The 4,000 Islands – Chill Out amongst Mekong Waterfalls
In Laos’ far south, the Mekong expands to almost 50 km wide, filled with islands. Most of the “4,000 islands” are just a single tree with a little grass around it, but a few are large enough to hold several villages.
The gateway to this region is the village of Nakasong, 3 hours via express bus from Pakse. Buses from the Cambodian border take about 30 minutes. There’s nothing to see or do in Nakasong except get the 10-minute boat to the islands of Don Det or Don Khon. Don Det has more going on, Don Khon is a little quieter.
I’m told that Green Paradise Travel arranges riverboat travel between Pakse and Don Det, but you would need to get a large group together to make that cost-effective.
There are no ATMs on the islands, but BCEL (the best bank in Laos from which to get cash) has an ATM in Nakasong just 100-200 metres from the Nakasong boat dock — it’s on Google Maps.
There’s no need to book lodging – very few places are listed on the internet at all, and they are much more expensive when booked on the web in advance, to cover the enormous commissions taken by Booking, Agoda, and other reservation websites. Book on arrival — you pay less, and the innkeeper gets all of the money. From the boat dock on either island, you’re a few minutes’ walk from several guesthouses. See a few and choose one.
You come here to chill out, rent a bicycle for $1.25 per day, enjoy the sunsets, see the waterfalls, watch the fishermen cast their nets, maybe go kayaking, drink beer, and if you wish, get stoned (all narcotics are illegal in Laos, but marijuana is tolerated here). Many bars and guesthouses are run by foreigners who came here and never left.
Two days is plenty to see the sights, but many people stay longer to enjoy the vibe:
The two islands (Don Det and Don Khon) are connected to each other by the old French railway bridge, now used by bicycles. On the completely flat terrain, one day is more than enough time to gently cycle around both islands and see both of the beautiful waterfalls on Don Khon.
An afternoon kayaking tour of multiple waterfalls departs on any day when there are enough customers to fill a tour. Some tourists love it, others say it’s not relaxing because you kayak for a little bit, then get out to walk a bit, then kayak again, then walk again etc.
Below: a fisherman getting ready to cast his net in the Mekong
The Full Moon Party on my second night in Laos. I was still running into some of these fun people a month later, in Luang Prabang
Each month on the night of the full-moon, a very fun Full-Moon Party takes place on a riverside beach on Don Det. Ask in any bar or restaurant for details. On the night, hang out at any of the popular bars on Don Det and just follow the crowd whenever they go there – don’t expect anything to happen on a fixed schedule.
If you stay many days here to enjoy the marijuana-infused evening vibe, and want to fill your days with more activities, two options include:
Get the boat back to Nakasong on the mainland, and hire a tuk-tuk to take you 10 km to Khonephapheng Falls (picture below), the largest and most impressive falls in the 4,000 Islands. The driver will wait for you for an hour, which is enough time. This is a nice half-day trip, definitely more cost-effective if you get at least 2 people together.
In addition to Khonephapheng, you can also visit the largest of the 4000 Islands which is Don Khong (not the same as Don Khon). This is about a 30-minute drive north of Nakasong, via a bridge. Adding this to your itinerary makes it a full-day trip. Get a group together to hire a tuk-tuk with driver in Nakasong. Or if you’re alone, rent a moped near your guesthouse on the island (there is no moped or motorbike rental in Nakasong), transport the moped on the boat to Nakasong, and drive yourself to both sites. Taking a rented moped on the riverboats is no problem, but you must book that in advance.