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I Finally Walked Lencois Maranhenses and Here's What I Packed
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items Planning a trip to those unreal white sand dune lagoons in Maranhao, Brazil? The terrain is brutal on gear and your body if you show up unprepared. I burned through two pairs of sandals and got the worst sunburn of my life on day one. This is everyth...
Sections
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Sun Protection That Survives Sand Dune Wind
Footwear That Won't Get Destroyed by Hot Sand
Bags and Carriers That Handle Sand and Water
Hydration Gear for a Treeless Desert
Swim Gear for the Freshwater Lagoons
Camera Gear That Captures the Surreal Landscape
Sun Protection That Survives Sand Dune Wind
The wind whips sand into your face nonstop out there. Regular sunscreen melted off my forehead in about 20 minutes. These actually stayed put.
Slather this on before you even leave the pousada. I skipped reapplying once and looked like a lobster by the time we reached the second lagoon. It's thick enough to handle the wind without sliding off.
Sun Bum Original SPF50 Sunscreen Lotion Review
Wrap this around your neck and pull it up over your nose when the sand starts blowing sideways. Saved my face on a particularly windy afternoon when half our group looked sunburned and sandblasted.
Buff CoolNet UV+ Half Multifunctional Headband | REI Co-op
Keep this in your pocket for quick touch-ups between lagoons. Way easier than fumbling with a bottle when your hands are covered in wet sand. Compact enough that you won't even notice it's there.
Shiseido Clear Sunscreen Stick SPF 50+
Footwear That Won't Get Destroyed by Hot Sand
The dunes hit scorching temperatures by midday. I watched someone's flip-flops literally snap walking uphill. Your shoes matter more here than almost anywhere else.
Strap these on tight before you start climbing. The soles grip wet sand around the lagoons and they dry in minutes after a swim. My hiking boots were useless out there but these handled everything.
Hurricane XLT2 Sport Sandal
Try these if you hate the feeling of sand between straps. They're basically indestructible socks with a sole. A German guy in our group wore them the whole trek and his feet looked way happier than mine.
Comfort 2.0 Stone – Travel and Sports Sock Shoes
Grab a pair for the lagoon entries where the bottom gets rocky and unpredictable. They pack flat in your bag and weigh almost nothing. Wish I'd had them when I stepped on something sharp in a murky lagoon.
Women's Surfknit Pro Water Shoe Black
Bags and Carriers That Handle Sand and Water
Sand gets into everything. I mean everything. My regular backpack was basically ruined after two days because the zippers jammed with fine white grit.
Toss your phone, wallet, and snacks in here before you head out. One guy in our group dropped his regular bag near a lagoon and everything got soaked. This thing seals tight and floats.
Sea to Summit Ultra-Sil Dry Bag | REI Co-op
Use this as your main carry for the dune walk. It's light enough that you won't hate yourself on the steep climbs, and the mesh dries fast when it inevitably gets splashed.
Osprey Daylite Cinch Review
Clip this to your shorts and stop worrying about your phone dying in lagoon water. I watched two people fish their phones out of the water looking devastated. Took me exactly one near-miss to buy this.
RunOff® Waterproof Phone Case
Hydration Gear for a Treeless Desert
There is zero shade on the dunes. None. You're walking across white sand that reflects heat back at you from every angle. Dehydration sneaks up fast.
Fill this with ice water before you leave town. Six hours later mine was still cold while everyone else was drinking warm water that tasted like plastic. Worth the extra weight on the climb.
Wide Mouth
Dump one of these in your water bottle after the first hour of walking. The salt you lose sweating across those dunes is no joke. A local guide actually recommended electrolyte packets before I'd even thought of it.
Liquid I.V. Electrolytes Lemon Lime 16ct
Swap this into your daypack if you're doing a longer route between lagoons. Sipping hands-free while climbing dunes is way better than stopping every ten minutes to dig out a bottle.
Crux® 2L Reservoir Filtration Kit filtered by LifeStraw®
Swim Gear for the Freshwater Lagoons
Those turquoise lagoons look like Photoshop but they're real and swimmable. Water temperature varies wildly depending on depth and time of year. Some are warm, some made me gasp.
