Accra ⇄ Johannesburg · Nonstop with South African Airways · Or via Addis Ababa, Nairobi or Kigali
Flights from Accra to Johannesburg: the city of gold
Johannesburg was born in 1886 on a ridge of gold, and within a decade it was the richest mining town on earth. Ghana, the old Gold Coast, knows that story well: South African mining houses have dug in Ashanti's gold belt for decades. Today Johannesburg is the economic heart of Africa, the city of Soweto and Mandela, the Apartheid Museum and Constitution Hill, and the gateway to the Kruger Park. It is also, honestly, a city where you need to know what you are doing. South African Airways flies nonstop from Accra in about six hours.
Flights from Accra to Johannesburg
Flight times are approximate. South Africa is two hours ahead of Ghana all year.
| Route | Airline | Flight time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nonstop | South African Airways | about 6 h | The only nonstop between Ghana and South Africa. Full timetable on the SAA page. |
| Via Addis Ababa | Ethiopian Airlines | about 5 h 45 + 6 h | No transit visa if you stay airside; often good value. |
| Via Nairobi | Kenya Airways | about 6 h + 4 h | No transit visa if you stay airside. |
| Via Kigali | RwandAir | about 6 h + 4 h | Check the current days of operation. |
| Via Dubai / Doha | Emirates, Qatar Airways | about 8–9 h + 8 h | A long double detour; only on an exceptional fare. |
Which one to pick
Nonstop is best: South African Airways takes about six hours and avoids any transit questions. The alternatives via Addis Ababa or Nairobi take most of a day but can be cheaper, and give more choice of days. For Cape Town, fly SAA to Johannesburg and connect on a domestic flight, or go via Addis Ababa or Nairobi direct to Cape Town.
South African Airways page Cape Town flight page Accra arrivals today
Ghana and Johannesburg right now
Local time in both cities, the weather at this moment, and a converter between cedis, South African rand and the main currencies.
Say it like a Joburger
English works everywhere, but Johannesburg speaks isiZulu, Sesotho, Afrikaans and its own street slang.
- Sawubona (isiZulu): hello. Ngiyabonga: thank you.
- Dumela (Sesotho): hello.
- Sharp / Sharp sharp: okay, cool, goodbye. You will hear it constantly.
- Howzit?: how are you?
- Eish!: oh no, wow, that's bad.
- Robot: a traffic light.
South Africa in brief
Key facts
- Capitals: three. Pretoria, 50 kilometres north of Johannesburg, is the executive capital; Cape Town the legislative capital; Bloemfontein the judicial capital. Johannesburg is the largest city and the economic centre.
- Democracy: since the first free elections on 27 April 1994.
- Currency: South African rand (ZAR). Cards work almost everywhere.
- Languages: twelve official languages, including English, isiZulu, isiXhosa, Sesotho, Afrikaans and South African Sign Language.
- Time: South Africa Standard Time, UTC+2, two hours ahead of Ghana.
- Entry for Ghanaians: South Africa and Ghana have moved towards visa-free travel for ordinary passport holders. Confirm the current rules with the South African High Commission in Accra before booking.
- Entry for UK, EU and US passports: visa-free for up to 90 days. Your passport needs two blank pages.
- Yellow fever: a certificate is required for travellers arriving from Ghana. Without it you can be refused entry.
- Plugs: the large three round-pin type M and the smaller type N. Bring an adapter.
Gold, apartheid and Ghana
In 1886 a prospector found gold on the Witwatersrand ridge, and a tent camp became Johannesburg almost overnight. The mines were built on the labour of Black workers from all over Southern Africa, housed in compounds and paid a fraction of white wages. That system grew into apartheid, made law from 1948: separate townships, pass laws, forced removals. Soweto, the South Western Townships, became the centre of resistance. On 16 June 1976 its schoolchildren marched against being taught in Afrikaans; police opened fire, and the photograph of the dying Hector Pieterson went around the world.
Ghana stood on the other side from the start. Kwame Nkrumah declared in 1957 that Ghana's independence was meaningless unless it was linked to the liberation of the whole continent, and Accra hosted the All-African People's Conference in 1958, where South African liberation leaders found allies. Gold links the two countries to this day: South African mining houses have long operated in Ghana's gold belt, from Obuasi to Tarkwa.
- Dr Kwame NkrumahGhana's first leader, who tied Ghana's freedom to all of Africa's.
