$774 Find Cheap Flights from San Francisco to South Africa - Compare and Save

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San Francisco to South Africa departing on 11/9. 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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Cheap Flights from San Francisco to South Africa

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
Johannesburg
Johannesburg2 stops$1,154
Cape Town
Cape Town2 stops$1,247
Durban
Durban2 stops$1,624
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth2 stops$1,620
Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit2 stops$2,217
George
George2 stops$1,876
East London
East London2 stops$2,648
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein2 stops$1,766
Polokwane
Polokwane2 stops$1,748
Johannesburg
Johannesburg2 stops$1,154
Cape Town
Cape Town2 stops$1,247
Durban
Durban2 stops$1,624
Port Elizabeth
Port Elizabeth2 stops$1,620
Hoedspruit
Hoedspruit2 stops$2,217
George
George2 stops$1,876
East London
East London2 stops$2,648
Bloemfontein
Bloemfontein2 stops$1,766
Polokwane
Polokwane2 stops$1,748

Book Cheap San Francisco to South Africa Plane Tickets

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from San Francisco 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.
Discover the best prices for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from San Francisco to South Africa

Tue, Oct 27 - Mon, Nov 9
Multiple Airlines Logo
8:45 pm - 3:50 pm
SFO
-
JNB
34h 05m
2 stops
Multiple Airlines Logo
5:00 pm - 7:35 pm
JNB
-
SFO
36h 35m
2 stops
$1,154Multiple Airlines
Thu, Oct 1 - Tue, Oct 20
Kenya Airways Logo
8:25 pm - 3:50 pm
SFO
-
JNB
34h 25m
2 stops
Kenya Airways Logo
12:10 pm - 9:10 am
JNB
-
SFO
54h 00m
2 stops
$1,190Kenya Airways
Mon, Aug 3 - Mon, Sep 7
Qatar Airways Logo
3:55 pm - 10:35 am
SFO
-
DUR
33h 40m
2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
12:05 pm - 1:35 pm
DUR
-
SFO
34h 30m
2 stops
$1,624Qatar Airways
Sat, Sep 19 - Wed, Sep 23
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:45 pm - 1:15 pm
SFO
-
DUR
33h 30m
2 stops
Turkish Airlines Logo
2:45 pm - 10:50 am
DUR
-
SFO
29h 05m
2 stops
$1,658Turkish Airlines
Wed, Aug 19 - Thu, Sep 10
Emirates Logo
5:05 pm - 7:50 pm
SFO
-
DUR
41h 45m
2 stops
Emirates Logo
7:00 am - 2:00 pm
DUR
-
SFO
40h 00m
2 stops
$1,704Emirates
Mon, Aug 3 - Mon, Sep 7
Qatar Airways Logo
3:55 pm - 10:35 am
SFO
-
DUR
33h 40m
2 stops
Qatar Airways Logo
12:05 pm - 6:23 pm
DUR
-
SFO
39h 18m
3 stops
$1,708Qatar Airways
Wed, Aug 19 - Thu, Sep 10
Emirates Logo
5:05 pm - 7:50 pm
SFO
-
DUR
41h 45m
2 stops
Emirates Logo
7:00 am - 2:00 pm
DUR
-
SFO
40h 00m
2 stops
$1,709Emirates
Sat, Sep 19 - Wed, Sep 23
Turkish Airlines Logo
6:45 pm - 1:15 pm
SFO
-
DUR
33h 30m
2 stops
Turkish Airlines Logo
2:45 pm - 4:40 pm
DUR
-
SFO
34h 55m
2 stops
$1,723Turkish Airlines
Fri, Sep 18 - Tue, Sep 22
United Airlines Logo
8:15 am - 12:00 pm
SFO
-
ELS
42h 45m
2 stops
United Airlines Logo
12:35 pm - 5:48 pm
ELS
-
SFO
38h 13m
2 stops
$2,648United Airlines
Mon, Jul 27 - Mon, Aug 3
United Airlines Logo
9:15 pm - 12:00 pm
SFO
-
ELS
53h 45m
2 stops
United Airlines Logo
12:35 pm - 7:28 pm
ELS
-
SFO
39h 53m
2 stops
$2,865United Airlines
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for San Francisco to South Africa flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San Francisco to South Africa to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What is the cheapest month to fly from San Francisco to South Africa?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San Francisco 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 San Francisco to South Africa is May, when tickets cost $664 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are November and September, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $1,002 and $982 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from San Francisco 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 from San Francisco 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 San Francisco to South Africa, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 38% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 17 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$774
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 12% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 4% increase in price.
Flight from San Francisco to Cape Town

