Trip overview
Southern Laos moves at a different speed from Luang Prabang. This trip covers three distinct landscapes without rushing any of them: the Khmer temple of Wat Phou below the sacred hill of Phu Kao, the coffee farms and waterfalls of the Bolaven Plateau, and Si Phan Don, the stretch of the Mekong known as the Four Thousand Islands, where the river fans out to its widest point anywhere along its course.
One fact we state plainly rather than let you find out on arrival: Si Phan Don no longer has Irrawaddy dolphins. The last individual in this stretch of river died in February 2022, and the population is locally extinct here. If seeing river dolphins matters to your trip, that experience is now only realistic at Kratie in Cambodia, several hundred kilometres downstream; ask us about combining a visit there instead, or see our [Kratie river dolphins trip](cambodia/tours/4d3n-phnom-penh-kratie-river-dolphins). We would rather tell you this now than have it show up as a disappointment on Don Det.
Trip highlights
- Wat Phou, a UNESCO World Heritage Khmer temple at the foot of Phu Kao mountain near Champasak
- Coffee farms, villages and the Tad Fane waterfall on the Bolaven Plateau
- Don Det and Don Khon, the two most visited islands of Si Phan Don
- Khone Phapheng, a chain of rapids stretching more than 10 km, often called the largest waterfall in Southeast Asia by volume
- Li Phi falls, reached by a short walk or bicycle ride from the old French colonial bridge linking Don Det and Don Khon
- A clear, honest answer on where the region’s dolphins actually are today
Your day-by-day itinerary
Day 1: Arrive Pakse
Transfer from Pakse airport to your hotel. Pakse itself is a working river town at the junction of the Mekong and the Se Don rather than a sightseeing destination, and the afternoon is left free to settle in before four active days ahead.
Day 2: Wat Phou and Champasak
A short drive south to Champasak and Wat Phou, a Khmer temple complex built into the slope of Phu Kao and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It predates Angkor Wat and follows the same axis principle, terraces climbing toward a sanctuary at the base of the hill, with far fewer visitors on any given day than the temples of Siem Reap. The afternoon covers the quiet riverside town of Champasak itself before returning to Pakse for the night.
Day 3: Bolaven Plateau — coffee, waterfalls and villages
A full day on the Bolaven Plateau, the volcanic highland east of Pakse where Laos grows most of its coffee. Stops take in a working coffee farm, one or more of the plateau’s waterfalls including Tad Fane, and villages belonging to several of the ethnic minority groups who live on the plateau. The elevation makes this a noticeably cooler day than the river towns below, worth a light layer even in the hot season.
Day 4: South to Si Phan Don, boat to Don Det or Don Khon
The road south from Pakse to Si Phan Don, the Four Thousand Islands, takes a few hours, ending at Nakasong where a short boat crossing brings you to Don Det or Don Khon depending on your hotel. In the afternoon you visit Khone Phapheng, a broad chain of rapids running more than 10 km along this stretch of the Mekong rather than a single drop, best reached from Nakasong. Later you can walk or cycle to Li Phi falls, about 25 minutes on foot or 10 minutes by bicycle from the old French colonial bridge that links Don Det and Don Khon, and take in the remains of the French-era railway built to portage cargo around these very rapids over a century ago.
Day 5: Si Phan Don, departure
A last slow morning on the islands, cycling the flat lanes of Don Det or Don Khon or simply watching the river, before transfer back to Pakse for your onward flight.
What’s included
- Hotels in the class you choose, twin or double occupancy, with breakfast each morning, or an equivalent property if the one named is full.
- All meals written into the day-by-day programme below.
- A private air-conditioned vehicle for every transfer and excursion in the programme.
- An English-speaking local guide at each stop on the route.
- Every boat trip, river crossing and cruise named in the itinerary.
- Entrance fees for the sites listed in the programme.
- Drinking water in the vehicle and on boat days.
- Government tax and service charge.
Not included
- International and domestic flights, and rail tickets.
- Visas, and any fee collected at a border post.
- Travel insurance.
- Meals and drinks that are not written into the programme.
- Personal spending such as laundry, phone calls, minibar, souvenirs and watersports.
- Early check-in, late check-out and room upgrades.
- Anything added on the day at your request outside the printed programme.
- Gratuities for your guide and driver.
- Costs arising from weather, flooding, road closures or other events beyond our control.
- Bank transfer charges.
Booking this trip
- Days
- 5 days / 4 nights
Sending this does not charge you. We hold the space and confirm within 24 hours.
For visas, payment terms and what to expect on arrival, see [Laos travel information](laos/travel-information).
Send us your travel dates and group size and we will confirm availability across Pakse, the Bolaven Plateau and Si Phan Don.