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Practical · 8 min read

Tanzania safari flights and luggage: the 15 kg soft bag, airline by airline

Small aircraft, strict limits, and how to pack around them.

Active Kili Top · Arusha · Updated 3 October 2026
A light aircraft on a dirt airstrip with two men in traditional dress in the foreground
A light aircraft on a bush airstrip.

Most people who look up Tanzania safari flights and luggage have just read the words “15 kg in a soft bag” on an itinerary and want to know whether it is meant. It is. The aircraft that fly into the parks are small, the airstrips are short and unpaved, and the weight on board is calculated, not estimated. The limit is the airline’s and it is applied at the scales, so no operator can waive it for you.

The figure is not the same on every airline, though, and the differences are worth knowing. Below is what each airline publishes on its own pages at the time of writing (October 2026), what counts towards the allowance, what you can do if you are over, and which airstrip serves which part of the parks. When to fly and when to drive is a separate question, answered route by route on our page about flying between the parks.

The short answer

On light-aircraft safari flights in Tanzania, pack to 15 kg per person in a soft bag, with hand luggage and cameras counted in. Coastal Aviation and Regional Air publish that limit. Auric Air and Air Excel publish 20 kg in total. Extra weight can sometimes be bought in advance, but not reliably at the airstrip.

At a glance: Tanzania safari flights, luggage allowances by airline

As published by each airline at the time of writing (October 2026). Check the airline’s own page before you pack.
AirlineAllowance per personBagIf you are over
Coastal Aviation15 kg, including carry-onSoft bags strongly recommendedFreight rate if there is room; a premium seat carries 30 kg
Regional Air15 kg, including hand luggageSoft-sided bagsUSD 3 per kg if space allows, or a freight seat for 75 kg
Auric Air20 kg, including hand luggage and camerasSoft-sided bags preferredExtra 10 kg blocks, bought ahead; a freight seat for 75 kg
Air Excel20 kg in totalSoft bags strongly recommendedUSD 3 per kg, if the airline or pilot agrees
Flightlink20 kg checked, plus 5 kg soft hand bagOne checked piece, no oversized casesCharged per kg; not guaranteed on Serengeti flights
Precision Air23 kg checked, plus 7 kg hand bagOrdinary suitcasesCharged per kg
Next: The 15 kg limit ↓Contents ↑

The 15 kg luggage limit on Tanzania safari flights

Two of the main safari airlines publish 15 kg. Coastal Aviation’s luggage policy allows a maximum of 15 kg per person including carry-on luggage. Regional Air’s terms give 15 kilos in soft bags and state that the allowance includes all hand baggage. Regional adds that the items you keep with you in the cabin must not exceed 5 kg and are part of the 15, not on top of it. That last point is the one people miss.

Two others publish 20 kg. Auric Air’s allowance is 20 kg per passenger, and its terms list what is inside that figure: hand baggage, cameras, filming equipment and any other personal item, loose clothing included. Air Excel’s is 20 kg in total, covering checked bags, hand baggage, cameras, laptops and souvenirs. On every one of these airlines the number is a total. There is no separate cabin bag in the way there is on an international flight.

Which airline you fly depends on the route, the day and the seats left when we book, so you may not know while you are packing. Pack to 15 kg and you are inside every limit. Your long-haul airline will have allowed you more, and the usual answer is to leave the surplus in Arusha. Our safari packing list is built to come in under 15 kg with room for a camera.

Next: Soft bags ↓Contents ↑

Soft bags only: size, shape and what gets refused

The bag rule exists because of the hold. On a Cessna Caravan, the aircraft most often used on these routes, luggage goes into a pod under the fuselage through small doors. Coastal gives its cargo pod door measurements as 76 by 48 by 29 centimetres. A soft bag can be pressed into the space that is left. A rigid case either fits or it does not, and when it does not, it may be left behind for a later flight.

Regional Air is the strictest in its wording. Its baggage policy says soft-sided bags, shows a hard-shell suitcase with a cross through it, and gives guideline dimensions of 60 by 45 by 33 centimetres for the checked bag and 30 by 53 by 23 for hand luggage. Coastal and Air Excel strongly recommend soft bags without making them obligatory. Auric prefers them and accepts a suitcase that has no sharp edges, up to 90 by 65 by 35 centimetres.

In practice, bring a duffel or a soft holdall without a frame. Wheels are tolerated if the bag still gives when you push on it. Keep medicines, documents and anything fragile in a small daypack, which will ride in the cabin with you or in the pod, depending on the aircraft. Do not strap things to the outside. Coastal’s policy makes the point that loose objects in a small cabin are a hazard, and crews will ask you to stow them.

Next: Excess baggage ↓Contents ↑

Excess baggage on bush flights: what you can and cannot buy

Every airline allows for excess in principle, and each makes it conditional. Regional Air charges USD 3 a kilogram, plus tax, when space is available, and says carriage is at the company’s discretion according to the aircraft and the number of passengers. Air Excel also quotes USD 3 a kilogram, subject to the approval of the airline or the pilot. Coastal charges its prevailing freight rate. None of them promises to carry it.

The dependable options are the ones booked ahead. Regional and Auric both sell a freight seat, an extra seat bought for luggage, which carries a further 75 kg. Auric sells additional allowance in blocks of 10 kg, up to 40 kg, at a price that varies by route. Coastal offers a premium seat, subject to availability, with a 30 kg allowance. These have to be arranged when the flight is booked. They are much harder to arrange at an airstrip with a full aircraft.

