Cheap flights to Durban

• Virgin Atlantic
• Emirates
• British Airways
• South African Airlines
• Etihad Airways
• Qatar Airways
• Turkish Airlines

• The trip from London Heathrow Airport to Durban takes 19 to 22 hours, depending on the route or airline the passenger chooses. The flight either stops over at Dubai or Johannesburg before landing at King Shaka International.
• Flying from Manchester to Durban usually takes 17 to 21 hours. Middle East-based airlines take a longer time to reach the city but European airlines, though a bit expensive, can get you to Durban faster.
• Flights to Durban from Birmingham also take 17 to 21 hours to reach the South African city. The aircraft stops over at Doha, Madrid, Munich or Paris before taking off towards its final destination.
• Flights from London Gatwick to Durban can take 19 to 22 hours to complete the journey. This flight has a stopover at Doha, Istanbul or Madrid.

Yes, British Airways operates direct flights from London Heathrow to Durban, King Shaka International Airport. The airline flies thrice a week every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. The flight (British Airways 41) departs from the Terminal 5 of the Heathrow Airport, using a Boeing 787-8 aircraft for all flights. This route is the quickest and usually the cheapest. The Emirates gives an alternative way and provides a flight service directly to Durban via Dubai.

The Emirates is a popular choice for flights to Durban, and the airline operates connecting flights from major airports in the United Kingdom. Emirates flights depart from the London Gatwick Airport, the London Stansted Airport, the Manchester Airport, the Edinburgh Airport, and the Birmingham Airport. If you are looking to fly with Emirates, sign up for our newsletter or give us a call so we may update you on the latest discounts.

Your journey from the UK to Durban would come in two phases. The first leg of your trip would be from the UK to Dubai. From London alone, 56 flights are leaving for Dubai each week. For example, flight number EK 4 leaves for Dubai at 9 PM are arrives at its destination 7 AM Dubai Time, after 7 hours of travel. The Emirates operates 21 flights per week from Manchester. Nineteen Emirates flights take off from Birmingham to reach Dubai.

The second portion of your journey is from Dubai to Durban. Every day, at 10:30 AM Dubai Time, Emirates operates flight number EK 775, which is bound for Durban. This flight reaches the South African city at 4:40 in the evening after travelling for 8 hours and 20 minutes.

The cheapest time of the year in Durban is from December to February. Durban is perhaps one of the few cities in Africa that are comparatively cheaper over the Christmas season. When the summer season returns to Durban in December, it also brings along rain clouds. Even though the highest temperature during this time is 30°C, the overcast weather of Durban keeps you always wondering when it’s going to rain. However, for the traveller on a budget visiting Durban during this time can be a godsend. With fewer tourists vying for hotel rooms and airline seats, the prices come down drastically. It rains about seven to eight days in the entire month, but that views are impressive after the showers so pack an umbrella.

King Shaka International Airport (DUR) serves the city of Durban, and it was built to welcome the football fans arriving from around the world for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. From Central Durban, which is not far from the coast, the airport is about 34 kilometres away. Taking the Ruth First Highway, the car ride to the airport from the city centre takes about 35 minutes. The South African authorities built the airport for $900 million, and approximately 6 million passengers used the airport in 2019.

Cities like Durban in the southern hemisphere have their seasons reversed. The summer reaches its zenith in December, and the mild winter is coolest in June. Keeping that in mind, the golden time to visit Durban is from April to November. For the best experience, come to Durban in the shoulder months of this period. The temperature in the city varies rapidly from month to month during the April-November time frame. From April to May, the mean temperature remains between 20°C and 25°C, but in June it suddenly drops to 15°C and gradually increases to 22°C by November. There are a few rainy days during this time, but they do not bother the tourist from exploring the city.

To get a decent price on flights and hotels, one must plan a visit during the low season. February is the cheapest month to book flights to Durban. Airfares are way cheaper in summer than at any other time of the year. In addition to cheap flights, which you can keep track of by signing up for our newsletter, hotels can also be booked at reasonable prices as Durban is not usually jam-packed with tourists in February.

Durban has had a long history with the ocean. Nightclubs, hotels and malls in Central Durban extend a warm welcome to new party-goers and shoppers. The vibrant African heritage of the city has influenced the city skyline and the nature around the town has endeared the tourists who visit the attractions often.

• By far the most exciting tourist attraction is the uShaka Marine World, which is an award-winning theme park dedicated to marine and wildlife around Durban. The uShaka Sea World is home to the fifth largest aquarium in the world. The aquarium has been built around five artificial shipwrecks. The fish in the park’s aquariums come in all different shapes, colours and sizes, swim hurriedly as the eagle rays, moray and the sharks glide majestically in the ‘open waters’ of the aquarium. The expert divers and marine biologists keep the enclosed ecosystem up and running. The dangerous creatures’ exhibit is the most exhilarating and houses creatures like the black mamba, scorpions and tarantulas.
• The Moses Mabhida Stadium is a multipurpose stadium in Durban. When not in use, visitors can often see energetic boys bungee jumping from its arching roof and playing football. The stadium was constructed to be one of the host stadiums for the FIFA 2010 World Cup. Since then it has been used for cricket matches, football events, and golf and even for motorsports. There is always something happening at the stadium, so drop in to join the fun.
• The Durban Botanical Garden is the oldest garden of its kind in all of Africa. Established in the 1840s the garden was initially used to grow and reproduce cash crops from around the world. As the garden grew to 15 hectares, its collections of plants became more substantial. These days Durban’s Botanical Garden is open for social gatherings and Victorian tea parties. Many cultural and social events often are held on its grounds. The garden currently has an extensive collection of ferns, orchids, cycads, trees and is participating in the international initiative to grow plants that produce butterfly food.

Apart from the usual Easter, Christmas and New Year blasts, Durban is known for its parties. The festivities kick off in July from the Durban Gaming Expo. Professional gamers and fans come to the expo to watch their favourite players beat teams from all over the country. It’s a great event to get introduced to the new artistic realm of computer games. The July Durban race fills the spectators with adrenaline at the Greyville Racecourse grounds. The event brings the thoroughbred horses out of the stables and on to the track and is the city’s major tourist event. The Block Party that follows the racing event is an extravaganza of music and dance. Party-goers drink and rejoice all through the night. In September, there is the Corona Festival that also gathers a lot of comedians and musicians to excite the crowd.

Durban has a reasonably vast bus network. The city’s public transport was revamped for the World Cup, but there is still some room for improvement. The bus or Durban People Mover, as it is called, is functional from 6 AM to 11 PM on routes webbed through the city. The coach is also cheap and safe as many of them have CCTV cameras installed inside. Some taxis and minibuses zoom around the city with African music pumping as they go. You can also hire a car for independence and ease, although it might be a bit more expensive. On beaches, rickshaws can get you from one end of the bay to the next quickly.

There are plenty of luxury hotels in Durban each one with its unique view of the Indian Ocean. Apart from these, there are many economical and budget-friendly accommodations available in the city as well.

• Hilton Durban
• Auberge Hollandaise Guest House by Misty Blue Hotels
• Suncoast Towers
• Audacia Manor Boutique Hotel
• Endless Horizons Boutique Hotel