Having trekked 25 miles across the dunes of Lençóis Maranhenses National Park, I can say with certainty below is the gear you’ll be glad you packed!

Lençóis Maranhenses Packing Summary

1. Clothing: Lightweight, quick drying, and comfortable when wet 
2. Backpack: 20-30-liter backpack with rain cover and a small dry bag
3. Sun protection: Sunscreen, sunglasses, sunshirt, and hat
4. Footwear: Socks, yes, socks and Havaianas
5. Water receptacle: 2L Camelback and/or Nalgene
6. Electronics: Portable, small battery back and outlet adapter
7. Night gear: Inflatable pillow, eyemask, earplugs, and a headlamp
8. Snacks: Protein bars that don’t melt easily, trail mix, dried fruit
9. Hygiene essentials: Anything you need in the bathroom or shower
10. First aid kit: Band-Aids and Chapstick
11. Optional/Nice to Have: Book or extra electronics, cash

Since the average trek in Lençós Maranhenses is fewer than 5 days, you don’t need to pack many clothes. However, there are three categories of clothes or “outfits” you should consider when packing:

Clothes for the trek 

These are the clothes you will wear while walking between oases over the dunes and through the lagoons.

Depending on the length of the trek, bring 1-3 outfits you can rotate between. For a 4-day, 3-night trek, I suggest 2 “trekking outfits.”

Tops: Flowy, athlisure tank-tops or breathable t-shirts. I always layered with a hooded sunshirt if I felt like the sun was getting too much for me that day. Underneath the shirt, you will want to wear either a sports bra or a bikini top.

Bottoms: Breathable, non-restricting shorts that either have a built-in liner or are roomy enough to wear a bikini bottom underneath. I don’t recommend wearing leggings for the trek, as you’ll be frequently wading in and out of water. 

Clothes for the lagoons in Lençóis Maranhenses

For some, these might be the same clothes you wear during the trek.

If you’d rather not swim in the same clothes you’re hiking in, wear a bathing suit underneath your trekking outfit for an easy change. There won’t be much privacy to do full outfit changes on the dunes.

I alternated between wearing a bikini under my hiking outfit or just swimming in shorts like the REI Swiftland Shorts and a sports bra. It’s really personal preference, and most female hikers were doing one of these two things during the trek.

Clothes for the oases 

Pack one outfit to change into after you’ve showered at the oasis. Consider having just one outfit for this category and wear it each night of the trek. Avoid trekking or swimming in these clothes so they stay clean and comfortable for sleeping.

I wore guazy-cotton shorts and a graphic t-shirt. If I felt cool at night in my hammock, I would put on my sun shirt. Most oases provide a light sheet in the hammock for comfort at night.

Don’t forget a couple of pairs of underwear. I also packed a bralette to wear with my Oasis outfit.

You will be able to handwash your clothes at the oases. The two oases where we stayed had clothing lines, too.

Since I was rewearing all of my trekking clothes and bathing suits at least once, I always tried to wash them with clean water and lay them out to dry in the sun.

If you are staying at the oases during the trek, no oversized or fancy hiking pack is needed for Lençóis Maranhenses. A simple 20 to 30L backpack with a CamelBak pocket is perfect. I love REI’s Flash 22 backpack. 

If you are trekking in Lençóis Maranhenses outside of the dry season or during the shoulder season, you may want to consider a rain cover for your backpack. Alternatively, line your pack with a heavy-duty trash bag and pack your clothes in the trash bag to protect them from the rain.

Bring a small,  5L dry bag to store important items like your passport, camera, phone, or anything valuable during the trek. I like using a dedicated dry bag, like the Sea to Summit bags, so these items are always safe from the rain and protected during lagoon crossings.

Amazon offers reusable zipper bags in a variety of sizes, ideal for keeping snacks and small items organized on your trek.

Trekking through Lençóis Maranhenses, you’ll be hard-pressed to find consistent shade. It is basically nonexistent outside of the oases.

Even though most guides do their best to keep hikers out of the sun during the hottest part of the day, you will still want the best sun protection during the trek.

Sunscreen: Your preferred sunscreen. My go-to brands are Supergoop and Sun Bum.

Sunhat: A wide-brim sun hat that you can easily squish or fold in your pack is ideal. I used this Cotopaxi bucket hat.

Sunglasses: Don’t forget eye protection on this trek. Goodr offers affordable, lightweight polarized glasses in multiple styles.

