Things to Do in the 4000 Islands, Laos: A DIY Guide to Don Det & Don Khon
The 4000 Islands, or Si Phan Don, are as far south as you can travel in Laos before reaching Cambodia, with the Mekong river providing the border between the two countries.
The Mekong splits into a river archipelago, with lots of tiny islands and islets sitting in the river, some of these islands are inhabited, two of these islands are frequented by tourists – Don Det and Don Khon.
This post is all about the things to do in the 4000 isalnds, specifically on Don Det and Don Khon.
There is no trying to be cool and trendy and say “oh actually this other unheard of island is cooler”, this post covers only Don Det and Don Khon, which is where most people travel to for good reason.
People don’t necessarily come to the 4000 islands to “do activities”, a lot of people come here just as a break, to relax. It mixes up the travel from things like the Thakhek Loop and the Pakse Loop with something different. But there are things to do here.
This post will cover all the things to do in the 4000 islands that you can do of your own accord simply by rocking up, no guided tours, although I will briefly discuss one particular tour at the end of the post the idea is just to list all the things you can do by yourself.
I will cover the costs, briefly touch on how to get to the 4000 islands, how to get around, whether each activity is worth it and which island each activity is on.
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Things to do in 4000 Islands Video
To better visualise all of the things to do in 4000 islands you can also check out this video I have made with beautiful visuals to highlight how awesome a location it can be.
Travelling on the Mekong
Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).
Introductory Information to the 4000 Islands
Before we get into all the things to do in the 4000 islands I will breifly cover some basics about the area so you kind of know what I am talking about.
Where Are the 4000 Islands?
The 4000 islands, or Si Phan Don, are located as far south in Laos as you can pretty much go.
See the map below if you’re still unsure – but it’s a similar lattitude to Bangkok, right at the southern border with Cambodia.
How to Get to the 4000 Islands?
I will keep this section brief as this guide is more about what to do in the 4000 islands.
Where are you coming from?
You are either coming from the south (Cambodia) or from the north (Vientiane, Thakhek or Pakse).
Where you need to get to for the boat
You will be trying to get to a town that is both spelled as Nakasong and Nakasang depending on whose sign you read. Nakasong is the port town where you jump on the long-tail boat to either Don Det or Don Khon.
The land border crossing
There is a land border crossing with Cambodia, do your own research about whether you are allowed to enter there based on your passport etc. But there are many buses and minivans even that offer these packages crossing the border and take you to Nakasong.
Getting the bus
If you’re coming from the north you will be getting a bus, most people opt for the overnight buses.
The same bus that departs from Vientiane will go through Thakhek and to Pakse where it will normally terminate. In Pakse you need to change bus to head to Nakasong, with 1 exception …
There is 1 bus departure that will go through Pakse and all the way to Nakasong without having to change buses. You will need to suss this out for your specific location and time of visit, for me it was 19:00 departing Thakhek.
Your best option for buses is to never book online in Laos, you will pay way more than you need to and you won’t see all of the options available anyway.
Go to the bus station in the lead up to your departure to organise your ticket. I recommend getting two tickets if you’re not travelling with a friend, otherwise you share the “bed” with a stranger of the same sex.
The “beds” are tiny, so I’d rather have it to myself and not share for the extra cost.
I won’t cover costs since they change depending on where you are coming from and how many seats you book, but the costs that I paid are all covered in the video.
What about flights?
The closest airport is Pakse if you would rather fly to Pakse and then catch a bus to Nakasong this is also an option.
The boat to the islands
You can walk from the bus drop off down to the river, it is only about 5 minutes walk. You don’t need to pre-book tickets for this as you can just pay when you arrive.
If you organised a package ticket then this could even be included but that depends how you book and what they offer.
The ferry cost also changes depending on whether you’re splitting the cost or travelling solo as well as whether you’re going to Don Det or Don Khon. I paid the full fare to Don Khon which at the time was ₭165,000, but this can be split if travelling with others.
Khone Phapheng.
Shot on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon).
Where to Stay on the 4000 Islands?
There are two options here – Don Det and Don Khon.
Yes there are other islands in the area, no I won’t be discussing them. Don Det and Don Khon are the two that everyone goes to. I stayed on Don Khon.
Don Det has more of a young person crowd and probably more accommodation for cheap with more hostel style offerings.
Don Khon has more of a family or older crowd but the islands are so small everyone mixes anyway it’s hardly a line in the sand. I stayed in Don Khon for the accommodation, the quiet and the fact that most of the things you actually want to see are on Don Khon.
The only thing I preferred about Don Det was that it had the only two places I found with good coffee (more on that later).
