How Much Does It Cost to Fly to South Africa?

don't be so sure about that! brahaha

as far as the flights I think from the east coast you are looking at travel times that exceed 24 hours and round trip tickets in the 2 to $3,000 range. The travel times might be little better by 2010 with airlines adding flights and therefore shortening layovers.

I don't really know much about it the public transport but I suspect it will be "ok" in the host cities.

I think the hotels will probably be about the same as Germany as far as cost. We saved quite a bit of money by staying in an out of the way hotel in Germany I dont know if I'ld want to do that in South Africa.

It'll be quite an experience! A trip I hope to be in a position to make but I'm not counting on it so I'll be attending every game I possibly can between now and 2010!!

 

Yes most flights from NY to Johannesburg make a stopover, touchdown, gas fillup about halfway through the flight. My friend who recently made the trip on the way to Zambia said he was on the plane for 15hours.

 

Nancy, I will try to answer your questions.
Airfares from Chicago to South Africa have ranged between $900 and $2300 round trip. I have been following them on and off for 30 years and we will never see the $900 fare again. That was due to South African Airways getting landing rights in New York and Atlanta and that special fare is long gone.
The current price is $1900 but for around $500 more you can get a round the world ticket LA-Tahiti-New Zealand, Australia, Jo’Burg, New York. If you have the time you get an awful lot for the extra fare. This ticket also includes an SAA stopover in Perth, Western Australia, the most isolated city in the world and one of the most delightful. SAA has true sixth freedom rights that allow it pick up passengers in Brisbane, Sydney or Melbourne and take them to Jo’burg with a stopover in Perth. I cannot think of another example of cabotage like this in the world. You get miles on most of this route since Air New Zealand and SAA are part of the Star Alliance. You would rack up almost enough miles to get a mileage ticket to see the US beat Canada in a World Cup Qualifier in Edmonton in 2013.
Air Namibia is cheaper and you can take the bus from Windhoek to Cape Town. It is still safe to travel along this road but the bus fare is outrageous, over $120 one way. Windhoek, not far from Angelinajolieville and Bradpittstad (Walvis Bay) is charming, with old German buildings, but South Africa has way more to see than Namibia.
It is not a good idea to visit Zimbabwe at the moment so this "back door" air fare is not worth exploring.
I recommend exploring TAP Air Portugal's fares to Maputo, Mozambique. It is a lot cheaper than SAA and Maputo is only about 7 hours by road to Jo'Burg with the incredible Kruger National Park and Drakensburg on the way. You could alsostop in Swaziland on the way. Mozambique's civil war FINALLY ended so it is actually rather safe to visit Maputo at the moment. There is malaria in Maputo though.
Malaria was eradicated in South Africa 30 years ago but it is coming back. The government has gone all out to stem this, even using banned DDT, and it seems to be working. Visitors to the World Cup probably will not need to worry about malaria because most games are in the Transvaal, Transkei, Limpopo and so on, and there is no malaria to speak of during the very dry, clear and cool winter.
The train system in South Africa used to be good but not now. South Africa does have the best passenger train in the world, the famous Blue Train. I have never taken it but I did see it resting in the Cape Town Central Station. I looked in the windows and walked around it. I touched the Blue Train. It used to go from Cape Town to Jo’burg but now goes from Cape Town, through Jo’Burg without stopping, to Pretoria. It is impossible to guarantee the safety of the passengers at Jo’Burg’s main train station.
The last time I looked the Blue Train cost almost $1000 U.S, dollars per person for a 38 hour trip, but it is elegant beyond belief. Private rooms with attached bath have wood floors decorated with antique oriental rugs. Superb meals are served with top quality South African wines, all you can eat and drink. The scenery is not much once you get past Paarl at the end of wine country outside of Cape Town. I hitch-hiked from Cape Town to Jo’burg and the hostel I stayed at in Cape Town, Stan’s Halt, is still there and about the same from what I hear.
The road system is still in pretty good shape and there are lots of busses, some good, some lousy.
South Africa just broke ground on a new bullet train that is supposed to be finished by 2010, running from Jo’Burg to Pretoria but there is no way it will be finished on time.
There is a poor man’s Blue Train that costs 1/5 the price and runs twice a week. Other trains vary in quality but the real problem is safety. This is the big problem all over South Africa.
Hotels are cheaper than in the US and Germany but the better hotels are not cheap. Food is good, you will not have any problems with that, and beer is everywhere.
Cape Town is the most beautiful city in the world and the wine country, with 150 estates nestled in the lovely mountains, is amazing. Tours are expensive but you can take the train from Cape Town to Stellenbosch (2 hours) and book a taxi there to take you for some wine tasting. That train is not so safe now and may not be a good idea by 2010. Stellenbosch is somewhat infamous as the site of the Stellenbosch Conference in 1947.
Cape Town has to be seen to be believed. I loved the Malay Quarter (Bo Kaap), an Islamic enclave with good Malay curry on offer with the glorious blue mountains looming so close it seems you can touch them.
Jo'Burg is a very dangerous vity. Very dangerous.

