$400 Find Cheap Flights from the United Kingdom 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 3/3. 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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Good to know

Low season

June

High season

December

Cheapest flight

$400
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 11% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 33% increase in price.
Flight from London Heathrow Airport to Cape Town

FAQs for booking flights from the United Kingdom 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.

  • 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 to South Africa from the United Kingdom is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers 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 round-trip ticket. You could then fly to South Africa with an airline and back to the United Kingdom 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 to South Africa from the United Kingdom up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

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

  • 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.
  • 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.
See more tips

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 1349 reviews
7.7Comfort
7.2Entertainment
7.9Boarding
8.4Crew
7.3Food
Airline reviews

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

8.0 ExcellentAdi, Nov 2024AMS - YYZ
Read more KLM reviews

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

There was fog in Amsterdam so many flights were delayed because of the weather. Air France knew that the flight would be delayed by two hours but still boarded the plane on time. Instead of letting the passengers wait at the gate we were crammed into the plane. It was uncomfortable. No refreshments were given. I couldn’t charge my devices onboard.

The food & entertainment really stood out in terms of quality. The nasi goreng & chicken satay were absolutely delicious. It’s great that KLM feature international cuisine.

Transavia flight. Couldn't select seat or anything prior to flight. No connection with klm systems. Seats are very crammed. Extremely no frills.

Seats were nice and comfy. Crew was polite and attentive. Business class is awesome and worth the money.

Flight left a few minutes late, but that's it. I wish the seats could be wider and recline more.

Overall a very pleasant flight. No significant issues on either flight. Amsterdam airport is very convenient for connecting

Great flight because I upgraded to Premium Comfort. Made a huge difference in the experience.

The flight was great, the only reason for middle scores on entertainment and food is that it was a short flight so not included (but snacks were served including alcoholic beverages free of charge). I would definitely recommend KLM.

Was trying to change a flight but told that Canadian and local klm systems do not interact so they could not access my booking. Overall I like klm a lot but if it was important to change flights I would be very frustrated.

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.

The crew was very good. However, the equipment was a bit dated. Some of the electronics were not working. To top it, three bags didn’t arrive with me. Two of them were delivered a day later. I’m still waiting for the third bag, I was so looking forward to this virgin Atlantic flight, but, I am disappointed.

My only complaint is that the pocket in front of me was ripped and my things, like iPad and airline magazines, kept slipping to the floor.

Flight delayed yet again. Crew apathetic and unhelpful re affect on connecting flight.

I think Virgin is one of the best flying experiences, especially from/to the UK. The staff are so helpful and fun, the food is good, seats comfortable, goof entertainment and great value. Check in and boarding is pretty pain free. I also find that the other passengers are generally so kind and considerate than when I've flown other airlines.

Cabin crew on our flight showed lack of any customer service gruff and acting annoyed if you asked anything and I mean anything Example a man on the seat over dropped his beer on my husbands blanket We asked if we could switch out blankets cabin crew Said. No we don’t have any extras OK well can you take the wet one Cabin crew looked disgusted and annoyed Took it no OK or yes just a growl

Quick flight. But cabin crew were very noisy and talking too much, especially when we were seated at the back of the plane trying to sleep through the night .

My ticket was for Premium Economy and all the seats were taken, I was placed in Economy class and I’m looking for a refund.

Unfortunately delayed 2 hrs due to faulty tyre.. which had to be changed, but better safe than sorry.

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.

Pros: "Seat reclining was good. Fleece blankets were warm"
Cons: "Blankets had a really bad smell Food options were very limited - even bread was eggless"
Pros: "Helpful friendly crew, reasonable ticket prices."
Cons: "Luggage was delayed by 24 hours, customer service desk in Johannesburg EXTREMELY helpful, in Kigali they were clueless. Transit area very crowded, humid and stuffy."

Crew were friendly and very helpful Plane was clean and the legroom is standard. Overall a good flight, no complaints.

Ok flight. Water and small chocolate offered. Would be good if flynet included also video.

Staff very helpful. Seat comfortable. Food generous and pretty good.

Seats in the center row have obstructed leg room. Entertainment center did not respond well. Staff was good, but coukd be of limited help

Great flight. Friendly crew. Good food. Nice clean cabin and toilet was a good size. I like the starliner.

Staff are really not attentive. Seem rather disinterested in attending to the customers in general.

The connection to LYON was very tight. The flight was nearly finished boarding when we got to the gate

They failed to make sure all luggage made it onto the flight. I had to spend a week on vacation with no clothes.

I did not like that they failed to put my luggage on my connecting flight to Athens. I was promised it would be located and delivered within 2 days but later told there was no information on its location. This caused me to have unplanned for expenses because I then had to purchase new clothing to wear on my vacation. I did not receive my luggage until my return flight home. I will not be traveling with them again.

Absolutely the most awful experience in the history of service from gate agents to baggage handlers. Never will i use kayak or Lufthansa again. Ever.

Flight was fine, food better than anticipated and flight attendants were helpful and friendly.

Flight was fine, food much better than anticipated, and flight attendants were helpful and friendly!

Our headphone plug is broken, we can not enjoy our entertainment, especially traveling with 5 year old who like to watch movie

Reasonably comfortable. Plenty of room. Crew were attentive and continually informing passengers of position. Although stuck in runway for 1 hour, weather issues, it felt like we were the crews first priority

Need a do not disturb sign if you wish not to have any meals so that they can wake you or have the meals served . Left very sad and hungry .

