Si Phan Don

Go biking: While you are on one of the islands, you can rent a bike and see around. It is also possible to do a bit of island hopping as a bridge connects the two islands of Don Det and Don Khon. The bridge is a rickety railway bridge, a remnant of the old French colonial times.

Boating: The Mekong river is ideal for boating; you can easily hire a local boatman for a low price and enjoy the tranquillity of the river. It costs about 20 to 40 USD for these boat tours, which is dependent on the number of people and the tour type, which includes sunset tour, day tour and slow boat trips.

Dolphin Watch: The Mekong River is home to the freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins. You can join one of the several tours for watching these endangered dolphins. The tours cost about 30 to 50 USD per person for a group tour, which takes about 1 hour, and slightly more if you opt for a private tour.

Day 1: Plan your trip to all the waterfalls by renting a motorbike.

Day 2: Take dolphin tour and then head to Wat Khon Tai. Spend the evening taking a sunset tour in the Mekong.

• Since the islands are away from the nearest bigger town, it is best to load up the necessary amenities.
• Also, ATMs are very few, and it is advisable to carry enough cash before starting your trip.
• The entrance to the tourist sites, especially the waterfalls, is quite high. Please decide beforehand if you wish to visit the website.
• If you are visiting during the monsoon season, be careful of your safety. Some of the islands get flooded due to heavy rains. Please check the weather before planning your trip.

Paske is the nearest biggest town to the Si Phan Don islands. The best way to reach Pakse is by bus. Regular buses and minivans are available from cities like Luang Prabang, Vientiane and Vang Vieng, which takes between 8 to 10 hours.

There are 4 bus stations in Pakse, which connects the town with other smaller cities too. The bus ticket varies between 20 to 30 USD per person depending on the city of departure. You can also get there by renting a taxi for about 200 USD. There are flights to Pakse from Vientiane, Bangkok, Siem Reap and Luan Prabang.

You can easily reach Si Phan Don islands by bus or songthaew from Pakse. The bus leaves around 8 in the morning and costs around 70,000 LAK. A cheaper option is to catch songthaews from Pakse's southern bus station. Take Ban songthaew to Nakasang if you are going to Don Det or Don Khone, and to Ban Khinak if you are going to Don Som. The fare to either of these places is 40,000 LAK.

There are also direct buses from Siem Reap, Phnom Penh in Vietnam which takes around 7-8 hours for the entire journey.