 

The South Africa WC site provides a lot of helpful info: http://www.southafrica.info/2010/ One thing is clear, the South African military and police will be working over, overtime especially in Johannesberg and other rougher areas. On the other hand, it's an awesome country with incredible diversity (albeit still heavily segregated ethnically and socioeconomically), great places to visit, fantastic wines, and a phenomenal sporting enthusiasm.

 

I haven't decided on whether I'll be attending the WC in South Africa. The price of my Germany trip was very reasonable. I think it cost me less that $3,000 for everything.

Obviously, SA is going to be a little more pricey. My kids will be old enough by then (9 and 6 in 2010), but I'm not sure that I want to spend $10,000 on airfare alone for the four of us. Considering my great experience in Germany, I'd really like to go in 2010, but it might just be a trip for my son and me.

All things considered, there will be fewer Yanks in SA than in Germany.

 

I'm going to try to go. It'll be more expensive than Germany but on the other hand I'll actually have money then (had to back out of this one 3 weeks before hand since I realized I just simply couldn't afford it).

If I go, my plan is to get a group of 3-6 people together and rent an RV. Not only will it be fun but I figure it'll be a lot easier that way, plus it gives you a lot more freedom on the days between games.

 

Alex, I don't think it is a good idea to rent an RV and tool around with a group of Americans. South Africa leads the world in car jackings and many end in death for the passengers in the vehicle. Certain roads are safer than others, but the worst are pretty much off limits after dark and not very safe even in the day. You also have to be careful about where you would park the RV. You don't want to be in the wrong place when a power failure hits, a pretty common occurence in South Africa these days. It will also be rather cold in the region of South Africa where most games are supposed to be held. I have camped whe the temperautre went down to the low forties Fahrenheit and it was not a very pleasant experience.
Inter-city trains and buses are probably safer but there have been increasing problems on those too. Flying is safest but expensive.

 

Violent crime. One out of four residents infected with HIV/AIDS. Transportation problems. Why do I get the impression that we should hire bodyguards and bring our own cooking staff during WC 2010?

I don't think we'll need to sweat it by 2010. It'll be fine.

 

If you stay smart about where you go and when you go places it should be fine but I'ld also be cool with the tournament being moved to the western Hemisphere due to safety concerns

 