Pleasant, attentive and efficient flight attendants. Boarding process and seat selection easy. No internet on transatlantic flight. Extremely uncomfortable, rigid seat.

No entertainment and the seats are well worn.! To the point it feels like your sitting in a bowl

The seats of the Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner were ridiculously uncomfortable. I was on 10 flights during this vacation and this plane was super uncomfortable both times I was on one whereas all of the others were perfectly fine. Additionally, these planes do not have any air vents that passengers can control, the climate is entirely controlled by the crew which made for an extremely uncomfortable temperature for the duration. The flight attendants tried to make everyone happy with the temperature but several people you could tell were excessively warm and just wanted a bit of airflow.

Everything was fine except not posting the gate number until 14 minutes before boarding. In an airport the size of Heathrow, that was unacceptable.

We already had a five hour layover in London, and then they cancelled our flight about half hour before we were due to board. They wouldn't give us access to the lounge and hanging around the extremely busy terminal for another three hours until our next flight was crappy. 8 hours in a busy terminal is awful. The least they could have done was give us access to one of their quiet, comfortable lounges for the inconvenience. I heard from others that they do this a lot -- cancel these short flights if they're not completely full. When we got onto the next flight it was absolutely packed and uncomfortable. Just very disappointing. British Airways used to be a great airline to fly with, but it doesn't feel that way at all now.

Book cheap flights from the United Kingdom to South Africa

Recent round-trip flight deals

3/4Tue
1 stopEthiopian Air
15h 55mLGW-JNB
3/23Sun
1 stopEthiopian Air
17h 05mJNB-LGW
$554
5/2Fri
1 stopEthiopian Air
16h 45mLGW-JNB
5/11Sun
1 stopEthiopian Air
16h 50mJNB-LGW
$579
1/19Sun
1 stopKLM
23h 35mLHR-JNB
2/3Mon
1 stopKLM
15h 55mJNB-LHR
$655
1/19Sun
1 stopKLM
25h 05mLCY-JNB
2/3Mon
1 stopKLM
20h 30mJNB-LCY
$686
1/18Sat
1 stopRwandAir
15h 50mLHR-JNB
2/13Thu
1 stopRwandAir
15h 30mJNB-LHR
$726
4/16Wed
1 stopRwandAir
16h 00mLHR-JNB
5/2Fri
1 stopRwandAir
15h 10mJNB-LHR
$729
12/4Wed
nonstopVirgin Atlantic
11h 00mLHR-JNB
12/10Tue
nonstopVirgin Atlantic
11h 20mJNB-LHR
$878
12/4Wed
nonstopVirgin Atlantic
11h 00mLHR-JNB
12/11Wed
nonstopVirgin Atlantic
11h 20mJNB-LHR
$881
3/3Mon
nonstopBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
3/24Mon
nonstopBritish Airways
11h 20mJNB-LHR
$914
1/19Sun
nonstopBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
2/14Fri
nonstopBritish Airways
11h 20mJNB-LHR
$915

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Recent one-way flight deals

3/3Mon
2 stops
26h 25mLHR-CPT
$400
3/3Mon
3 stops
26h 00mLHR-CPT
$429
1/21Tue
2 stops
37h 25mLHR-CPT
$433
4/2Wed
1 stopRwandAir
16h 00mLHR-JNB
$530
5/15Thu
nonstopVirgin Atlantic
11h 00mLHR-JNB
$742
4/6Sun
1 stopKLM
24h 10mLCY-JNB
$770
4/6Sun
1 stopKLM
25h 50mLHR-CPT
$793
12/1Sun
nonstopBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
$997
12/3Tue
nonstopBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
$998
2/1Sat
nonstopVirgin Atlantic
11h 35mLHR-CPT
$1,059

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Last minute flights to South Africa

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

11/26Tue
multi-stopEthiopian Air
15h 55mLGW-JNB
1/26Sun
multi-stopEthiopian Air
17h 05mJNB-LGW
$577
11/26Tue
multi-stopEthiopian Air
15h 55mLGW-JNB
1/22Wed
multi-stopEthiopian Air
17h 05mJNB-LGW
$640
11/22Fri
multi-stopKLM
26h 10mLHR-JNB
12/2Mon
multi-stopKLM
18h 10mJNB-LHR
$702
11/25Mon
multi-stopKLM
19h 40mLHR-JNB
12/2Mon
multi-stopKLM
18h 10mJNB-LHR
$731
11/25Mon
nonstopVirgin Atlantic
11h 00mLHR-JNB
12/8Sun
nonstopVirgin Atlantic
11h 20mJNB-LHR
$871
11/25Mon
nonstopVirgin Atlantic
11h 00mLHR-JNB
12/2Mon
nonstopVirgin Atlantic
11h 20mJNB-LHR
$885
11/25Mon
nonstopBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
12/12Thu
nonstopBritish Airways
11h 30mJNB-LHR
$918
11/26Tue
nonstopBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
12/11Wed
nonstopBritish Airways
11h 20mJNB-LHR
$926
11/24Sun
multi-stopRwandAir
17h 30mLHR-JNB
11/30Sat
multi-stopRwandAir
15h 30mJNB-LHR
$959
11/24Sun
multi-stopRwandAir
17h 30mLHR-JNB
11/29Fri
multi-stopRwandAir
29h 10mJNB-LHR
$985

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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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