London to Cape Town: which side of the plane gets the sun?
On most daytime flights from London to Cape Town, the sun shines in on the right. Sit on the left for shade, or the right for the view of the sun.
Best side for shade
Departure time is local at LHR. Seasons use the solstices and equinoxes.
| Departing | Mar | Jun | Sep | Dec |
|---|
| Morning07:00 | Leftsunset right | Eithersun on both sides | Eithersun on both sides | Leftsunset right |
|---|
| Midday12:00 | Leftsunset right | Leftsunset right | Leftsunset right | Leftsunset right |
|---|
| Afternoon16:00 | Leftsunset right | Leftsunset right | Leftsunset right | Eithermostly dark |
|---|
| Evening20:00 | Rightsunrise left | Rightsunset right | Rightsunrise left | Rightsunrise left |
|---|
The route starts out heading south-southeast. When it happens during the flight, the sunrise can be on either side, depending on season and time, and the sunset is on the right.
About this flight
London (LHR) to Cape Town (CPT) is about 9,682 km on the shortest path, typically around 12h 00m gate to gate. Set your exact departure time above to see where the sun is minute by minute.
How accurate is this?
Real flights don't fly exactly the shortest path, and delays and winds shift the timing, so treat sunrise and sunset times as approximate. At cruise altitude the sun sets 10 to 20 minutes later than on the ground. A bright cloud deck below can reflect glare in on either side. More on accuracy.
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