Outlander season 3: When is Caitriona Balfe heading to South Africa?

We get asked many questions related to Outlander, but the one above is certainly near the top of the list: When is Caitriona Balfe heading to South Africa? You can change the name to Sam Heughan, and the question very much remains the same.

For weeks, our feeling was that the two actors would embark on their next phase of the journey following their time at Emerald City Comic-Con next week, and we now have further confirmation of that very thing. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight while at the Oscar Wilde Awards in Santa Monica (read more about that, and other highlights from the week, over here), she confirmed she is heading to the country next week. This means that likely once she and Sam are done in Seattle, they’ll prepare for the journey abroad to start filming their scenes at sea / in Jamaica. It’s a huge part of Voyager the novel, and it will be a huge part of the TV show, as well.

Balfe also shared a little bit of the perspective for what will be coming up in the country:

“In my head, I’m going on a three-month holiday in the sun, but it’ll be work every day… But it’ll be great. It’ll be really exciting. I’ve read the scripts, the scripts are really great, so I’m really looking forward to that.”

This is the sort of experience that can generate a whole array of different reactions. There’s obviously excitement that comes with being in a new place and working with new people, and for a time, it may feel like a vacation. Yet, there’s also the issue of being away from friends and family for so long. The great news is that it’s such a worthy cause filming a great show, and this experience may be especially memorable since it’s nothing like any other Outlander location that we’ve seen the actors embark to before. It’s rich with its own culture and history, and even if South Africa is doubling for another place, it still will have a wonderfully refreshing feel.

Filming will be over in South Africa in early June, and the third season should premiere in September. If you haven’t seen it yet, recently we took a deeper dive into potential premiere dates. Consider that one of the many fun features we devised this past week — rest assured, more are coming!

As always, we welcome all of your thoughts in the comments, including your expectations for South Africa filming! (Photo: Starz.)