The cheapest order to fly Cairo, Nairobi and Johannesburg from New York
There are 6 ways to fly these cities. They do not cost the same. The cheapest works out at about $1,435 a person and the most expensive at $2,026, a difference of $591 for visiting exactly the same places.
Fly them in this order
New York → Cairo → Nairobi → Johannesburg → New York
About $1,435 per person in flights, based on fares recently seen on these routes.
Every order, priced
- New York → Cairo → Nairobi → Johannesburg → New York$1,435cheapest order
- New York → Nairobi → Johannesburg → Cairo → New York$1,561$126 more per person
- New York → Cairo → Johannesburg → Nairobi → New York$1,619$184 more per person
- New York → Johannesburg → Nairobi → Cairo → New York$1,713$278 more per person
- New York → Nairobi → Cairo → Johannesburg → New York$1,738$303 more per person
- New York → Johannesburg → Cairo → Nairobi → New York$2,026$591 more per person
Why Cairo first
- New York to Cairo$384
- Cairo to Nairobi$269
- Nairobi to Johannesburg$237
- Johannesburg to New York$545
- Out of New York, Cairo is the cheapest first stop at about $384. Johannesburg would be $776.
- Going home, the cheapest flight leaves from Cairo at about $427, but the cheapest order ends in Johannesburg at $545 because the rest of the route is cheaper that way.
- Johannesburg to Cairo is about $338, but the other way round is $358. Same two cities, $20 apart on direction alone.
- The dearest order pays $776 for New York to Johannesburg, a flight the cheapest order never takes.
Between the cities
- Cairo to Nairobi: about 3,530 km (2190 miles) as the crow flies. No train or bus we would suggest instead of flying.
- Nairobi to Johannesburg: about 2,920 km (1810 miles) as the crow flies. No train or bus we would suggest instead of flying.
Entry rules on a US passport
- US passport: e-Visa or visa on arrival for Egypt. Official source
- US passport: an Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) is required for Kenya. Official source
- US passport: visa-free in South Africa for up to 90 days. Official source
Rules change; check the official source for your passport and dates before you book.
How much the order matters here
Getting the order right is worth $591 a person on this trip, 41% of what the cheapest way round costs. Of the 72 trips we price in full, that is number 13 for how much the order matters, one of the trips where it matters most: flying these cities in the wrong order is an expensive mistake.
What these numbers are
Cached one-way fares, 12 of 12 legs priced from real observations, put together on October 29, 2026, from fares departing October 30, 2026 onwards. Right for comparing one order with another, not a quote for your dates.
A plan prices your own dates and weighs hours as well as fares, so it can pick a different order from this page.
Put dates on it
Same cities on real dates, plus what one search cannot show: layovers long enough to count as a free city, two tickets that beat one, and cheaper days either side. No account and no card.
One press starts it on January 2, 2027 to January 16, 2027, 14 days, for 2 travelers. Our dates, not yours, and about two minutes.
Plan Cairo, Nairobi and Johannesburg from New York nowOpen the form instead and pick your own datesSigned out, 3 plans a day per address, priced from cached fares and the free sources, so some legs may be estimates and the plan says which. Signed in, legs are checked live, with 2 free trips you can change afterwards.