ROUTES
Cheap flights to Africa from the USA: where fares start and how to pay less
Where fares to Africa tend to start from the US, which countries are cheapest to reach, and the choices that move the price.
Africa is not one trip. A flight to Casablanca is a hop across the Atlantic; a flight to Johannesburg is one of the longest journeys you can book from the United States. So the honest answer to "how much is a flight to Africa" is that it depends on which part of the continent you are flying to more than on almost anything else.
This guide uses a snapshot of real fares to show where prices tend to start, then walks through the choices that move the price: where you leave from, where you land, when you go and how you route the trip.
Where fares to Africa tend to start
We looked at round-trip fares from major US cities to African airports in our travel partner's fare data on November 2, 2026. For each airport, the table shows the lowest fare we saw and, more usefully, the typical lowest fare: the middle value across the US cities that had a fare to that airport. One lucky price can mislead; the typical figure is a fairer guide.
| Destination | Typical lowest | Lowest seen |
|---|---|---|
| Cairo, Egypt CAI | $666 | $391from New York |
| Marrakech, Morocco RAK | $670 | $449from Boston |
| Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ADD | $682 | $646from Atlanta |
| Casablanca, Morocco CMN | $814 | $462from Washington, DC |
| Tunis, Tunisia TUN | $833 | $707from Atlanta |
| Lagos, Nigeria LOS | $896 | $625from Washington, DC |
| Accra, Ghana ACC | $968 | $626from New York |
| Nairobi, Kenya NBO | $1,038 | $763from Dallas |
| Dar es Salaam, Tanzania DAR | $1,071 | $751from Chicago |
| Johannesburg, South Africa JNB | $1,080 | $677from New York |
| Zanzibar, Tanzania ZNZ | $1,263 | $892from New York |
| Kigali, Rwanda KGL | $1,270 | $1,030from Chicago |
| Cape Town, South Africa CPT | $1,339 | $1,094from New York |
| Abuja, Nigeria ABV | $1,390 | $1,157from New York |
| Seychelles SEZ | $1,546 | $1,352from New York |
| Mauritius MRU | $1,551 | $1,462from Atlanta |
Typical lowest is the middle value of the lowest fares from each US city that had a fare to that airport; lowest seen is the single cheapest. Airports with fares from fewer than three US cities are left out. Recently found prices in our travel partner's fare data on November 2, 2026, for travel between November 2026 and mid-2027; not live quotes.
Three patterns stand out.
- North Africa is closest, and often cheapest. Cairo and Marrakech had the lowest typical fares, with Casablanca and Tunis not far behind. They are the shortest flights from the East Coast, and many European, Turkish and Middle Eastern airlines compete for the traffic.
- Big hubs punch above their distance. Addis Ababa is the base of one of Africa's largest airlines and a busy transfer point, and its typical fare sat right next to North Africa's even though it is much farther away.
- Safari gateways and islands cost more. Cape Town, Zanzibar, the Seychelles and Mauritius were at the top of the range: longer flights, fewer competing routes and strong demand in their high seasons. Abuja was up there too, because far fewer airlines fly there than to Lagos.
So if you are asking which country in Africa is cheapest to fly to from the US, the data points to Egypt and Morocco first, with Ethiopia close behind. If your destination is already fixed, the better question is how to bring that particular route down, and that is what the rest of this guide is about.
Your departure city matters
The East Coast has the most choice. New York had fares to more African airports than any other US city in our sample, and most nonstop flights between the US and Africa leave from the East Coast or Atlanta. Chicago, Atlanta and Los Angeles also had fares to a wide range of airports, and Washington, DC and Houston had some of the lowest fares to Lagos.
From the West Coast or the Southwest, nearly every trip to Africa connects at least once, usually on the East Coast, in Europe or in the Gulf. That adds hours but not always much money: Los Angeles still had round trips to Cairo under $500 in our sample. If you live near a smaller airport, compare a search from home with one from the nearest big hub, and see our note on separate tickets below before you split a trip in two.
Nonstop or one stop
Nonstop flights between the US and Africa exist, but on a limited set of routes. Ones that have operated in recent years include New York to Casablanca, Cairo, Accra, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Cape Town; Washington, DC to Addis Ababa, Accra and Lagos; and Atlanta to Lagos and Johannesburg. Some are seasonal and schedules change, so check the airline's own route map before you plan around one.
Most travelers connect once, and almost all of the cheapest fares in our sample had one stop each way. Connections usually happen in Europe, in Istanbul, in the Gulf, or at an African hub such as Addis Ababa, Casablanca, Nairobi or Johannesburg. A one-stop trip on a single ticket is usually the best balance of price and risk: if the first flight is late, the airline is responsible for getting you onward. Our guide to how short is too short for a layover helps you judge the connection.
When to fly
Fares follow demand, and demand to Africa has a few strong peaks:
- December. Christmas and New Year are the busiest weeks for flights to West Africa, as families travel home and Lagos and Accra fill with weddings, concerts and festivals. Book early, or fly in early December or after the first week of January.
- June to October. US summer holidays overlap with East Africa's long dry season, the classic safari window in Kenya and Tanzania.
- December to February. Cape Town's summer high season, when the weather is warm and dry.
- North Africa's mild months. Egypt and Morocco are most comfortable from autumn to spring. Summer is very hot inland, and fares can be lower then if you can handle the heat.
Outside those peaks, the shoulder weeks are where better fares usually sit. Comparing a few nearby dates is almost always worth more than comparing airlines; our guide to finding better fares explains why.
Crossing the continent: plan the route, not just the flight
Africa is big, and flying between its regions can be slow and expensive. There is no simple web of low-cost flights linking every capital, so if your trip covers more than one country, settle the order before you book the long-haul tickets.
- Fly into one city and home from another. An open-jaw ticket, into Nairobi and out of Johannesburg for example, often costs little more than a round trip and saves a backtracking flight.
- Use the hubs. Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Johannesburg and Casablanca connect to many cities in their regions. Routing your long-haul flight through the hub you will use anyway can make the regional legs simpler.
- Keep connections on one ticket where you can. If you must book a regional flight separately, leave a generous gap after the long-haul arrival, because a missed connection on a separate ticket is your problem to solve.
Documents and health
Entry rules vary widely across Africa. Some countries let US citizens visit without a visa, some need an online application before you fly, and some require a visa arranged in advance through an embassy. Several also ask for proof of yellow fever vaccination. Check every country you will enter, and the transit rules for any country you connect through, on the State Department's country pages and the CDC's destination pages, well before you book.
Travel on a passport with plenty of validity and blank pages, and make sure the name on every booking matches it exactly.
Our guides to flights to African countries
- Flights to Nigeria: Lagos or Abuja, the December rush, and bags.
- Flights to Ghana: getting to Accra, and the busy weeks around Christmas.
- Flights to Egypt: Cairo, the Nile and the e-visa.
- Flights to Morocco: Casablanca or Marrakech, and the East Coast nonstops.
- Flights to South Africa: Johannesburg, Cape Town and the safari gateways.
- Flights to Kenya: Nairobi, safari timing and the eTA.
Planning a safari?
A safari is usually built around the parks and lodges first, with small-plane flights and transfers arranged to match. If you would rather have a specialist plan that part, Go2Africa tailor-makes safaris and tours across the continent.
