KLM Logo
19:15 - 21:20LHR-JNB
25h 05m1 stop
KLM Logo
23:15 - 16:15JNB-LHR
18h 00m1 stop
£514KLM
Find Deal
Tue, 17 Jun - Mon, 7 Jul
RwandAir Logo
21:20 - 14:20LHR-JNB
16h 00m1 stop
RwandAir Logo
16:50 - 09:00JNB-LHR
17h 10m1 stop
£518RwandAir
Find Deal
Fri, 6 Jun - Sun, 15 Jun
KLM Logo
17:30 - 21:20MAN-JNB
26h 50m1 stop
KLM Logo
23:15 - 13:10JNB-MAN
14h 55m1 stop
£522KLM
Find Deal
Sat, 24 May - Mon, 9 Jun
RwandAir Logo
21:20 - 14:20LHR-JNB
16h 00m1 stop
RwandAir Logo
16:50 - 09:45JNB-LHR
17h 55m1 stop
£522RwandAir
Find Deal
Sun, 22 Jun - Thu, 26 Jun
British Airways Logo
21:25 - 09:25LHR-JNB
11h 00mdirect
British Airways Logo
19:25 - 05:35JNB-LHR
11h 10mdirect
£527British Airways
Find Deal
Wed, 10 Sep - Sun, 21 Sep
British Airways Logo
21:25 - 09:25LHR-JNB
11h 00mdirect
British Airways Logo
19:25 - 05:35JNB-LHR
11h 10mdirect
£530British Airways
Find Deal
Wed, 10 Sep - Wed, 24 Sep
Virgin Atlantic Logo
22:15 - 10:20LHR-JNB
11h 05mdirect
Virgin Atlantic Logo
20:40 - 06:45JNB-LHR
11h 05mdirect
£612Virgin Atlantic
Find Deal
Tue, 20 May - Thu, 19 Jun
Virgin Atlantic Logo
22:15 - 10:20LHR-JNB
11h 05mdirect
Virgin Atlantic Logo
20:40 - 06:45JNB-LHR
11h 05mdirect
£616Virgin Atlantic
Find Deal
Tue, 10 Jun - Sat, 14 Jun
Useful Info

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 £352 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 £800.

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 £549 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is £914 and £887 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 2 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 3 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 £343.


Good to know - Cheap tickets to South Africa

Low seasonJune
High seasonDecember
Cheapest flight£270
Best time to beat the crowds (13% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (38% more expensive on average)
Flight from London Gatwick Airport to Johannesburg

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 Tuesday when return tickets can be as cheap as £712. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Friday, when return prices are £819 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 in the afternoon, when round-trip flights cost £712 on average. Morning departures are around 21% 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 £1,028.

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 £644, from London Heathrow £1,724
  • 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.

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.
7.8
KLMOverall score based on 1334 reviews
7.2Food
7.1Entertainment
8.4Crew
7.7Comfort
7.8Boarding
Airline reviews

I appreciate that KLM was proactive in informing me of the 2 hour delay which enabled me to replan my travel. It was a bit stressful not knowing whether my connection from Montreal to Ottawa was happening. But the ground and air crew did a good job at comforting and assuring me.

8.0 ExcellentShereen, Apr 2025AMS - YUL
Read more KLM reviews

I appreciate that KLM was proactive in informing me of the 2 hour delay which enabled me to replan my travel. It was a bit stressful not knowing whether my connection from Montreal to Ottawa was happening. But the ground and air crew did a good job at comforting and assuring me.

Cabin crew professional, polite and friendly, boarding was seemless, but come on KLM surely you can do better than a pack of cheesy biscuits as an inflight snack

Cabin crew were excellent, very proffesional, polite and friendly, in flight snack was underwhelming, a packet of cheese biscuits, im sure KLM could run to a sandwich!

This portion of the flight was through Indigo. A local carrier. So all economy seating. No real service some refreshments for purchase standard economy stuff.

This fight left ahead of time which meant it arrived early which was great. Staff were very professional, but as with all these Short hop Flights the food was a disappointing snack There was no entertainment on this flight, but I did not expect any

They only had vegetarian food left on the flight which I wasn’t happy about. I didn’t get any food to eat at all.

Great boarding, great short flight but no entertainment whatsoever and no wifi. Prepare to disembark by a staircase.

Great boarding, great short flight but no entertainment whatsoever. It was supposed to have wifi but that did not work.

Good flight with KLM, friendly staff. Food was good, had much worse on other airlines. Selection of drinks also good enough for us. Entertainment was also good. The economy seats are ok and that’s it. For a 12 hour flight I think a little more comfort in the economy seats in pitch and softness would be highly appreciated by the customers and can makte the difference.

Good food. Excellent crew service. Clean aircraft. Narrow seats and isle.

Good overall. Cannot fault the airlines. I have had better entertainment systems before ie ice in Emirates but it was not too bad. Food was decent and staff were friendly.

I did not fly by vergin atlantic from bangalore to vasco da gama

Your flight delayed at Heathrow n I almost missed my mother funeral.you idiots. I had to waste 10 hours in different airports. Thank your stars I'm not suing you.

Miami airport needs more thorough signage. It was a long walk from my transport point to the check in desk,

Flight took off an hour late. Had to stay on the tarmac for half an hour after landing. Both annoying.

