ALL the ways to get from Johannesburg to Durban this December

The festive season is upon us, and here are all the ways to get from Johannesburg to Durban this December, no matter your budget. The reintroduction of PRASA’s Shosholoza Meyl long-haul train makes an interesting comparison for those travelling from Johannesburg to Durban this December.

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Having said that, we’d be remiss to ignore the fact that six major Durban beaches have been closed due to E. coli. And there’s plenty of evidence to suggest that another disruption to the train, like the one that was halted en-route to Cape Town, may happen again. Nevertheless, here goes our comparison of all the ways to get from Johannesburg to Durban this December.

JOHANNESBURG TO DURBAN THIS DECEMBER

For the sake of fairness in this exercise we’re focusing on the cheapest options over the long weekend of our Rugby World Cup public holiday. This is most likely when any last-minuter travel plans will be made. From planes, trains to automobiles. Here it goes …

BY PLANE

Almost certainly everyone’s go-to if they’re thinking of travelling from Johannesburg to Durban this December due to the short one-hour hop. According to Cheapest Flights, one-way flights on the Rugby World Cup long weekend of Friday 15 December 2023 are as follows:

Flight	Time	Cost
FlySafair	1h 10m	R1 750
SA Airlink	1h 5m	R1 967
SAA	1h 5m	R2 145
CemAir Pty	1h 15m	R3 178

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BY TRAIN

PRASA’s long-distance train, the Shosholoza Meyl is back in operation. And while its very first journey to Cape Town this December was disrupted, it’s still a very affordable option. Joburg’s Park Station to Durban Station will cost you R170 for an Economy Class (sitting only) and R360 for Tourist Class (sleeper). Travel time is claimed to be 18 hours.

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You’re going to need food and drink to sustain you for the trip, so, factor that into your budgeting. And bank on it taking even longer due to cable theft and other potential delays as PRASA gets back up to speed on its longer routes.

BY ROAD

With the fuel price taking a welcome dip in December, a very tempting option to get from Johannesburg to Durban this December is by road. A bus trip is always a cost-effective option for those on a budget, and here are your options according to Bus Bud.

Bus	Time	Cost
Intercape Mariner	7h 35m	R345
BigSky Intercity	7h 35m	R345
Cityliner Plus	8h15m	R380

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Finally, if you’ve got access to a car, there’s always the option to drive from Johannesburg to Durban this December. The benefit of going by car is you don’t need to rent a car or use public transport when you arrive there.

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Assuming yours is a reasonably efficient car, let’s bank on it using an average of 6.0 l/100 km over the 600 km drive. That’s 36 litres at R23,25 per litre inland. That comes to R837 in fuel one way. That’s not too bad, but don’t forget toll fees along the N3 from Johannesburg to Durban this December. These add on an additional R307,50, the most expensive of any major route in South Africa, which makes a total of R1 145,50, excluding padkos of course.

VERDICT

In conclusion, anyone looking for a last-minute trip from Johannesburg to Durban this December has the following options ranked cheapest to quickest. Note that travel time is inversely proportional to money spent it seems.

Rank	Transport	Time	Cost
1.	Train	18h	R170
2.	Bus	7h 35m	R345
3.	Car	6h	R1 145
4.	Plane	1h 10m	R1 750

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A one-hour flight is slightly more expensive than driving. But what are you going to do for wheels when you’re in Durban? A bus is only an hour and a half slower than a car. And if life is all about the journey and not the destination, you’ve got an option like the train which is cheaper still.

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If it were you, how would you get from Johannesburg to Durban this December? Be sure to share your thoughts with our audience in the comments section below. And don’t forget to follow us @TheSANews on X and The South African on Facebook for the latest updates.

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