FAQs - booking South Africa flights

  • Is it a good idea to buy a ticket with an airport change during a layover?

    It depends. Some tickets from SFO to South Africa require you to change airports within a city during a layover or to collect your bags and check in again for the next leg of your flight. This can be time-consuming, and getting across town to another airport could get expensive. Before you book a ticket with a re-check-in or an airport change, make sure that the ticket leaves you enough time to do it and that all aspects of the change or the re-check-in are feasible.

  • What documentation do I need in order to fly to South Africa?

    US citizens flying to South Africa need a valid passport that is still valid at least 30 days beyond the date when you enter South Africa. This passport must have two consecutive empty pages per entry. You do not need a visa if you plan to leave South Africa in 90 days or fewer.

  • Does SFO have therapy dogs?

    Yes. When you are at SFO waiting for your flight to South Africa, you might encounter the Wag Brigade, therapy dogs roaming Departures with their trained handlers. SFO hopes these therapy dogs can delight, distract, and comfort passengers waiting to travel. The Wag Brigade includes several dogs, a pig, and a rabbit.

  • Does SFO have a hotel at the airport?

    Yes. If you would like to stay at the airport the night before your flight to South Africa, consider staying at the Grand Hyatt Hotel at SFO. Connected to all of the terminals by way of the free AirTrain, this upscale hotel offers free Wi-Fi, room service, a fitness center, a business center, and much more.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from San Francisco 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 San Francisco to South Africa.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from San Francisco to South Africa?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from San Francisco to South Africa 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 San Francisco 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 from San Francisco 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 San Francisco 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 San Francisco to South Africa up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to South Africa

  • San Francisco International Airport (SFO) is a hub for Alaska Airlines. When you fly from the shores of the San Francisco Bay to South Africa, you will have many choices of destination city, airline, flight time, and price.
  • When you fly from SFO to Johannesburg, chances are you will be landing at the O.R. Tambo International Airport (JNB). Turkish Airlines, Delta, and KLM are among the airlines that offer one-stop flights from San Francisco to Johannesburg. Some common layover cities include Istanbul, Atlanta, Amsterdam, and others. Alaska Airlines, Ethiopian Air, and United are among the carriers that offer two-stop flights from SFO to JNB.
  • If you want to fly from SFO to Cape Town at the southern tip of South Africa, you'll most likely be landing in the Cape Town International Airport (CPT). Turkish Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines, and KLM are among the carriers that offer one-stop flights from SFO to CPT, with layovers in cities such as Istanbul, Zurich, and Amsterdam. KLM, Ethiopian Air, and Delta are among the airlines that offer two-stop flights from SFO to CPT.
  • If you want to fly to Durban on the east coast of South Africa, you will most likely be landing at the King Shaka International Airport (DUR). Qatar Airways, SWISS, and Turkish Airlines are among the many carriers that offer two-stop and three-stop flights from SFO to DUR., with stops in Istanbul, Johannesburg, Paris, and others.
  • If you are flying into the city of Pietermaritzburg, about an hour inland from Durban, you will most likely be landing at the Pietermaritzburg Airport (PZB). You can find two-stop flights from SFO to PZB on airlines such as Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, with stops in cities such as Istanbul, Johannesburg, and Doha.

Reviews of the top 5 airlines serving from San Francisco to South Africa

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from San Francisco 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.
7.9
DeltaOverall score based on 8397 reviews
7.8Comfort
8.5Crew
8.1Boarding
7.2Food
7.8Entertainment
Airline reviews

Be on time? When not on time a circling for over an hour offer more than 1 bag of chips to the passengers? It was a 7 hour flight by the time we got done.