We had an unfortunate experience where we had to leave the aircraft after boarding, shortly before the scheduled takeoff time, and re-board. The reason given was that a passenger felt ill and had to cancel their plans and therefor their luggage had to be found and removed.

We’ve used VA before many times the experience is always been good they have lovely staff and the food is always delicious.

Everything about the flight was amazing from check in to boarding entertainment was okay food we didn’t try.

Seats were old and dirty, for a long haul flight you expect to be able to recline and for the av to work properly. Choice for vegans was fruit….

The Virgin Atlantic crew was very good. However, the equipment was OK, the seats were OK, but her bags did not arrive with me. Two bags showed up a day later and I’m still waiting for my third back.

No Asian Vegetarian food was available on this sector but only fish and chicken and pasta were offered.

The plane was overbooked and the crew was very rude. My luggage was never put on the plane. I got to NY and waited 2 hours just to find out that my luggage was left.

My experience was great. The flight attendants were very helpful and nice, and the food was very good.

Very bad experience flight was over 5 hours delayed 😑 not a chance to be put on another flight we had to stay at the hotel we lost 2 days on our vacation. Never again I will fligh with Ethiopian airlines.

The flight delayef for over 2 hours so my route was changed leading to arriving to my destination without my luggage

The ailine departed and arrived late foe every leg of the trip, causing myself and my travel companions to miss every connecting flight. It was very unorganized given theat there was a lot of miscommunication. The flights offered are unrealistic and when you call they assure you that the plane waits for you. I missed an. entire day of my vacation and any entire day of rest back home because of the airline. I do not plan to support the airline again. Thank you

I liked nothing of Ethiopian airlines except the price of the fare.

Food was really not appealing. There was a blocked sink in the toilet. Toilet is cramped and the wall between the 2 toilets are not secured properly.

I felt all of the food tasted the same. And we had five meals over the 16 hrs in the air.

The use of a domestic carrier without entertainment was disappointing and a let down

Pleasant, relaxed flight. I had 2 seats to myself, which was a bonus. I couldn't find a flight tracker ap so I could know where we were but that's a minor complaint. On the plus side, the passenger announcements did not come through my earphones but were on main speakers only. That was a nice touch.

Flight delayed by 3 hours 45 mins and no explanation given or apology. Rebooked on a flight departing to final destination 48 hrs later and baggage not delivered.

My outbound flight was grounded in Lusaka so we never made it to Paris. DO NOT fly this airline you will be stranded and your plans will be completely disrupted

Inflight entertainment with electronic charging stations can help during a long flight.

The flight was delayed with no notice. No inflight entertainment. Communication is vital in any business.

Poor communication: Flight come directly to kigali , didn’t come via mumbasa. Favouring to Rwandan passenger to move from economic to bussiness class after flight depart. Where they don’t asked other older passenger who need more comfort. Rude staff : chekin airport at Mumbai. Talking in local language (marathi) while serving and no sorry no thank you attitude.

When i booked my flight, my ticket shows that i have 2 pieces of luggage allowance. Once i got into the check in, i was informed that i needed to pay extra for my two suitcases, and was put into a very precarious situation, I had to pay close to £200 for my two suitcases and these were not extra burgages, I felt extremely disappointed. In case i never had the kind of money, it meant that i would have missed my flight

Boarding is a mess. They never check group # so lots of people crowding in. Comfortable seats this flight. I had an empty seat next to me, very convenient. Food was really not good, but I was starved. The pizza snack thing was horrible. Crew was grand. They really make it enjoyable.

Crew very helpful and friendly. Food is so so. Main meal is not always the best. Did have a choice of a snack part way which was either a cookie, corn snack, or similar. Second kind of meal was basically like a pizza pastry that really wasn’t a favorite but probably a European snack? Screens and selections of movies, tv and such were good. No WI-Fi unless you buy so no free texting or such on the long flight but I think that might be any overseas flight.

LCY airport is an amazing airport and I love the flight from LCY to FRA with BA. Efficient, easy, comfortable and great luggage allownace with BA. I iused to fly predominantley LH, but the service and price - benefit ratio of Lufthansa has deteriorated a lot over the last 5 years. Whereas BA keeps an excellent service level with friendly staff.

Flight Attendant Karen Lynn was an absolute delight. She assisted in every portion of the services provided throughout the flight, aided with any and all concerns expressed by passengers, and even helped comfort an upset child who was one of five of a traveling family. This quality of service is what keeps me coming back to American. Thank you!

The airplane was old. Some things didn’t work out of middle seat was broken. The rest was OK.

The worst, flight cancelled because the aircraft was not full. Heathrow ground crew totally not helpful and arrogant. Lady proposed us flight with 40min layover instead of direct and said it is our problem of course she was unable to do anything as everything was beyond her control she claimed. after calling on hotline another flight was booked. Flight was cancelled last second so we could not take direct from Zurich but we had to stay overnight in London.

I have noticed that the airlines, including this flight, pretend there is going to be turbulence, announce such, and say they can’t do beverage service. There is no turbulence and the seat belt light goes off 10 minutes before they ask for tray tables up and seat belts back on. They are just trying to spend less money and it’s quite transparent

Very quick boarding. I was surprised we only got a small water and small thing of cookies, everything else was for purchase. No entertainment. Crew was excellent though.

Flight delayed in terms of boarding and Kayak was great in updating but the team on the groping at British Airways were really poor

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.

Not what you’re looking for? Find thousands of other hotels, flights, car hires and package deals with KAYAK.