The choice is yours, I only paid $20 USD per night for a much better room than a hostel for $5/night and enjoyed the trip more because of it.
I don’t want to waste space in this post listing every available option, there are plenty of good ones. I stayed at Bon Tai Resort, I was considering also Pan’s guesthouse and Mama Leuah’s Guesthosue too.
But check out other stuff too don’t limit yourself to what you see in blog posts.
On Don Det the majority of the accomodation options are on the northern tip of the island. On Don Khon they are mostly along the river channel between the two islands.
This is not your only options but this is just where the concentration of accommodation will be found. On Don Khon this means a lot of the accommodation option’s restaurants offer sunset views with the bridge in the background.
How to Get Around When You’re There?
The islands are small, but perhaps a little bit too big to walk everywhere unless you are staying for a week or so. For example to get from the resort I stayed at to the southernmost point of Don Khon is 5km one way. Not massive but then you have to return and it can be warm at times.
Most people will rent bicycles or your accommodation may even offer them for free.
There is scooter hire available as well, don’t expect to see them on GoogleMaps just walk around and ask around.
The scooters are in poor condition most of the time, but you don’t really need them to be able to do much. I tried 3 before finally settiling on the 4th, which was the only one I tried that had working brakes.
So don’t expect great quality.
Just to give you an idea of how easy it is to get around – I did all the activities on this list in less than 2 full days. I could have done them in one day but would not have been able to relax and enjoy each spot as much.
So a bicycle will be fine, a scooter even easier but definitely not needed and most people just go with a bicycle.
How Long to Spend in the 4000 Islands?
This question is not something I can answer really as it depends on your goal here and your schedule.
Are you backpacking with no set timeframe? Do you want to relax? Are you just trying to see the sights? Do you want some time in between the Pakse Loop and the Thakhek Loop?
What I can say is that with 2 full days, you can see everything in the list of things to do in the 4000 islands that you are about to see, plus some relaxation time.
1 day is still possible but will be rushed and you’d need to rent a scooter.
My personal recommendation is for 2 full days as a minimum plus a part day on the way in, but I think 3-5 days if you like to relax will be more beneficial to you.
Border Between Laos and Cambodia
Shot on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon).
Things to Do in the 4000 Islands
In this section of the post I will give a brief overview of all the things to do in the in the 4000 islands by yourself – no tours needed.
I will break it up into the island that they are based on but most of the stuff is on Don Khon. All of it can be visited no matter which island you choose to stay on.
But first I want to cover one activity which isn’t on either island.
Khon Phapheng Falls
Khon Phapheng falls is one of the major sections of the rapids that make this area what it is. This section is the furthest to the east and is not actually on either island, it is part of the mainland.
To visit it if you’re already on Don Det or Don Khon, you need to get the longtail boat back to Nakasong, then catch a Tuk Tuk from there. Or you can view it as part of a kayak tour.
I recommend going to view these falls before even getting to the islands. When you arrive on the bus in the morning, get a tuk tuk straight away to these falls. It saves you having to come back to the mainland later and saves a boat ticket.
The tuk tuk will be about ₭100,000 each way and will take about 20-25 minutes.
These falls are said to be like the Niagara Falls of Asia, they are a wide section of the Mekong with multiple white water river channels and falls of up to 21m in height, although they’re mostly smaller.
The water flow here can be hard to explain especially in the wet season. These aren’t high waterfalls, but they’re extremely powerful.
Entry for me was only ₭33,000 which was about $2.20 AUD
Khone Phapheng Falls.
Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 (Amazon/eBay link).
The best lookouts at Khon Phapheng are at the far end, so when you enter just keep walking to the end and the views get better. There is also some nice manicured gardens and a sacred tree to view.
I left all of my bags with the tuk tuk driver and spent just over an hour here then returned to the port to get the boat.
Don Det
The following activities can be found on the island of Don Det, which is the northernmost of the two islands discussed in this post.
Old French Port
One of two in the 4000 islands. The other ‘Old French Port’ is on the far southern tip of Don Khon.
There isn’t much to do here nor any informational plaques, but it’s worth stopping by for a look. The two ports used to be linked by rail, running across the Don Det-Don Khon bridge all the way to the south of Don Khon.
The reason for this was because the Mekong River is impassable at the 4000 islands region for boats. In a bid to increase trade with China the French constructed a rail system and two ports to bypass the obstructions and open up their Mekong River trade route.
Boats had to be loaded onto trains, tranpsorted to the other port and offloaded once past the rapids found at places like Khone Phapheng, Li Phi Somphamit and Khone Pa Soy.
It is a nice place to come for sunrise and there is no entrance fee.
