Borneo packing list: A realistic guide on what to bring to Borneo

Lightweight, but sturdy LONG trousers that aren’t black and that quick-dry. I recommend bringing at least one pair (ideally two pairs) as one might get dirty/wet from trekking. I recommend avoiding black trousers as it makes it harder to see leeches. You’ll want to pull your socks OVER your pants to make it harder for them to get onto you. Keep in mind that leeches can eat through fabric, so you are not immune to leeches if you’re covered up (like I thought I was).

My husband wore his trusty cargo pants, which helped for holding our electronics. I wore a similar pair of cargo pants although I didn’t end up having a good pair that was quick-dry, which I really regretted. It took forever to have my clothes dry and even when they were “dry,” they were still moist. As much as it’s great to look fashionable, you don’t want to pack for Borneo trying to look fashionable. You won’t.

Click for a good pair of men’s trekking pants for Borneo.
Click for a good pair of women’s trekking pants for Borneo.

Be sure to bring lightweight quick-dry long-sleeve shirts depending how often you’re going trekking. At minimum, bring at least two shirts as one shirt will probably need to dry for at least a day. ​

Why long sleeve shirts? You need to wear long-sleeve shirts in Borneo as you don’t want the plants scraping against you and leeches getting on you. Tiger leeches wait by the waist level to hop on you as you rub against bushes, so it’s a good idea to wear long sleeves in Borneo.

You’ll thank me for this if you’re trekking in Sabah. Be sure to pack good breathable lightweight materials for Borneo as long-sleeves make you very prone to sweating. It takes a while for your clothes to dry. I saw a lot of people in stereotypical jungle trekking shirts, but honestly, any quick-dry long sleeve shirt meant for hot weather will do.

Click for a quick-dry men’s long-sleeve shirt for Borneo
Click for a quick-dry women’s long-sleeve shirt for Borneo

I’m not going to claim definitively that I found the best shoes for Borneo. The shoes that I found worked well enough and I’ve been pleased with them. It’s easy to blow a lot money on gear for Borneo, so if you have a good pair of hiking sneakers, you should be fine on shoes for Borneo.

A good waterproof pair of hiking shoes is one of the most important items that you’ll need to pack for Borneo, especially if you’ll be trekking. I wore my Saloman Women’s Ellipse 2 LTR W Hiking Shoe, which kept my feet dry and comfortable. Some people prefer a higher cut for their hiking shoes to avoid their ankle from rolling. You can spend a lot more on hiking shoes, but I was interested in the cheapest decent pair of hiking sneakers for Borneo that I could find. I’ve used them on other trips since and they’re good hiking sneakers.

My husband bought Jack Wolfskin boots in a higher cut. They’re also on the cheaper side for waterproof hiking boots for Borneo, but he’s been pleased with them given the price point. For a little more, it’s easy to buy quality hiking boots.

While trekking, you’ll need to carry your water bottle, food, and any extra supplies that you’ll need for the day. It might start pouring while you’re trekking, so be sure to pack a good lightweight day backpack to Borneo. I think it’s good to have something that folds up to take up less space, so you don’t need to wear two backpacks, however my husband uses an army surplus backpack that he bought in the US years ago and it works amazingly well. If you’re planning on carrying a lot on your day hikes, get an army bag. It was very handy for Bako National Park where you’ll need to carry your lunch with you for day hikes.

The elevation on Mount Kinabalu means that it can get quite cold at night, so be sure to bring a fleece sweater with you as most agencies have you do the final descent prior to sunrise.

Pairs of underwear (one per day and two for trekking days) and for women, at least 3 sports bras as you’ll be sweating through your clothes. I recommend packing more pairs of underwear if you’ll be trekking in Borneo as you’ll want to change out of your clothes once you’re done trekking. I recommend wearing long socks as you won’t want to be continuously pulling up your socks.

Mosquito repellent. The strongest that you can find. The reality is that if you’re prone to getting bit by mosquitos, you’re going to get bit A LOT in Borneo. This can be an issue if you’re traveling to areas where dengue fever and malaria are an issue. Some people choose not to take malaria tablets, but personally, I would not risk it given how many mosquito bites that I’d find on myself each day after getting a sub-par mosquito repellent. As much as I wanted an all natural product, products with a higher percentage (at least 30%) DEET work well for jungle trekking. Some people go the whole mile with coating their clothing with mosquito repellent spray although it can impact the color of your clothing. My issue was that I have a cat and I had some concerns about her licking the bag.

Borneo has some fantastic cities and you might want to experience the nightlife (or just walk around the city). I particularly enjoyed the night markets in Kota Kinabalu and it was great to have a lightweight comfortable dress to throw on after a day of trekking. Although I saw a lot of foreign women walking around in shorts and cropped tops, I felt much more comfortable in a knee-length dress.

It cools down considerably some nights and similarly, you might be visiting a couple restaurants with intense air conditioning during your trip (especially in Brunei) I recommend having a comfortable light layer that you can put on.

When not trekking, I lived in my basic cotton short-sleeve t-shirts. I recommend a light color to ensure that you’re not too warm. You don’t need anything too crazy, but bring quite a few. I also brought a colorful scarf with me to dress up the t-shirts as I felt my outfits were kind of boring otherwise. I brought six t-shirts with me, which got me through the first week until I was able to do my laundry.