I think it will be safe to go to and from the games. Security will be good and the worst I can imagine is pickpocketing, which happens just about everywhere.
As previously noted, food is not a problem and there are many good, cheap restaurants in South Africa. I mentioned the Malay Quarter and its restaurants. The ethnic diversity has its rewards with the great variety of different cuisines represented.
But it will not be fine come 2010. Things are going to get worse. Public safety, power supply, public health and social order have been in steady decline and I do not see that improving. They can't have undercover police everywhere. The best I would hope for is these things will not get worse, but stay more or less the same. This could happen. But it could also get a lot worse pretty quickly.
I still think American fans can go in 2010 and have a great time but I think a little realism is in order. You need to take certain precautions and stick to them, then you should be safe. But the certain precautions will crimp your style and may affect how much you enjoy it. At the very least, it will mean inter-city road travel in dayllight hours only, which limits the distance you can cover in this vast land (larger than Western Europe). Plus it will be winter with shorter days.
To me one of the real treats is the number of interesting countries in the area. SAA has always had good add-on fares if you fly in and out of the country on the airline. For $150-$300, you could have "add-on" round-trip tickets to Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Angola. Madagascar is also an option, although a bit more expensive. We went to Madagascar on our honeymoon and it is one of the most weird and wonderful places in the world.
We have 4 years to dream. There are many interesting South African novels and movies you should think of borrowing from the library.

 

Do everything you can to earn miles so you have that option. Award tickets become available 330 days in advance on most airlines. There's obviously going to be a lot of competition for these seats, but it will be possible to get them. It's not something I would count on but it's worth a shot.

Also, the South African Airways flight from Atlanta is going to be gone since SAA joined Star Alliance and is no longer going to code-share with Delta. That said, there's talk that Delta is going to replace the flight with it's own in another year or two.

 

The flight- definitely, but I'me expecting everything else will be much cheaper. Euro vs. Rand, Europe vs. Africa. FIFA will have pressure to make the match tickets more affordable, too, I'll bet.

 

From LAX (total ticket prices)

RT to Cape Town in late May 2007
British Airways $1,703
United $1,760
Multiple Carriers $1,760
South African $1,760

In June 2007, these seem to bump up to $2,400. Note that this is both leaving and returning on weekends (which costs more).

Cape Town seems to have more non-stop flights to/from LAX.

I couldn't find any non-stop flights to Johannesburg. Not even one-stops.
BUT, switching to leaving and returning on weekdays, and returning to Santa Ana (John Wayne/Orange County) I found Lufthansa flights for $2,230.

Beds at the top-rated hostels in Capetown on hostelworld.com are from $8-10 a night in June. Basically not even half what you'd pay in large German city in summer.

BTW, I have heard from tourists and South Africans that visitors should choose Capetown, not Jo'burg because it is much more beautiful.

 

When you have a chance, grab a look at a map of South Africa. Based on your BC & Philly references, you might not be accustomed to driving the distances required between venues. Additionally, toss in the relative safety of night time driving in South Africa and you might just reconsider the RV idea.

 

Cape Town is a much better place than Jo’Burg but it is only 1 of the 10 venues, and the other 9 are at least 800 miles away. I also expect FIFA to “randomly draw” us into smaller, less attractive places like they did in Korea, France 2003 and Germany, so expect Limpopo, Bloemfontein or Pretoria. I doubt they will even give us one game in a remote, beautiful venue like Mbombela in Mpumalanga.
It is still possible to have a pleasant visit to Cape Town if you are careful about security. But you won’t see much of the World Cup that way, and probably no US games. To see the games you have to go inland and probably in and out of Jo’burg and the danger factor increases quite a bit if you do that.
I don’t think will be any nonstops from the US to Cape Town once the Delta flight stops but who knows? South African Airways has taken the extraordinary step of having overseas flights that end up in Cape Town but go through Jo’Burg allow passengers to stay on the plane in Jo’Burg and go through customs in Cape Town. Smart move. Here is a link with a summary of air alternatives from the US.
http://www.sa-venues.com/travel-times.htm

Keep in mind that FIFA may pull the World Cup from South Africa but I imagine that this decision would be made long before anyone bought a airline ticket.

 

If they can't get the venues ready (and whatever else) to host, the Cup will be in the US in 2010 so you may just need to get across the country (or across town!)

K

 

I drove from Boston to Milwaukee for the Frozen Four a few months ago so I'm not averse to driving long distances for sporting events!!