Old French Port Don Det.
Shot on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon).
Don Det Buddhist Temple
Not far from the port is Don Det’s Buddhist temple.
When I visited, parts of it appeared to still be under construction and the gates were closed, so there wasn’t particularly much to explore. If you’re riding past, it is worth having a look, but I wouldn’t cross the island solely for it.
That applies to several of the smaller temples around Don Det and Don Khon. They’re pleasant stops while exploring rather than major temple attractions on the scale of places elsewhere in Laos.
Although I didn’t enter (it looked closed) apparently you can go inside and walk around.
Don Det & Don Khon Bridge.
Shot on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon).
The Beaches
The western side of Don Det has several small stretches of sand that have essentially become beach bars.
One of the better-known examples is La Folie Paradise Beach.
These are more about relaxing than sightseeing: hammocks, drinks, swimming, music and watching the Mekong go past.
When I rode through in the morning there was nobody around (obviously), but if you came by in the afternoon you would find people swimming in the river and having some drinks.
La Folie Paradise Beach is also still listed among the island’s established swimming and social spots.
River conditions change throughout the year, so treat swimming in the Mekong differently from swimming at a normal beach. Stay close to shore and avoid areas with obvious current.
Don Det – Don Khon Historic Bridge
This belongs to both islands but I am listing it as a Don Det activity to boost the numbers, most activities and things to do are on Don Khon afterall.
At the southern end of Don Det is the old French bridge connecting Don Det and Don Khon.
Today it is the main overland connection between the islands, so if you’re travelling by foot, bicycle or scooter between them you’ll cross it anyway.
The bridge was part of the old Don Det–Don Khon railway and is one of the most visible surviving pieces of that short-lived attempt to bypass the Khone Falls.
It also makes an excellent subject around sunset. From the Don Khon side in particular, the sun drops behind the bridge and Mekong, and many of the waterfront guesthouses and restaurants face directly towards it.
Li Phi Somphamit Falls
Shot on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon).
Don Khon
Don Khon was the more interesting island for me in terms of actual attractions.
This is where you will find the large majority of activities and things to do in the 4000 islands. It is larger than Don Det but still quite simplet to get around with one main road and very few offshoots.
Most of the island can be explored along the main ring road with smaller roads cutting across the centre. Even though I used a scooter, I could realistically have covered everything I visited by bicycle in a day.
French Railway Locomotive and Memorial
One of the best places to start exploring Don Khon’s history is the old railway locomotive and memorial.
Unlike some of the other colonial remnants, this actually had information explaining what the railway was and why it existed.
The Khone Falls created an obstacle that ships simply couldn’t navigate. The French therefore created an overland rail connection between ports above and below the rapids. Cargo and passengers could be unloaded, transported across the islands and put back onto boats beyond the obstruction.
The surviving railway ran across Don Khon and Don Det, eventually using the bridge that still joins the islands today. A surviving steam locomotive remains on Don Khon.
It isn’t a large museum — you’re essentially looking at the locomotive and a handful of informational signs.
Don Khon Buddhist Temple
Aka Wat Khone Nua in some older guides.
Wat Khone Nua is a small Buddhist temple in the interior of Don Khon along a smaller crossroad.
I visited on my way towards Khone Pa Soy Falls. The road effectively runs straight through the temple grounds.
There are a few Buddhist buildings, stupas and statues around the grounds, but this isn’t one of the major historical attractions on Don Khon. For me it was more of a quick look at a small local temple while travelling across the island.
It is nice enough to look at and walk around but 15 minutes is all you’ll need.
Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).
Khone Pa Soy Falls
Khone Pa Soy Falls — also written Khone Pa Soi or Khone Pasoy — was one of my favourite stops on Don Khon.
Entry is cheap at only ₭20,000 ($1.33 AUD).
It is a lot like Khon Phapheng and Li Phi falls in that it is a wide section of rapids on the Mekong.
But unlike Khone Phapheng you can walk around freely, climb down and along the rocks, try find new vantage points and even go for a swim if you want to.
In the wet season you may not want to swim when the water is strong, but in the dry season there were some sections of the river protected by rock with less water flow that was safe for swimming.
For the price I paid, Khone Pa Soy was one of the best-value attractions I visited in Si Phan Don.
Khone Pa Soy Falls with a building under construction.
Shot on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon).
Wat Khon Tai and the Ancient Khmer Remains
Wat Khon Tai is Don Khon’s main Buddhist temple, but there is more history here than initially meets the eye.
The temple occupies the site of an older Khmer shrine, and remnants of the earlier site remain around the grounds, including laterite foundations, stone blocks and a Shiva lingam.
