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Forums Other Destination advice The Malaysia and KL master thread Reply To: The Malaysia and KL master thread

LD27 296 posts

Thanks all.

Regarding insect repellent sprays, ones with deet are still getting better reviews such as Jungle Formula. I know ones with picardin is safer. I have read one should ofcourse wear covered up clothes, but many are recommending spraying clothes. We have 2 days in KL, 4 in KK and 2 in Sandakan. As a family of 4, am wondering how many of these aerosols or roll on repellents I should take? Leech socks are also being recommended. As before, what worked for people who went? Since we have so many flights, don’t want to carry unnecessary stuff. If you made a list of essentuals, please do share.

In Shangri-La Rasa Ria, reading a lot about sand flies too.

We usually buy insect repellent locally. However we also stock up in places like Australia and US. Products are often cheaper than in UK for high deet content. Walmart Supercentres have good supplies of insect repellent and other hiking gear. REI is also excellent in US. Huge store in Denver and other tourist cities including NYC and Las Vegas. Not sure this will help you though for this trip, but maybe to bear in mind for the future.

We have done a number of long hikes in Borneo (mainly Sarawak) both with guide and alone. Have always used insect repellent spray to remove leeches. I think you will find that with the high humidity any salt will be solid within minutes of starting your trek. As for anti leech socks, we’ll they may protect your feet, ankles and lower legs, but we found wearing trousers and long sleeve tops impossible in the humidity so took the bottoms off our trousers and wore short sleeved tops. Walking through streams and rivers and through the jungle you will find leeches don’t stay at ground level. Some are high up on bushes so when you brush by, you will find they will get under tops, on thighs and wherever they can. So every so often we stopped and checked each other. Hiking through the rainforest and mangroves and staying in longhouses is an amazing experience.

Can’t comment on the Rasa Ria, but we have stayed a number of times at the Shangri-La Tanjung Aru where sandflies weren’t an issue. Have been a couple of times to Sandakan and Kinabatangan river area and can’t recall having major issues with sand flies or mosquitoes (Easter and summer school holidays).

Hope this might be of help. Happy to answer any other questions you may have.

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