LATAM Airlines is set to launch a direct, thrice-weekly service between São Paulo Guarulhos and Cape Town in September 2026, opening the first nonstop link between South America and the Mother City. The route ends the long-standing gap that forced Brazilian and neighbouring travellers to connect through Johannesburg, Addis Ababa or Doha for beach and safari trips to the Cape.
What the route means for Cape Town
Cape Town International currently handles Africa’s busiest long-haul network outside the Gulf, but South America has been a blind spot since South African Airways ended its direct Cape Town–São Paulo pattern a decade ago. LATAM’s Boeing 777 aircraft will bring roughly 900 extra seats a week into the city, most of them expected to fill with Brazilian holidaymakers, cruise passengers and business travellers linking through Guarulhos from across Latin America.
Local tourism officials expect the biggest downstream impact along the Cape Peninsula and in the Winelands, which already rank as the top add-ons for long-haul visitors. The Argentine and Chilean feeder market — traditionally strong safari bookers — will also gain a same-day routing for the first time.
Timing and connections
Flights are timetabled to arrive in Cape Town in the early morning, freeing a full day for onward transfers to the Garden Route, Kruger circuit or Winelands. Return departures are set for late evening, which suits travellers heading back to Guarulhos for onward links to Rio, Buenos Aires and Santiago.
The launch coincides with peak inbound season. September marks whale-watching along the Overberg coast and the start of the Cape Town summer window, when hotel and car-hire demand climbs sharply. If you are pricing a trip, we would book flights, transfers and the first two nights in the city as a package before the corridor fills.
What we would do next
Brazilian and other Mercosur passport holders remain visa-exempt for tourism stays up to 90 days, so the new ETA system does not apply to them. Travellers from other South American countries should check whether they fall under the ETA rollout before booking.
Combine the direct routing with a two-week itinerary that pairs Cape Town, a Winelands base and a Kruger-side lodge — the schedule allows arrival on a Sunday and a Kruger departure the following weekend, without a mid-trip repositioning cost. For food and neighbourhood planning on landing day, our Cape Town food guide and where-to-stay guide cover the walkable areas closest to the airport transfer routes.