Wear these as your main shorts for the whole day. They work for swimming, dry fast on the walk between lagoons, and don't look ridiculous in town afterward. Basically lived in mine for four days.
Men's Hydropeak Volley Shorts - 16
Bring polarized lenses so you can actually see into the lagoons before jumping in. The glare off white sand and blue water is blinding. These stay on your face and cost little enough that losing them won't ruin your trip.
goodr sunglasses
Pack these if you want to see underwater in the clearer lagoons. Some have tiny fish swimming around and you'd miss them completely without goggles. They flatten into basically nothing in your bag.
Speedo Kid's Swim Goggles Vanquisher 2.0 Junior
Camera Gear That Captures the Surreal Landscape
Photos of Lencois Maranhenses never look real. People will think you used a filter no matter what. Getting the scale of those dunes right takes some planning.
Bring this instead of risking your expensive camera in sand and water. The wide angle actually captures how massive the dune fields are. I got my best lagoon footage swimming with this clipped to my wrist.
GoPro Camera Battery Life
Get aerial shots if you want people to understand the scale. From the ground it looks big. From 200 feet up it looks like another planet. Check local regulations first because enforcement varies.
Buy DJI Mini 4 Pro - All-in-One Mini Camera Drone
Attach your camera to your pack strap so it's always ready but your hands stay free for climbing. Reaching into a bag every time you see a new lagoon means you miss half the shots.
Capture
Skin and Body Recovery After a Full Day on the Dunes
My legs were wrecked after the first day. Walking in deep sand for hours uses muscles you forgot existed. And the sun damage hits you later that evening.
Spread this on thick the second you get back to your room. Even with sunscreen I had pink patches that needed attention. The cooling effect alone makes the walk back to the shower bearable.
Banana Boat, Soothing After Sun Aloe Gel, 16 fl oz
Apply this to your inner thighs before you head out in the morning. Sand plus sweat plus hours of walking equals chafing you'll remember for weeks. Prevention is way less painful than treatment.
Friction Defense Anti-Chafing Stick Unscented
Stick one on your calves before bed after a long dune day. My legs seized up the first night and I could barely walk the next morning. These patches saved my second day from being miserable.
Tiger Balm Pain Relieving Patch Large 4 Ct
Snacks and Food That Travel Well in the Heat
There are no convenience stores between lagoons. Our guide brought some food but it wasn't nearly enough for how hungry you get burning calories in the sand all day.
Toss three or four in your dry bag before heading out. They don't melt or crumble in the heat like chocolate bars do. Ate one sitting on top of a dune watching the lagoons stretch out and it was the best snack of my life.
RXBAR Protein Bar Variety Pack
Pour a handful between lagoon stops for quick energy. Salty and sweet hits different when you've been sweating for three hours straight. They come in a resealable bag so sand stays out.
Sahale Snacks Cashews Glazed Mix
Keep one of these for when you need something that feels fresh and not dry. Most trail snacks make you thirstier but these have enough moisture to feel like actual food. My hiking partner stole two of mine, so bring extra.
That's it. Apple + Mango Fruit Bar, 12 Pack
Booking the Trip and Getting to Barreirinhas
Actually getting to Lencois Maranhenses is half the adventure. It's remote. Flights, transfers, and guides need planning or you'll waste days figuring it out on arrival.
Book a local guide through your pousada instead of a big tour company. Ours knew which lagoons had fewer crowds and timed our visit so we had some almost to ourselves. Ask for a full-day route, not the short tourist loop.
Agência J 4x4
Stay here in Barreirinhas for a comfortable base. It's close to the river where most tours depart and the owners helped arrange everything from transfers to packed lunches. Nothing fancy but exactly what you need.
Encantes Do Nordeste
Fly into Sao Luis and arrange a transfer to Barreirinhas from there. It's about four hours by road but the drive through small towns is part of the experience. Book the morning flight so you arrive with daylight to spare.
Latam Airlines