Si Phan Don: the four thousand islands where the Mekong stands still

Si Phan Don — «four thousand islands» in Lao — is the river archipelago where the Mekong widens to 14 kilometres before plunging over the Khon Phapheng falls, the largest in Southeast Asia, on the border with Cambodia. This is where the river becomes slow, flat and warm, and time seems to melt into the water.

Don Det and Don Khon

The two main islands are linked by a French colonial bridge. Don Det is the backpacker's refuge: bamboo bungalows, hammocks, no ambitions. Don Khon is slightly more curated, with Buddhist temples, an old French railway track (the only railway ever built in Laos) and the Li Phi falls — violent rapids that contrast sharply with the calm of the rest of the archipelago.

The Irrawaddy dolphins

At the southern tip of Don Khon, a handful of Irrawaddy dolphins — a critically endangered species — swim in the channel between Laos and Cambodia. They can be spotted from the bank or from small boats. They are perhaps the last of the Mekong, and watching them surface in the silence of the river is an experience that justifies the entire journey.

Life on the islands

There is nothing to do in Si Phan Don, and that is precisely the point. You rent a bicycle and circle the island in an hour. You watch the sunset from the western bank with a Beerlao in hand. You eat grilled fish over charcoal. The electricity is intermittent, the wifi is slow, and after three days you forget to check your phone.

How to get there

From Pakse (capital of Champasak province): 3 hours by minibus to Nakasang, then a boat to Don Det (5 minutes). From Phnom Penh or Siem Reap you can cross the border via Stung Treng. Ideal period: November–February. The rainy season (June–September) makes the falls more spectacular but the roads less passable.