Car hire and driving in Orkney
Driving distances to the cities around, the rules that change at the border, and where to compare rental prices.
In South Africa traffic drives on the left. The emergency number is http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1061257.
Drives from Orkney
| Route | Country | Distance | Estimated time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orkney to Potchefstroom | South Africa | 52 km (32 mi) | about 47 min |
| Orkney to Kroonstad | South Africa | 93 km (58 mi) | about 1 h 25 min |
| Orkney to Carletonville | South Africa | 100 km (62 mi) | about 1 h 31 min |
| Orkney to Welkom | South Africa | 111 km (69 mi) | about 1 h 42 min |
| Orkney to Sasolburg | South Africa | 115 km (71 mi) | about 1 h 45 min |
| Orkney to Vanderbijlpark | South Africa | 119 km (74 mi) | about 1 h 49 min |
| Orkney to Westonaria | South Africa | 122 km (76 mi) | about 1 h 51 min |
| Orkney to Virginia | South Africa | 126 km (79 mi) | about 1 h 56 min |
| Orkney to Evaton | South Africa | 127 km (79 mi) | about 1 h 56 min |
| Orkney to Vereeniging | South Africa | 129 km (80 mi) | about 1 h 58 min |
| Orkney to Randfontein | South Africa | 135 km (84 mi) | about 2 h 4 min |
| Orkney to Soweto | South Africa | 142 km (88 mi) | about 2 h 10 min |
| Orkney to Johannesburg | South Africa | 161 km (100 mi) | about 2 h 28 min |
| Orkney to Cape Town | South Africa | 1,105 km (686 mi) | about 16 h 51 min |
| Orkney to Durban | South Africa | 533 km (331 mi) | about 8 h 7 min |
| Orkney to Pretoria | South Africa | 204 km (127 mi) | about 3 h 7 min |
| Orkney to Gqeberha | South Africa | 783 km (486 mi) | about 11 h 56 min |
| Orkney to Soshanguve | South Africa | 220 km (137 mi) | about 3 h 21 min |
| Orkney to Pietermaritzburg | South Africa | 467 km (290 mi) | about 7 h 8 min |
| Orkney to Benoni | South Africa | 186 km (116 mi) | about 2 h 50 min |
Distances are straight-line; road and rail routes run about 15–25% longer. Times are estimates from distance and typical speeds, not timetables.
Where to compare car hire
We take no bookings for these providers and hold no reservation with them. The provider you choose handles payment, confirmation, changes and refunds. How that works.
Common questions
Which side of the road do they drive on in Orkney?
The left, as everywhere in South Africa.
How are the journey times on this page worked out?
From straight-line distance and typical speeds for each mode, so they are estimates for planning, not timetables. Road and rail routes run 15–25% longer than the straight line.
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.