As for the RV idea it's just something I'm thinking about, although in retrospect it definitely would've been the best way to do Germany IMO. Also with the exception of Cape Town and Port Elizabeth the others are all located within a reasonable drive of Johannesburg. I guess as far as security goes I'd rather take my chances driving than screw around with twice-weekly trains and hang out in train stations in places like Polokwane and Nelspruit in the middle of the night. If no RV I may just base in Johannesburg for the duration of the trip and rent a car to drive out to the games in smaller towns, take a train if we play in Cape Town or Port Elizabeth (I definitely want to get a few days in Cape Town anyway since I've heard it's great).

 

South Africa CNN article

Driving in South Africa is considerably different than a comfortable jaunt on I-90, but it is a beautiful country and could be quite the adventure. That shouldn't stop anyone from considering the possibilities. As almost anywhere, most of the people are great.
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/TRAVEL/06/21/south.africa.tourism.ap/index.html

 

Re: South Africa CNN article

There has been talk by the SA LOC to put group play in a specific city (or region) to minimize travel within the country. Just hope for a good venue, in that case I guess. Would have been nice to have seen that done for the US.

Although a WC veteran of Korea and Germany who traveled independently, booking everything myself and training around the country, I may be inclined to do the SoccerTravel thing here because of the security uncertainty. At the very least, I will do the US team thing: camp up/base up in a resort hotel with located near lots of tourist attractions and excursions, then only travel out to the country for US matches, by chartered coach or plane.

 

Buckeye5, good to see you posting again. In addition to the round the world ticket, there are 3 other odd ways to get to South Africa. You could do an open jaw French zone ticket (Leg 1 Paris Cameroon Gabon Congo then separate ticket to South Africa.). Leg 2: Separate ticket to Madagascar or Reunion-Mauritius-Seychelles-Kenya-Paris). You could also stop in the Comoros Islands or Mayotte on the second leg. I have never met anyone who has been to Mayotte but I would expect it to be an undiscovered gem.

The second odd route is a Portuguese zone open jaw ticket. Leg 1 would be Lisbon-Sao Tome and Principe-Angola-SA) Leg 2 would be Maputo to Lisbon with a stopover or two.

The third odd route is to go to or from South America. There are very few flights and they are damn expensive, but it can be done. But it could increase the airfare cost from $2200-2500 or so to $4000 ex USA.

 

You can also travel overland to South Africa. It is not easy but it can be done. The famous Cape to Cairo railroad envisioned by Cecil John Rhodes never got built, but part of it did. I have traveled from Cape to Cairo on two separate trips, roughly half each time. But there are so many problems in Sudan now I would skip the northern half and fly to Dar es Salaam Tanzania instead. There are lots of good airfares from Europe.
Dar es Salaam is a dump with lepers begging all over the downtown area, but it is reasonably safe, and lovely little Zanzibar is nearby.
From there you can take the TanZam railway to Lusaka, Zambia. It was built by the Chinese and the stations look like something from China. The station is outside Dar es Salaam. The train passes through the Selous Game Reserve, which is larger than the state of New Jersey and full of wildlife. This is actually a lot cheaper than taking a game tour in one of the many game parks in Kenya and Tanzania. They sell beer on the train which is always nice.
Lusaka is really a dump but close to Victoria Falls. You can see the falls from either side, then take the Zimbabwean train to Harare and Bulawayo on the way to Pretoria.

 

Anyone know how much to fly within SA? Johan to Cape Town r/t?

If people are organized, how about caravans with rental cars and rvs to get to US games?

Let's get fired up for SA!!

 

Granted-

I may change my mind if we become the SUPERPOWER that is destoned to win the cup but I don't see myself going for the following reasons:

1. That is plane ride is extremely toooo long. [also factor in the cost]

2. Africa will not get the worldwide attendance support as they did for WC 06.

3. The countries transportation system is poor, it will be difficult to get to venue to venue in an efficient manner.

4. I can't name three tourist hotspots in SA.

5. Crime, Crime, Crime.

 

yo F that - since when do we start taking World Cups for granted?

This is a chance where it will be tough for Europeans to travel there also, so we could have a shot at really bringing a great presence. Who knows, with 4 years of planning we could work out some really cheap ways to do it.