The rule
Both airlines that fly scheduled light aircraft from Nairobi Wilson Airport to the Mara and Amboseli airstrips set the same limit: 15 kg per person in soft bags, with hand luggage and cameras counted inside it. Safarilink calls the limit strict. AirKenya gives the same figure as 33 lb and asks for soft-sided bags.
That single number shapes the whole packing list. A photographer who arrives with a 9 kg camera backpack has 6 kg left for a week of clothes, a laptop and boots, and that does not work. So we start with the camera bag, cap it, and pack everything else around it.
Why soft bags
The hold on a light aircraft is loaded by hand, around the shape of the plane. Large rigid cases are harder to stow and can follow on a later flight. A duffel that folds into a corner travels with you, so leave the roller case in Nairobi.
The camera bag, 5.0 kg
AirKenya allows a personal item, such as a handbag, coat or small backpack, of up to 5 kg, and it still counts inside the 15 kg. That is why our example camera bag stops at exactly 5.0 kg. Two bodies mean you never change lenses in the dust, and the long zoom covers most sightings from the vehicle.
| Item | Weight |
|---|---|
| Two camera bodies | 1.6 kg |
| 100 to 400 mm zoom | 1.4 kg |
| 24 to 70 mm zoom | 0.8 kg |
| Spare batteries and cards | 0.4 kg |
| The bag itself | 0.8 kg |
| Total | 5.0 kg |
That single number shapes the whole packing list.
The duffel, 10.0 kg
Everything else goes in one soft duffel of about 60 by 45 by 33 cm, AirKenya’s guideline for a checked bag. Camp laundry is the reason clothes for eight days weigh only 5.2 kg: pack for four days and wash twice.
| Item | Weight |
|---|---|
| Laptop and backup drive | 1.6 kg |
| Chargers | 0.4 kg |
| Clothes for 8 days, with camp laundry | 5.2 kg |
| Boots | 1.2 kg |
| Wash kit and medicines | 0.8 kg |
| The bag itself | 0.8 kg |
| Total | 10.0 kg |
What stays at home
Leave the tripod and the bean bag behind. Every vehicle already carries bean bags on both sills, roof hatches over each row, rain covers and 12 V and USB charging at every seat. At camp there is a review table for the midday edit and charging in every tent, so the heavy kit is waiting when you land.
If you need more
Both airlines carry extra weight only by arrangement. A pre-booked extra seat takes up to 75 kg, subject to space. If your work needs a second long lens, tell us when you apply and we will price the extra seat into your request before anything is confirmed.
Sources: Safarilink and AirKenya baggage pages, read 9 Oct 2026. Weights in the two lists are our example kit, not an airline figure.