By air
Pakse International (PKZ), ~3 h by road and boat
Southeast Asia · Laos
Si Phan Don, Laos
Four thousand islands on the Mekong
Getting there
Best time to visit
November to February — dry and cooler
Don't miss
Khone Phapheng Falls
Li Phi Falls
Don Det
Don Khon's old French railway
Things to do
Cycling Don Det and Don Khon
The Khone Phapheng Falls
Hammock days by the river
Where to eat
Sources: Photo: Hiroo Yamagata · CC BY-SA 2.0
What to pack
Light clothes, cash, insect repellent
A quieter corner
Irrawaddy dolphins at the Cambodian border, by boat from Don Khon
Questions travellers ask
How do I get to Si Phan Don?
Fly into Pakse International (PKZ), then allow about 3 hours by road and boat.
Can I see dolphins at Si Phan Don?
Take a boat from Don Khon to look for Irrawaddy dolphins at the Cambodian border.
How should I spend my time in Si Phan Don?
Cycle Don Det and Don Khon, see the Khone Phapheng and Li Phi falls, follow Don Khon's old French railway, and spend hammock days by the river. Try the Mekong fish grilled with lemongrass.
What should I bring to Si Phan Don?
Light clothes, cash and insect repellent. November to February is dry and cooler.
About Si Phan Don
- Riverside
- Island
Where it is
Si Phan Don, the Four Thousand Islands, is a stretch of the Mekong in Champasak province in the far south of Laos, near the border with Cambodia, where the river spreads wide around countless islands and sandbars.
History
The Khone Falls blocked river traffic on the Mekong, so in the 1890s the French colonial authorities built a short railway across the islands of Don Det and Don Khon to carry boats and cargo around them. The line closed in the mid-20th century, leaving its bridge and an old locomotive as relics, and today the islands draw travellers with their slow village life.
People
The islanders are Lao farming and fishing families who grow rice and catch fish in the channels with bamboo traps, and many now also run guesthouses and boats. Lao is spoken, and life follows the river's seasonal rise and fall.
Known for
- Khone Phapheng Falls
- Li Phi (Somphamit) Falls
- Cycling Don Det and Don Khon
- The old French railway bridge
- Hammocks by the Mekong
Did you know?
Khone Phapheng is the largest waterfall in Southeast Asia by volume, and its cascades are the main reason the Mekong cannot be navigated all the way from China to the sea.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.