2 popular destinations across South Africa — compare prices from 500+ airlines and OTAs, find the cheapest fares from any UK airport.
Heathrow has multiple daily directs to both Johannesburg and Cape Town on BA, Virgin and SAA — competition keeps fares relatively keen for an 11-hour route. Manchester has Emirates via Dubai. From Edinburgh and Birmingham most travellers connect through Doha or Frankfurt.
| Visa (UK passport) | No visa needed for UK passport holders for stays up to 90 days. Passport must be valid for 30 days beyond departure and have two blank pages. |
|---|---|
| Currency | South African rand (ZAR, R). Cards work everywhere in cities; cash for tips, market vendors. Petrol stations are cash-only in some rural regions. |
| Time zone | SAST (UTC+2) — two hours ahead of UK winter, one ahead during BST. |
| Language | 11 official languages. English is the dominant business and tourist language; Afrikaans common in Western Cape. |
| Plug type | Type M (large three-round-pin) is the standard SA plug — UK adaptors don't fit. Many hotels also have Type C/N. Bring an SA-specific adaptor. |
| Best months | November–April for Cape Town and the Garden Route (SA summer). May–October for Kruger safari (drier, animals concentrated at waterholes). UK winter = SA summer. |
| Flight times from UK | Johannesburg (JNB) 11h 0m; Cape Town (CPT) 11h 30m; Durban (DUR) 12h via JNB |
Cape Town for city break and Garden Route (its airport is closer to most attractions). Johannesburg for safari (Kruger gateway) and Kruger-area lodges. For the classic two-centre trip, fly into JNB, fly internally to CPT (around £80–£150), then fly out from CPT — saves the long road trip.
Roughly equivalent — both are 11-hour overnight flights with full long-haul service, lounges and Premium/Business cabins. Virgin's Premium economy is generally rated above BA's World Traveller Plus on this route. Pricing is competitive and varies by sale.
Mostly no for UK arrivals on standard tourist trips. Yellow Fever certificate is required if you arrive from a yellow-fever country. Hepatitis A and tetanus are recommended; malaria prophylaxis only if you visit low-altitude Kruger or northern KwaZulu-Natal.
Tourist areas (Cape Town, Garden Route, Kruger lodges) are generally safe with normal precautions. Johannesburg and parts of Durban have higher crime — avoid walking at night, use ride-hailing apps (Bolt, Uber) over street taxis. The FCDO advisory is a good baseline.
May (cooler shoulder, post-summer) and November (just before SA summer fares spike). Christmas–early January and SA school holidays (mid-July, mid-December) are peak — fares can run 50–100% above lows.