4.0 OkayAndrew, Jun 2026
LAX - JFK
Read more Delta reviews

Be on time? When not on time a circling for over an hour offer more than 1 bag of chips to the passengers? It was a 7 hour flight by the time we got done.

Flight delayed four separate times. I’m now one hour hours late to landing.

Checkin was good, fllight ws good. Onlly complaint is lack of foot on 6 hour flight from Seattle to Boston. Snacks were flimsy - chips and cookies. could have offered something more substantial for such a long flight. I know you can buy food in airport but for the price you pay for a ticket, they should step up for the passengers.

Long story short, it was one of the better flight experiences I've had in some time when compared with other airlines.

While they turned off most cabin lights to allow people to sleep, I was bothered by how bright the side lights still were. It was still quite bright for me in a window seat, when I wish I could have slept!

Generally on time departures and arrivals, clean planes, sky miles membership provides great benefits (complimentary upgrades, etc).

N Everything was perfect from boarding to assistance to baggage in Tampa

Loved the crew! Sucks that we went from 1 hour and 8 minute layover to a 3 hour layover. But weather sucks like that.

Fast, lovely scenery, great info on the Delta flight screen about landmarks we were flying over. Great landing!

Long flight but comfortable and not freezing as I have experienced on Hawaiian flights to the islands. They gave us blankets just in case. Nice touch.

Entertainment system is okay, flight attendants were ok. Leg space very narrow, I couldn’t get what I wanted to eat, dinner nor breakfast.

Excellent experience with business class area. Staff was attentive and food was amazing. Only one bathroom for business class which was logistically difficult for the staff while preparing meals. Need to offer fluids with meals. I did not get enough water to drink. But overall I rate it 5 star.

On time, great food, good drink selection! Only down was alcohol-free lounge. Lufthansa had a much better offering!

Be honest of what you sell: This was sold as Business Class on all three legs, while the JetBlue plane didn't even have business class seats, and wanted $164 for extra legroom seats.

Seat assignments for family traveling with 2 children. Loud crowd during sleep time

It was crowded… the bathrooms dirty and smelly. The seats have been made even smaller.

delayed to take off from detroit by 3 hours lost baggage in istanbul and now in venice without baggage

Seats were very tight with poor legroom - and I am average height. During the 12 hour flight, tiny paper cups of drinks we're only offered during the super and breakfast services, with the crew nowhere to be seen in between. One of the bathrooms was out of order, leading to long lines waiting to use the remaining two available to the economy class passengers.

short flight but we still got a very nice lunch and the crew did an excellent job in taking care of us

For that price on Business class, I expected to have the pod seats. These were configured as 2/3/2 and my seat mate talked half the flight with a friend across the isle, loudly. Very uncouth.

It was perfect! United Airlines staff was extremely caring, super friendly and professional

United has maintenance issues and can then never recover. No operations ability and simple issues always turn into multiple hours long cascading delays. Worst airline on earth.

I paid for a confirmed upgraded aisle seat and was moved to a center seat in the back of the plane at the last minute.

Horrifying Almost 2 million miles. Bring your own food and drink. One coffee or drink every three hours. Have to order meals on app more than 24 hours ahead Tiny and dirty bathrooms

Easy of boarding, helpfully staff at check in, surprisingly comfortable seating

Lost of requested seat assignments. Lost my husband's meal choice

My service dog and I were asked to deplane just before they closed the door - clearly very last minute they couldn’t find the documentation that I have filled out many many times before that is for flying service animals. I purposely purchase 3seats (a whole row) since he is large and not all passengers want to sit next to a dog on a cross country flight. The plane departed with my husband on it!!! They made me fill out a hard copy of the same form and had to reschedule me on a later flight where they could find 3 seats together!! I’ve done this so many times before - clearly the error was on their part in a technology glitch - but really people - do better!! Very traumatic - and my husband had to wait for us when he landed ….so bad. Poor pup was confused and tired.

