Travel essentials. Updated November 2026. 3 min read.
Fifteen kilograms. That is 33 pounds, including your camera bag, for everything you bring on a safari flight in Kenya. It sounds impossible. It is not, and this page shows you the bag that fits.
The direct answer: most scheduled safari flights from Wilson Airport and the coast allow about 15 kg per person, including hand luggage, in a soft-sided bag. Some airlines also give a maximum size of about 60 x 35 x 25 cm. Hard suitcases can be refused at check-in. Nothing is exempt: your duffel, your daypack and your camera bag are weighed together. Limits differ slightly by airline, so check your ticket.
Why the limit exists
Safari routes are flown by small aircraft such as the Cessna Caravan, which are limited by weight as much as by seats. Bags travel in a pod under the belly of the plane, and a rigid suitcase will not squeeze into it. On a full flight the pilot has to balance passengers, fuel and luggage, which is why an overweight bag can be left behind for the next plane.
The bag that works
- A soft duffel of 40 to 50 litres, with no rigid frame. Wheels and frames add weight you could spend on clothes, and may not fit the pod.
- A small daypack for the plane and the vehicle: water bottle, sunscreen, binoculars and a warm layer.
- A camera bag that fits inside or beside the daypack. It counts toward the 15 kg.
- Cloth bags or packing cubes to organize it all. Not plastic carrier bags, which are banned in Kenya.
Leave a suitcase in Nairobi
Most travelers fly in from the U.S. with a big suitcase, and that is fine: the international allowance is separate, usually 23 kg checked. Before the safari, repack into the duffel and leave the suitcase with your Nairobi hotel or with us. This is standard practice, and the suitcase is waiting when you come back through Nairobi. Tell us when you book and we arrange it.
The 15 kg packing list
Camps and lodges wash clothes daily, so three outfits rotate through a whole safari. Our what-to-wear guide covers colours and layers in detail; this is the list that fits the scale.
- Three sets of safari clothes in neutral colours: T-shirts, long-sleeved shirts and light trousers
- One warm layer, a fleece or packable jacket, for dawn drives
- A hat, sunglasses and a scarf or buff for dust
- Sandals and one pair of closed shoes; wear the heavier pair on the plane
- Binoculars, ideally one pair per person
- A camera body and up to two lenses
- Chargers, a power bank in your hand luggage, and a universal adapter
- Medicines in their original packaging, including malaria pills
- Toiletries in small bottles
- Swimwear if your trip ends on the coast
Wear the bulky things on the flight: your heaviest shoes, your jacket and your trousers with the most pockets. Clothes you wear are the easiest weight to carry.
Camera gear: the usual problem
A camera body and a 100 to 400 mm zoom weigh about 3 kg on their own, a fifth of your allowance. Photographers often wear a vest with deep pockets for lenses and batteries, and carry the heaviest lens as a personal item, with the airline's blessing at check-in: ask, do not assume. Spare batteries and power banks must travel in the cabin, not the pod. If you are bringing serious gear, buy extra weight in advance.
If you need more
- Some airlines sell extra weight, or a freight seat for bags, if you book it ahead. Ask us when we book your flights.
- If you arrive overweight, the airline may fly your bag on the next plane to your strip, and your camp will usually collect it.
- Children get the same allowance as adults, which helps families share the load.
- Flights to Diani, Malindi and Lamu on the same airlines follow the same rule.
