R5 568 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 26/4. 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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Low season

June

High season

December

Cheapest flight

R5 568
Best time to beat the crowds (11% less expensive on average)
Most popular time to fly (33% 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 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 return 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.

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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.
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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 1350 reviews
7,2Entertainment
8,4Crew
7,9Boarding
7,7Comfort
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.

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.

Seats were comfortable crew members support was very good but AVML ordered or selected by us needs a lot of improvement.

Transavia flight, was booked as KLM but i couldnt select seat or access boarding pass with KLM at all. Crammed seating and very no frills experience all around. First and last time.

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

The IFE was quite old, but it worked fine and the content was good. The cabin crew were excellent and the food was as also very good

It’s chaotic at the bus stop outside of the airport because of the Uber meeting point. You need to be alert and look for the KLM bus which is not branded or labeled. Incorrect information was provided to go to gate 28, when in fact the bus was at gate 27. On the plus side the bus left early and arrived early to Ottawa.

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."

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.

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

Plane was late with no information or announcement … had to walk up n downstairs.., had not communicated this … and ppl had suitcase to carry .

Like: It arrived, Dislike: Boarding was a separate corridor with no counter announcements at the passenger waiting area. Very dirty airplane and toilets, food options were terrible - everything even the vegetarian option was a curry spice. Many other passengers using the toilets would not lock the door and kept door partially open during use - flight attendants would not enforce or direct them to lock it and light turns on, no entertainment options at all, other passengers would be singing and not peaceful. Atrocious flight experience.

There where no ear phones provided and the food needs to improve.

The food needs to improve especially the fish as there where only 3 fish cubes in my plate.

I have been flew with ET since 2013 and I wish the service can be reach standard airlines as Star Alliance member please ET you need to improve many thing on the services learn from SQ and other member

Flight was delayed resulting in a series of unfortunate events. I ran the airport as people were yelling my flight anyone who can’t run wouldn’t have made it! Then the luggage is missing. Good company, execution needs fine tuning.

I had a full row so can't imagine how this could be better

Good was great, but no vegetarian option: only beef or chicken. In business class please add a vegetarian option. Thanks

The boarding area was too small with only one agent checking passengers into their standing bus

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 return flight deals

17/2Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
15h 55mLGW-JNB
3/3Mon
1 stopEthiopian Air
17h 05mJNB-LGW
R9 279
13/5Tue
1 stopEthiopian Air
16h 45mLGW-JNB
28/5Wed
1 stopEthiopian Air
16h 50mJNB-LGW
R9 333
27/1Mon
1 stopSWISS
13h 45mLHR-JNB
11/2Tue
1 stopSWISS
15h 05mJNB-LHR
R10 072
26/2Wed
1 stopSWISS
13h 35mMAN-JNB
11/3Tue
1 stopSWISS
13h 45mJNB-MAN
R10 216
29/1Wed
1 stopLufthansa
14h 00mLHR-JNB
18/2Tue
1 stopLufthansa
15h 10mJNB-LHR
R10 757
29/1Wed
1 stopLufthansa
14h 00mLHR-JNB
18/2Tue
1 stopLufthansa
14h 10mJNB-LHR
R10 775
21/1Tue
1 stopKLM
23h 35mLHR-JNB
4/2Tue
1 stopKLM
18h 10mJNB-LHR
R11 315
24/1Fri
1 stopKLM
14h 05mMAN-JNB
27/1Mon
1 stopKLM
24h 05mJNB-MAN
R11 369
13/3Thu
1 stopRwandAir
15h 50mLHR-JNB
28/3Fri
1 stopRwandAir
15h 30mJNB-LHR
R11 604
31/3Mon
1 stopRwandAir
16h 00mLHR-JNB
22/4Tue
1 stopRwandAir
17h 25mJNB-LHR
R12 703

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Recent one-way flight deals

26/4Sat
directNorse Atlantic UK
11h 30mLGW-CPT
R5 568
26/4Sat
2 stops
25h 25mSTN-CPT
R5 748
25/11Mon
1 stopRwandAir
17h 30mLHR-JNB
R9 189
13/1Mon
1 stopRwandAir
15h 50mLHR-JNB
R9 441
3/12Tue
1 stopEthiopian Air
15h 55mLGW-JNB
R9 441
30/1Thu
1 stopEthiopian Air
15h 55mLGW-JNB
R9 604
27/3Thu
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 00mLHR-JNB
R11 856
19/4Sat
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 00mLHR-JNB
R11 928
15/4Tue
1 stopKLM
25h 15mLCY-JNB
R13 207
23/1Thu
1 stopKLM
19h 30mLCY-CPT
R13 658

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Last minute flights to South Africa

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

25/11Mon
directNorse Atlantic UK
11h 20mLGW-CPT
10/12Tue
directNorse Atlantic UK
11h 35mCPT-LGW
R11 009
25/11Mon
multi-stopRwandAir
17h 30mLHR-JNB
28/11Thu
multi-stopRwandAir
15h 30mJNB-LHR
R11 928
24/11Sun
multi-stopKLM
23h 30mMAN-JNB
1/12Sun
multi-stopKLM
14h 45mJNB-MAN
R12 216
22/11Fri
multi-stopKLM
26h 10mLHR-JNB
26/11Tue
multi-stopKLM
21h 20mJNB-LHR
R12 252
24/11Sun
multi-stopEthiopian Air
15h 55mLGW-JNB
27/11Wed
multi-stopEthiopian Air
17h 05mJNB-LGW
R12 360
24/11Sun
multi-stopEthiopian Air
15h 55mLGW-JNB
1/12Sun
multi-stopEthiopian Air
17h 05mJNB-LGW
R13 027
25/11Mon
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 00mLHR-JNB
8/12Sun
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 20mJNB-LHR
R14 829
25/11Mon
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 00mLHR-JNB
6/12Fri
directVirgin Atlantic
11h 20mJNB-LHR
R14 937
25/11Mon
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
10/12Tue
directBritish Airways
11h 30mJNB-LHR
R16 486
25/11Mon
directBritish Airways
11h 05mLHR-JNB
12/12Thu
directBritish Airways
11h 20mJNB-LHR
R16 540

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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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