My flight time was changed without any notification to me which ruined my time sensitive plans so I ended up completely changing my travel plans and no reimbursement.

No screens or meal options. Freezing cold. Dirty seats. Left late.

I liked that my son and I were reseated next to each other (we had different bookings). I liked that it was a directg flight and mostly on time. I liked that you provided pillows and blankets. Flight attendants were generally courteous. The messaging through wifi did not work well. The food was not good. Seats are very narrow and I felt slightly claustraphobic in the window seat.

Luggage did not make it onto my plane. Business seats were economy with empty row seat. Just horrible experience. Why would the company allow for transfers that don’t give employees enough time to transfer luggages??

The gate experience at LAX was abysmal (same for the arrival experience two days prior). Despite the LAX -> SAT schedule of two flights daily, our departure gate was at a smaller hub that we had to be bussed to from Terminal 4. Fortunately, I arrived at LAX extra early and had time to spare, but if I had not known, I might have missed my flight. I looked at the LAX airport map in the AA app and there was no indication of the additional boarding process. Lastly the gate area we were bussed to was crowded with limited food and beverage options. On flight, the fight attendant was hospitable and attentive, the flight was smooth, and AA's free (and working) wifi for AA members were all on the positive side.

Our flight from JFK to Madrid was delayed. We had to go from one side of the Madrid airport (Terminal 4s to the far end of terminal 4 - Gate K98) to our gate in less than 30 minutes. Put passport control and security/baggage check and that’s very hard unless you’re Usain Bolt. I called Iberia Airlines and the telephone customer service told me that I was going to have to pay to re-book. Luckily the help desk in the airport (who was dealing with dozens of people from the same JFK-Madrid flight) did not charge us extra to reschedule to a flight 8 hours later. They also gave us a voucher for breakfast and lunch. Glad the actual person at the airport had some actual sense.

For an long range economy flight I feel more space and more meal options need to be offered for flights over 5 hours

Take-off delayed an hour because of a missing flight officer, so,arrived in Charlotte lates causing many passengers to miss connections. Otherwise a very good flight, safe and comfortable, with an excellent professional crew.

The flight from LA to Chicago was smooth and service was very good overall.

B-class on an old plane with antiquated amenities and poor service. Landed in Rome w/o bag that didn’t make the connection (plenty of time in London). Bag will come to hotel NOT the day it lands but the following night!! Still waiting for bag…BA had nothing to offer in support and couldn’t even tell me their comp, told to submit receipts and then I’ll learn what is or isn’t covered.

Ontario airport boarding was very easy to park and access, is clean and TSA took 10 minutes total. Check-in was a breeze and cruise was very nice.

It's a long flight and that is always difficult. I was comfortable and well. The movies available were great and the crew was good.

Premium Economy Good crew, good service, excellent food. Seat back screen just not bright enough.

Canceled flight late London to Florence. Help at airport very poor. Treated poorly. Had to sleep in the airport. Lost bags- still do not have them. Horrible. I should be reimbursed!

Boarding was orderly, pilot and flight attendants were nice, entertainment options were good, and low sodium meals were quite tasty.

Flight delayed, connection was not at gate listed and so missed, staff were rude at Heathrow, phone tree stupid and difficult, took me 21 actual hours to reach my destination. Almost lost my hotel reservation after walking in a strange city alone after midnight because they would not put me up in a hotel at sfo or heathrow. I will never fly BA again and will tell all people and Instagram followers never to fly BA.

Check-in in SAN was long. ORD was good. Flight delayed On board crew was ok. No warmth or personality. LHrR barely made connection

Wish the food and overall service was better. They treat Business class passengers same as economy

They had us seating down for one hour just waiting on the plane

Flying with BA is always a good experience—even in economy class. It is better if in business and first class. Timely, breeze through security and timely connections

The issue was not with BA it was with the link yoiu sent fopr booking the flight

Loved the boarding option from Business class lounge, experience on flight was excellent, plenty of good food choices

Awful it always is unfortunately is the only way to fly direct to london

Everything you need to know for your flight from San Francisco to South Africa

Information on your arrival and departure airports