Sun shirt: As previously mentioned, I love the REI Sahara sunshirts. They’re super soft, lightweight, and have a nice hood

If you’ve read my blog post, Trekking Lençóis Maranhenses: 20 Things You Need to Know, you already know that the best footwear for this trek is a pair of socks.

Socks are the recommended footwear for several reasons. Most obviously, you’ll be walking on sand. Sometimes the sand will be firm and easy to walk on, other times soft and much more challenging.

“Hiking sandals” like Chacos or Tevas will start to irritate your skin once they get wet and sand starts rubbing between the straps. Even with socks, my skin didn’t tolerate the Chacos’ straps well during the trek.

Since the sand isn’t hot, walking with just socks or even barefoot, as many guides do, is totally doable. Just don’t forget sunscreen on the toes if you forgo the socks altogether.

If you don’t mind them getting wet or dealing with sand in your shoes, some hikers wear sneakers or lightweight hiking boots.

My favorite hiking socks are Darn Tough Socks.

If you plan to hike in socks, still bring a pair of sandals like Havaianas to wear around the oasis and in the bathroom.

Nothing special here, a 2L CamelBak water bladder is perfect. I also liked having a separate Nalgene or a Platypus water bottle to use while at the oases, so I wasn’t carrying around the CamelBak.

Hikers need to purchase water bottles at the Oases to refill each day of the hike.

The oases provide power strips for trekkers to use. Since this is Brazil, you will need to bring an adapter with you to use the plugs. In Maranhão, Brazil, the standard voltage is 220 volts. If your device is dual voltage, pack an adapter like this one.

If you don’t want to worry about always needing to access a wall plug to recharge, bring a lightweight power bank like an Anker. I like the Anker Nano 3-in-1 because you don’t need to worry about the charging cords.

Lastly, action cameras like GoPros or a DSLR or Mirrorless camera are always nice to have while trekking to get the best landscape shots.

Thinking of adding Jericoacoara to your Northeast Brazil itinerary? Don’t miss my blog posts packed with tips for planning your visit!

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If you are staying at an oasis during the trek, you just need to pack a few items to ensure a good night’s rest.

Obviously, if you are camping in the dunes, your sleeping gear list will be much more extensive.

The oasis redarios, or the “open-air hammock rooms” with palm thatched roofs, are where trekkers sleep during the hike. Some of these spaces have over 30 hammocks or redes hanging from them. Think of it like a hammock dormitory.

The Oasis camp manager will assign you or your group an area of hammocks. Your hammock will come with a clean sheet.

To make things a little more comfortable, I recommend an inflatable camping pillow. Deflated, these take up barely any space in your pack, but they make a big difference once inflated.

Throughout the night, trekkers will be coming and going from the redarios. A good eye mask and earplugs go a long way in helping you stay asleep amidst the noise and headlamps.

Finally, you will need a headlamp for the early morning treks and walking around the oasis at night. Headlamps make good booklamps for bedtime hammock reading, too.

The meals provided by the oases are plentiful and served family-style, so you can eat as much or as little as you wish. However, if you’re a picky eater or just like having snacks on hand (like I do), it’s a good idea to pack a dedicated snack stash.

You’ll want to bring snacks that maintain their shape and freshness in the heat, like hardy protein bars, trail mix, or dried fruit. My go-tos are GoMacro Bars and Cliff Bars.

These aren’t sold in Brazil, so pack them before you travel if coming from the US. It is much easier to source the components for trail mix at local grocery stores.

Some oases have “snack bars” that sell processed goods like chips and soda.

This comes down to personal preference. Some trekkers may prefer just rinsing off in the lagoons (no soap), while others will take advantage of the showers and bathrooms at the oases.

An easy list of the basics might include:

• Bodywash
• Toothbrush, paste, and floss
• Hair brush and hair ties
• Supplies for eye contacts, if you use them
• Hand sanitizer
• Shower sandals

If you’re hiking with a guide, ask what kind of first aid kit they’ll have. It’s likely well-equipped, so you probably won’t need to bring a very comprehensive one yourself.

I still recommend having a handful of Band-Aids and Chapstick.

During the trek, you will have some downtime at the oasis. A book or a set of playing cards is a nice way to pass the time.

Unless you have access to Brazil’s electronic payment system called PIX, you will want to have cash (Reais) on hand to use at the Oasis. You will need cash to buy drinking water, beer, caipirinhas, or snacks.

Still have questions about visiting Lençóis Maranhenses National Park? Check out my blog post where I cover 20 things you should know before you go.

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