R6 239 Find Cheap Flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa

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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 R651 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 R700.

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 February, when tickets cost R13 339 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and July, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is R22 626 and R20 977 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 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 R17 205.


Good to know

Low seasonMay
High seasonDecember
Cheapest flightR6 239
Best time to beat the crowds (18% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (32% more expensive on average)
Flight from London Gatwick Airport to Cape Town

FAQs for booking flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa

  • 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.

  • 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 R17 792. On the other hand, the most expensive day to fly is Friday, when return prices are R21 045 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 R782 on average. Morning departures are around 24% 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 R1 074.

Top tips for finding a cheap flight out of the United Kingdom

  • 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.

Top 5 airlines serving from the United Kingdom 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 1361 reviews
7,8Boarding
7,7Comfort
7,1Entertainment
7,2Food
8,4Crew
Airline reviews

The service was great. However the lounge only gets passing grade

10,0 ExcellentMostafa, May 2025YYC - AMS
Read more KLM reviews

The service was great. However the lounge only gets passing grade

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.

You should not have to pay for WiFi in business class

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.

Super friendly and helpful staff, from check-in desk to cabin crew.

Following a paid seat upgrade for enhanced comfort, I encountered an unacceptable odor in my assigned area. It took three hours for the crew to relocate me, and the replacement seat was unacceptably close to the lavatory, offering no improvement.

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.

Im if Ethiopian can allow customers to use their mileage for in flight connexion it will be great.

United was best airlines I have seen since I got there choose united airlines

It was wonderful best Air lines covert and all very happy with their service they have been very helpful and friendly

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

It was very bad experience with Ethiopian airlines . The flight was delayed in both ways . On the way coming back one of the crews dropped hot coffee on my whole body and other crew dropped used dirty glasses on top of me . The same crew that dropped hot coffee on me hit me with the food trolley on my knee while I was sleeping . I couldn’t sit properly due to the pain on my knee caused by those irresponsible crews . Very unprofessional airlines

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.

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.

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.

They are disorganized….show your flight info half an hour before take off, so you are running all over the place. Customer personnel are not helpful, and act like you are bothering them when you asked for assistance - very rude!!! My very first and last time flying with British airways… good thing we have other options.

I didn’t have food and they don’t include entertainment. Not much leg room at all. Staff were great.

Better synchronizing the boarding processes. The audio announcements, the personnel and the digital signage were not saying the same thing. All confusion.

Business class was nothing more than Economy with middle seat empty. Uncomfortable seat and leg room. A mom behind me had a 18 month/2 yr old on her lap, who had his feet on my back all the time- while middle seat remained empty. Pretty much not worth the fare. Very disappointed.

The first class seats were unusable, mine at the end of the flight, my husband's in the middle of the flight, and the one next to me was unusable either, they had to move the person to another seat.

charging port did not work, no entertainment system. Other than that the flight was good and safe.

Last minute gate change. Didn’t put our TSA global on our trip even though we asked multiple times to confirm. Did not help with food when could not eat what was served.

When Stephen arrived with our wheel chairs - we were in excellent hands! He was such great help with getting our rental car and then reporting our missing luggage. When you are exhausted from traveling for too many hours, he was just what we needed to navigate everything! Give that guy a raise!

The cabin was bit colder than I like but the crew members looked after us very well. They did even offer hot water bottle and hot chocolate. I cannot rate the crew enough excellent is not good enough. They really were wonderful.

Boarding is always a challenge as folks in al groups crowd around for no reason, but crew handled it well. I once again applaud the LHR ground baggage staff as they got our bags from a flight at Terminal 5A to a flight in Terminal 5C within 40 minutes...amazing!

Book cheap flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa

Recent return flight deals

6/10Mon
directNorse Atlantic UK
11h 35mLGW-CPT
16/10Thu
directNorse Atlantic UK
11h 45mCPT-LGW
R9 305
6/10Mon
directNorse Atlantic UK
11h 35mLGW-CPT
16/10Thu
directNorse Atlantic UK
11h 45mCPT-LGW
R9 323
26/6Thu
1 stopRwandAir
17h 00mLHR-JNB
9/7Wed
1 stopRwandAir
15h 10mJNB-LHR
R12 586
26/6Thu
1 stopRwandAir
17h 00mLHR-JNB
9/7Wed
1 stopRwandAir
15h 10mJNB-LHR
R12 604
27/11Thu
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 00mLHR-JNB
7/12Sun
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 20mJNB-LHR
R12 676
2/9Tue
directVirgin Atlantic
10h 50mLHR-JNB
30/9Tue
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 15mJNB-LHR
R12 765
26/11Wed
1 stopKLM
14h 05mMAN-JNB
21/1Wed
1 stopKLM
14h 50mJNB-MAN
R13 034
14/9Sun
1 stopKLM
14h 40mMAN-JNB
6/10Mon
1 stopKLM
18h 30mJNB-MAN
R13 106
3/11Mon
directBritish Airways
11h 45mLHR-CPT
17/11Mon
directBritish Airways
12h 00mCPT-LHR
R15 688
2/11Sun
directBritish Airways
11h 45mLHR-CPT
1/12Mon
directBritish Airways
12h 00mCPT-LHR
R16 369

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Recent one-way flight deals

9/10Thu
directNorse Atlantic UK
11h 30mLGW-CPT
R6 239
7/11Fri
directNorse Atlantic UK
11h 30mLGW-CPT
R6 956
14/8Thu
2 stopsRwandAir
22h 25mLGW-JNB
R10 004
20/10Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
16h 45mLGW-JNB
R10 237
4/9Thu
2 stopsRwandAir
22h 25mLGW-JNB
R10 327
23/6Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
16h 45mLGW-JNB
R10 435
25/6Wed
1 stopEmirates
18h 20mSTN-JNB
R12 873
23/6Mon
1 stopEmirates
22h 40mSTN-JNB
R13 178
16/11Sun
1 stopKLM
23h 55mLCY-JNB
R13 895
20/10Mon
1 stopKLM
25h 20mLCY-JNB
R13 966

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Last minute flights to South Africa

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

19/6Thu
multi-stopEthiopian Air
16h 45mLGW-JNB
7/7Mon
multi-stopEthiopian Air
16h 50mJNB-LGW
R10 937
17/6Tue
multi-stopEgyptair
20h 30mLHR-JNB
22/6Sun
multi-stopEgyptair
24h 20mJNB-LHR
R10 990
17/6Tue
multi-stopRwandAir
17h 00mLHR-JNB
21/6Sat
multi-stopRwandAir
15h 10mJNB-LHR
R12 694
19/6Thu
multi-stopRwandAir
17h 00mLHR-JNB
26/6Thu
multi-stopRwandAir
17h 55mJNB-LHR
R12 747
17/6Tue
multi-stopKLM
13h 50mLHR-JNB
11/7Fri
multi-stopKLM
18h 00mJNB-LHR
R13 411
20/6Fri
multi-stopKLM
13h 55mLHR-CPT
7/7Mon
multi-stopKLM
18h 15mCPT-LHR
R13 823
18/6Wed
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 05mLHR-JNB
17/9Wed
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 15mJNB-LHR
R14 666
18/6Wed
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 05mLHR-JNB
17/9Wed
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 15mJNB-LHR
R14 684
18/6Wed
multi-stopBritish Airways
17h 15mLHR-JNB
17/9Wed
directBritish Airways
11h 10mJNB-LHR
R16 781
20/6Fri
multi-stopBritish Airways
17h 50mLHR-CPT
19/7Sat
directBritish Airways
11h 40mCPT-LHR
R19 506

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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.

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