- 6 March 1957The night of independence at the Old Polo Ground.
- The Golden StoolSika Dwa Kofi, the soul of the Asante nation, and Ghana's own story of gold.
- Kumasi and the Ashanti RegionThe heart of Ghana's gold country.
Johannesburg and around: what to see
- The Apartheid MuseumThe most powerful museum in the country. Your ticket randomly labels you "white" or "non-white" for the entrance. Allow at least three hours.
- SowetoVilakazi Street, the only street with two Nobel Peace Prize winners, Mandela and Tutu; Mandela's house, and the Hector Pieterson Museum. Go with a local guide.
- Constitution HillThe old prison where Gandhi and Mandela were held, now home to South Africa's Constitutional Court.
- Cradle of HumankindA UNESCO World Heritage Site an hour north-west, where some of the oldest human ancestors were found, with caves at Sterkfontein.
- Sandton and MabonengSandton, Africa's richest square mile, with Nelson Mandela Square; and inner-city Maboneng, reborn with galleries, markets and cafés. Visit Maboneng by day.
- Pilanesberg and the KrugerPilanesberg, with the Big Five, is about two and a half hours away; the Kruger Park four to five hours by road, or a short flight.
Tours in and around Johannesburg with local guides, including Soweto and the Apartheid Museum, booked before you travel. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but always welcome, and in South Africa a tip for guides and drivers is expected.
Combine with Cape Town
Most visitors who fly SAA into Johannesburg add Cape Town, two hours away by domestic flight. It is a different South Africa: the ocean, Table Mountain, Robben Island and the African penguins at Boulders Beach.
The V&A WaterfrontCape Town's harbour, where the ferries to Robben Island leave.
Boulders BeachThe African penguin colony at Simon's Town, on the Cape Peninsula.
Arriving at OR Tambo International
- The airport: O. R. Tambo International (JNB), about 25 kilometres east of the city, the busiest airport in Africa, named after the ANC leader Oliver Reginald Tambo.
- Immigration: have your passport, yellow fever certificate, return ticket and address in South Africa ready.
- Into town: the Gautrain rapid train runs from the airport to Sandton in about 15 minutes, with connections to Rosebank, Park Station and Pretoria. It is the safest and simplest option.
- Taxis: use ride-hailing apps or your hotel's transfer. Never accept rides from people approaching you in the arrivals hall.
- Connecting to Cape Town: if you continue on a domestic flight, collect your bags, clear customs and check in again. Allow at least two and a half hours.
Honest tips for this route
- Crime is serious. Johannesburg has high rates of violent crime. Do not walk around the city centre at night, keep your phone out of sight, use ride-hailing or trusted transfers, and keep car doors locked and windows up at traffic lights.
- Airport crime. "Follow-home" robberies from the airport happen. Be alert, especially if you collect a hire car.
- Visit townships with guides. Soweto is welcoming and fascinating, but go with a local guide who knows the area, not on your own.
- Yellow fever card. Coming from Ghana, it is checked. No card can mean no entry.
- The altitude. Johannesburg is at about 1,750 metres. Winters (June to August) are dry, sunny by day and freezing at night; pack warm clothes.
- Power cuts. "Load-shedding" has eased, but outages still happen. Hotels have generators; keep your phone charged.
Coming the other way: from Johannesburg to Ghana
South Africans visiting Ghana should check the Ghana visa rules before travel. With SAA's nonstop, Accra is only six hours away. Many South Africans come for business, the mining industry or the Nkrumah story; the coast, the castles and Kumasi make a week well spent.
- AccraJamestown, the Nkrumah Memorial Park, the markets and the beaches.
- Kwame Nkrumah Memorial ParkThe mausoleum of Ghana's first president.
- Cape Coast CastleThe dungeons and the Door of No Return.
- Manhyia Palace Museum, KumasiThe seat of the Asantehene and the story of the Asante kings.
Airport pickup with free internet, private vehicle hire and a three-destination tour, booked before you land. Entrance fees are included in the tour price; tips are not included but always welcome.
Accra International Airport Embassies in Accra Ghana ETA and e-visa
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Updated and fact-checked: 29 October 2026. Routes from the airline timetables on GhanaFlights.info; flight times approximate; entry and health rules checked in October 2026. Always confirm with the airline and the South African High Commission before booking. Text and research by Remo Kurka for GhanaFlights.info. This website carries no Google advertising.