When you’re not trekking, you might stay somewhere with a pool, you might want to go diving in the incredible coral reef (Sipadan), or even stop while trekking for a dip in a jungle pool. Be sure to bring your bathing suit!

For walking around the cities, you’ll want to have a comfortable pair of sandals. Some people prefer a thong sandal (although I personally am not a fan as it was often a little muddy and my feet would get nasty after walking around!) . I’d recommend a slightly elevated shoe for women to prefer icky stuff from getting into your shoes or a comfort sandal (like a Tevas).

I cannot tell you HOW many people I saw trying to take photos of the monkeys up in the trees with a basic phone camera or GoPro. Although phones are great for closeup photos and Gopros are great for taking selfies/videos, they do not cut it when wild animals are 50 meters up in the trees.

For this, you really need a DSLR camera with a good zoom lens, which means that you can get photos like the one above of a proboscis monkey. My husband didn’t have binoculars or a camera, so he was forced to actually look through my zoom lens in order to see the wildlife (especially hornbills) as they were far enough away that it was hard to see them. You’ll need a zoom lens that extends up to 200/300mm.

I always consider great photos my best souvenir from a place and investing in a not-too-expensive zoom lens was worth it 100% for me. I have a Nikon D3400, which is an affordable DSLR that comes with a great starter kit WITH a free zoom lens. I have this camera and it’s traveled all over the world.

I had this zoom len stolen from me when our rental car was broken into in Spain, so I ended up replacing it with a cheaper Tamron zoom lens that worked perfectly for my trip and was in my budget. (You can see my photos from Borneo taken with this lens.)

Keep in mind that if you have a different camera type OR you have a full-frame camera, you’ll need to research a good zoom lens for YOUR camera.

I got the Lonely Planet guidebook, which is a must-read if you’re considering doing adventure travel in Borneo. It’s a bit hard as it’s very spread out, however I felt the Lonely Planet guide for Borneo was a good basis for figuring out what we wanted to go and which regions to focus on. I also read the guide that included Malaysia, Brunei, and Indonesia, but I felt it was less suited to the kind of adventurous trip that I wanted to do. Click to check the price of the Lonely Planet guide.

You’re probably wondering why do you should bring tupperware to Borneo? Depending on your plans, you’ll probably go trekking. ​Carrying your lunch in a plastic bag is a terrible idea as many of the macaques are smart enough to know that there’s food in your bag and you might have some competition for your lunch.

Macaques are very aggressive and short-tail ones are the most aggressive of the monkeys you’ll encounter in Borneo. They are fearless and they are known to bite people without warning. I saw macques chase after people with plastic bags, so consider bringing a set of tupperware with you to put your lunch in. This way, your lunch doesn’t spill and you’re not advertising to the monkeys that you’re someone with food.

Depending on where you’re going in Borneo, you’ll need to pack a travel adapter. In Brunei and Malaysia, they use a British-style plug while in Indonesia, it’s the European-style plug. If you get a good adapter that is solid for most countries, you’ll have an easier time not needing to carry extra adapters around. I recommend carrying a universal travel adapter with USB ports as you can charge up your phone and your camera at the same time!

The sun in Borneo is probably more intense than what you’re used to. Be sure to put on a strong sunscreen every day even if you’re wearing long sleeves. Be sure to reapply it too! Similarly, if you go snorkeling, be sure to wear waterproof sunscreen. I made this mistake for two hours and I ended up being completely burnt.

I had no idea that I was getting sunburnt until later that night when I discovered how painful and red my back was. It also was really awful to sleep as it hurt that much–and to carry my backpack. Simply, don’t forget your back and your shoulders!

For some places that we visited in the Kinabatangan region, it’s possible to have a suitcase if you’re staying in the same hotel for day. However, for some of the more out of the way places and budget travel, a suitcase would have been a nightmare, especially for when we stayed overnight for a couple days in Bako National Park and took a boat back from Bako National Park during low tide. We had to walk down the beach (barefoot) prior to wading through the tide while wearing our our bags in order to catch our ride, which would have been very difficult with a non-backpack. I didn’t end up trekking for long periods with my bag, but it’s important to have a good bag for Borneo if you’ll be carrying all your stuff with you the entire time.The rain cover doesn’t always come with every backpack, so be sure to get a rain cover fit for your bag.

I have the Quechua 50L bag, which requires being checked, but you’ll be able to fit all your stuff into it AND have room for souvenirs. Check prices here

I came to Borneo to see wildlife, so while in Bako, we did a night trek. I was hoping to see a slow loris, but I ended up seeing a flying lemur, which was amazing. For night trekking, it’s really good to have a headlamp just to see where you’re going and to ensure you don’t step on anything. I’ve been using my Black Diamond headlamps for years now and they’re well made products.

A lot of people only do hiking with trekking poles. The terrain can be at times very mushy in rainy season, so I would have benefited a lot from trekking poles as we did some steep hikes where the footing was fairly difficult due to the mud.

If you’re into bird watching or just not a big photo taker, consider bringing a good pair of binoculars as the hornbills are absolutely fascinating to watch. Even using decent zoom lens, they’re often too high to see them very up close, so I think binoculars are important if you’re coming to see animals. You don’t need anything too fancy and my husband ended up borrowing a pair of binoculars as he struggled to see the hornbills without them. The only instance that you might want a better pair of binoculars is if you’ll be doing a lot of night walks.