Distance guide covering 18+ routes across 2 cities in South Africa. Includes domestic and international connections with flight times and driving distances.
South Africa is home to 2 major cities in our database, including Johannesburg, Cape Town. The largest city by population is Johannesburg with approximately 5,635,127 residents, located in the Gauteng region.
Within South Africa, there is 1 domestic route connecting cities across the country. The shortest domestic route is Johannesburg to Cape Town at 1,262 km, while the longest is Johannesburg to Cape Town at 1,262 km.
South Africa also connects to 17 international destinations worldwide. Whether you're planning domestic travel or international flights, this comprehensive distance guide provides all the information you need. All distances are calculated using the Haversine formula for maximum accuracy.
For travelers within South Africa, shorter routes under 500 km are often well-suited for driving or train travel. Routes between 500-2,000 km offer a choice between driving and flying, while anything over 2,000 km is typically best served by air travel. Read our guide on estimating travel time for more detailed planning advice.
1 route connecting cities within South Africa, from 1,262 km to 1,262 km.
17 routes connecting South Africa to cities worldwide, from 453 km to 9,671 km.
South Africa's aviation and ground network shapes how the 18 routes on this page actually feel in practice. The flag carrier South African Airways handles most long-haul departures, while low-cost players such as FlySafair, Lift, Airlink dominate short-haul leisure traffic. The primary international gateway is Johannesburg O.R. Tambo (JNB), which also acts as the natural connection point for travelers using one-stop routings to save 20–40% on long-haul fares.
For shorter trips, ground transport in South Africa is built around Shosholoza Meyl long-distance trains plus the luxury Blue Train and Rovos Rail. On corridors under roughly 700 km, door-to-door rail travel is often faster than flying once airport security and transfers are factored in — a calculation worth running before booking domestic flights inside South Africa.
Of the 18 routes covered here, the breakdown is 1 under 500 km, 3 between 500 and 1,500 km, 9 between 1,500 and 5,000 km, 5 between 5,000 and 10,000 km. That mix is why a single travel-time rule never works for South Africa: a typical traveler will encounter everything from a 60-minute regional hop to a 12-hour ultra-long-haul flight, depending on destination.
The 2 cities in our database for South Africa are anchored by Johannesburg — a metropolitan area of roughly 5.64 million people sitting at -26.20°S, 28.05°E. That position places much of South Africa in a subtropical climate with hot summers and mild winters, which directly influences both the local travel calendar and how comfortable arrivals from very different latitudes will feel.
Domestic distances within South Africa range from Johannesburg to Cape Town at 1,262 km up to Johannesburg to Cape Town at 1,262 km. The wider that range, the more critical it becomes to match transport mode to journey length — exactly what the routes table above is designed to help with.
Because of Earth's curvature, the great-circle distances shown on this page are not the same as flight paths drawn on a flat map. Routes between South Africa and far-away destinations often track closer to the poles than people expect — read more in our guide on how the Haversine formula works.
Travel costs in South Africa sit in the mid-range globally, with significant savings available 6–10 weeks ahead of departure.
Mid-week departures (Tuesday and Wednesday in particular) into and out of South Africa are typically 20–30% cheaper than Friday and Sunday flights on the same routes. Red-eye and very early-morning departures usually save another 10–15%. Budget carriers serving South Africa apply strict carry-on rules and unbundled fares, so packing light remains the single biggest lever for keeping total trip cost low.
For multi-city trips inside South Africa, compare the cost of a single open-jaw flight plus ground transport against multiple point-to-point flights — on routes with strong rail service, the rail-and-fly combination usually wins on both price and total door-to-door time.
Under 500 km: ground transport — driving, coaches, or the rail services described above — is usually competitive with flying door-to-door once airport overhead is included. This band covers many of the shortest routes on this page.
500–1,500 km: the choice gets interesting. A direct domestic flight typically saves 2–4 hours over driving in this band, but cheap fares disappear quickly without advance booking.
Over 1,500 km: flying becomes the obvious choice. The 17 international routes from South Africa above 1,500 km on this page are essentially flight-only journeys; ground alternatives exist only on a handful of specialist sleeper trains or long-distance coaches and aren't time-competitive.
Whichever mode you pick, use the calculator on this site to confirm exact great-circle figures, then add 20–40% for actual driving distance and 30–60 minutes per direction for airport overhead. Browse our travel guides for in-depth advice on flight time, driving distance and trip planning across South Africa and beyond.
We cover 2 cities in South Africa, including Johannesburg, Cape Town.
The longest domestic route is Johannesburg to Cape Town at 1,262 km.
There are 17 international routes connecting cities in South Africa to destinations worldwide. The shortest international route is Johannesburg to Maputo at 453 km.
All distances use the Haversine formula for great-circle distance — the shortest path between two points on Earth. Flight times assume 800 km/h cruising speed plus 30 minutes for takeoff/landing. Driving times use 80 km/h average with a 30% road routing factor.