That makes it considerably more interesting than simply stopping at another modern Buddhist temple.
The ruins aren’t comparable with Vat Phou or the great Khmer complexes across Cambodia, and you can easily miss them if you don’t know what you’re looking for. But as a quick stop while circling Don Khon, they add another layer to the history of the island.
Entry was free and it’s not far from Li Phi falls so it doesn’t take long to visit.
Cong Nyai Beach
At the southern end of Don Khon is Cong Nyai beach, a better beach than those found on the west side of Don Det in my opinion.
The road in is along a dirt track off the main road. Once you arrive, there is a larger sandy area as well as smaller sections tucked around the riverbank.
It is one of the better places on the island to stop during the heat of the afternoon, and I found some quieter little spots only a short distance from the main entrance.
During the dry season the water was calm enough here for a swim, with some people even swimming through a small rapids section although this isn’t recommended.
Even if you don’t swim, it is worth dropping by simply for the view across the Mekong or to relax on the sand for the afternoon.
Facing away from the beach – supposedly you can swim through these rapids.
Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).
Old French Port Don Khon
At the very southern end of Don Khon is the other old french port. This port overlooks the Mekong river and across the other side is Cambodia.
This is a great place to watch the sunrise as well as the sunset thanks to its layout you can see sunrise and sunset over the Mekong river here.
The Old French Port of Don Khon is great for sunrise and sunset over the Mekong.
Shot on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon).
Li Phi / Somphamit Falls
The biggest attraction on Don Khon itself is Li Phi Falls, also called Li Phi Somphamit among other names.
Entry to the falls is ₭33,000 or $2.20 AUD but this doesn’t get you to the point of the falls with the best view.
This is where one of the Mekong’s channels is squeezed through a rocky gorge, creating a long sequence of violent rapids and cascades.
The water is exceptionally powerful, and this is not somewhere to treat the river casually. Current visitor information specifically warns against entering the rapids.
When I visited in the dry season, exposed rocks allowed much better views down into the gorge than you might get during higher water. I found the viewpoints here more impressive than Khone Phapheng simply because you can get much closer to the action.
However some of the rocks I climbed down you probably aren’t meant to be on.
This was the only way to get any sort of good views though, with the rest of the waterfalls paywalled behind a suspension bridge.
The Li Phi Falls are the best looking falls in the 4000 islands.
Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Tamron 28-200mm f/2.8-5.6 (Amazon/eBay link).
Li Phi Suspension Bridge Walk
Inside the Li Phi complex is a separate suspension bridge/walkway experience.
Price: ₭250,000 / $16.66 AUD
It is way more expensive than the normal waterfall entrance alone.
Look, it’s way overpriced, but it does give you the best waterfall views you will find in the 4000 islands.
I don’t think it’s worth what they charge. It doesn’t make sense to me given the cost of other experiences in Laos that are way better such as Kong Lor cave, but that’s what they charge.
The walkway takes you along the rapids to a different section with a cool rocky gorge that does provide the best waterfall views in the 4000 islands.
There is also a zipline within the complex that I would not recommend unless you haven’t done other ziplines and are desperate. To me it looked pretty lame and nowhere near worth the cost.
If you’re only paying for one extra activity at Li Phi, I’d choose the walkway because the real attraction here is getting better views of the waterfall itself.
Unfortunately you need to pay for the suspension bridge to get these views.
Shot on the Sony A1 (Amazon/eBay link) using the Sony 16-35mm GM II (Amazon/eBay link).
Don Det – Don Khon Bridge
Shot on the DJI Mini 5 Pro (Amazon).
Summary
That pretty much covers all of the things to do in the 4000 islands. There are some other activities that you can do which are arranged through tour operators.
Kayak Tours
There are numerous different operators for these tours that can be found, usually by walking the streets of Don Det, but also by asking through your accommodation.
The sites that they visit are the same ones that are mentioned in this list of things to do in the 4000 islands, but you get there via kayak.
If you want to do a kayak tour I recommend doing it first, then you know what (if anything) you would like to go back to later.
Sunset / Sunrise Tours
There are locals who will offer trips on their boats that are sort of like mini island hopping tours. Great for those who want to get a unique view of the Mekong at sunrise or sunset.
You can ask around to find them, there are probably a few who will offer. One that I know of is at Old French Port Don Khon, the house just on the left as you are looking at the Mekong.
Where to Get Good Coffee?
Final word before I go.
There were two places where I found good coffee.
- Jay’s Coffee Shop.
- Don Det Coffee House & Gift Shop.
Both are on Don Det, both did good coffee, everywhere else was pretty average.