Photographers are the travellers most often caught out. Two camera bodies and a long lens can take a third of the allowance before any clothes go in. If that describes you, tell us at the start and we will ask the airline about your specific flights, or price a freight seat. The kit question is covered in photographing from a vehicle. Some airlines also ask for passengers’ body weights. Auric’s terms say passengers may have to be weighed on flights from short bush airstrips. It is a load calculation and is asked of everyone.

Next: The airstrips ↓Contents ↑

Serengeti airstrips and the rest: Seronera, Kogatende, Ndutu, Manyara and Kuro

The Serengeti has several airstrips, and the right one depends on the season. Seronera is the strip for the central Serengeti and the one our Serengeti Fly-in plan uses in both directions. Kogatende, in the far north, serves the Mara River area from July to October, the setting of our Mara River Crossings plan. Ndutu, in the south, serves the calving grounds from December to March. Airline route lists also show Lobo, Lamai, Fort Ikoma, Grumeti and Sasakwa.

Outside the Serengeti there are two strips that matter in the north. Lake Manyara’s airstrip sits on top of the Rift escarpment and is the nearest one to Karatu and the Ngorongoro Crater, which has no airstrip of its own. Kuro is the strip inside Tarangire. Air Excel’s schedule shows about 20 minutes in the air from Arusha to Kuro. Tarangire is only about two hours from Arusha by road, so we rarely suggest flying there.

Flights start from Arusha Airport, the small domestic field on the west side of town, and not from Kilimanjaro International, which is about an hour away by road. A direct flight from Arusha to Seronera takes about an hour and a quarter, and to Kogatende about an hour and a half. The same small aircraft link the Serengeti with Zanzibar, and the southern parks such as Ruaha with Dar es Salaam and Arusha.

Next: On the day ↓Contents ↑

Flying from Arusha to the Serengeti: check-in, stops and delays

A bush flight is not like an airline flight. Coastal asks passengers to check in 40 minutes before departure at the main airports and 20 minutes before at remote airstrips, and states that anyone later than that will not be carried. At a park airstrip there is no terminal, only a shelter, a windsock and the vehicles of the camps. Your guide drives you there, waits until the aircraft has landed, and hands you over to the pilot.

Scheduled services run as circuits. The aircraft may land at two or three other strips before yours to set down and pick up passengers, so a flight that takes an hour and a quarter direct can take two hours or more. Airlines reserve the right to change the routing. Coastal’s conditions say it may reschedule, divert or combine flights without notice, and may divide passengers and bags between aircraft. Timings on an itinerary are estimates for that reason.

Two planning rules follow. Do not book an international departure on the same day as a flight out of the bush unless there are many hours between them, because weather can close an unpaved strip for an afternoon. And do not expect to land at Kilimanjaro from Europe and fly to the Serengeti the same day, since most long-haul flights arrive too late. A night in Arusha at each end solves both problems, and gives you somewhere to leave the bag you are not taking.

Next: Questions ↓Contents ↑

Questions people ask

It depends on the airline. Coastal Aviation and Regional Air publish 15 kg per person including hand luggage. Auric Air and Air Excel publish 20 kg in total. Flightlink allows 20 kg checked plus a 5 kg hand bag. If you pack to 15 kg in a soft bag, you are within all of them.

Yes. On Coastal Aviation and Regional Air the 15 kg is a total that includes carry-on bags, and Regional states that cabin items of up to 5 kg are part of the 15 kg. Camera bags, handbags and daypacks all count. Weigh everything together before you leave home.

It is a risk. Regional Air’s policy specifies soft-sided bags and shows a hard-shell case as not accepted. Coastal and Air Excel strongly recommend soft bags. Luggage goes into a small pod under the aircraft, and a rigid case that does not fit may be left for a later flight.

Sometimes. Regional Air and Air Excel quote USD 3 per kilogram when space allows, and Auric Air sells extra 10 kg blocks. The reliable options are booked in advance: a freight seat carrying 75 kg on Regional or Auric, or Coastal’s premium seat with 30 kg. Nothing is guaranteed at the airstrip.

About an hour and a quarter direct to Seronera in the central Serengeti, and about an hour and a half to Kogatende in the north. Scheduled flights often stop at other airstrips on the way, which can add an hour or more. The drive to the central Serengeti takes most of a day.

The one nearest your camp. Seronera serves the central Serengeti all year. Kogatende serves the north and the Mara River from July to October. Ndutu serves the southern plains for the calving season from December to March. Your camp collects you from the strip, so the choice follows the camp.

Mostly single-engine turboprops such as the Cessna Caravan, which seats about a dozen passengers, with smaller aircraft on charters. They are unpressurised and fly low enough to see the country below. Between the larger airports, Precision Air flies bigger aircraft with an ordinary 23 kg checked allowance.

In Arusha. We can store a bag for you while you are in the parks, and most Arusha hotels will hold luggage for guests who are returning. Coastal Aviation also offers storage at its Dar es Salaam airport office. Leave the hard case, town clothes and anything for the flight home.

Sources we checked

Fees, entry rules and medical advice change. Figures were checked in October 2026; confirm them with the official source before you travel.

Last updated 3 October 2026

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