Islands in the Mekong Four thousand islands, southern Laos

When travelling through southern Laos along the mighty Mekong River to Cambodia, you'll pass an area filled with thousands of islands called Sipandone. During the dry season, when water-levels have slowly dropped, many of the islands emerge from the river and approximately four thousand islands are created. You'll stay at one of the larger islands where life goes by at a slow pace. While in the area, you can bicycle ride past paddy-fields or try to spot fresh water dolphins during a boat trip.

Duration	3 days/ 2 nights Departs daily from Pakse	Accommodation	2 nights in a comfortable hotel with private facilities. Level 3 (see accommodation)
Price	From $135 per person - based on 2 people	Included	Transportation, accommodation with breakfast
Transportation	Bus and ferry	Excluded	All other meals, excursions, ferry to and from Khong Island and return bus transfer

Day 1: Pakse - Khong Island (Siphandon)

This module can start in two ways:

For clients who are starting this module directly after our Waterfalls and Rainforests of the Boloven Plateau travel module, they will be collected from their hotel near the roaring waterfalls in Tad Fane a transfered to the Pakse bus station, where this module will start.

For clients who will be staying in Pakse already, they will be collected directly from their hotel and will be transfered to the Pakse bus station.

We'll arrange your tickets for you to travel through southern Laos by comfortable bus towards Khong Island. Just short of the Cambodian border you'll board a ferry and you'll cross the mighty Mekong River to reach the island of Khong. This area of islands is also known as Sipandone or four thousand islands. During the dry season a large number of small islands and sandbanks will appear.

You'll spend the night in one of the more luxurious hotels on Khong Island, a colourful and cosy guest house. During your first evening in Laos, try typical Laotian dishes in the hotel's restaurant or one of the many other local ones.

Day 2: Khong Island

Today your day is your to spend as you wish prehaps exploring the island independently. Khong Island is mostly made up of paddy-fields, hills, vegetable gardens and small villages. Bicycles are an excellent means of transportation on the island. The staff at your hotel's reception can arrange a boat trip for you to the various surrounding islands such as Don Det and Don Khon.

The Siphandone area, with its waterfalls and rapids, is the largest fluid roadblock for cargo transportation on the Mekong River from Laos to Cambodia. In the previous century, French colonists built a railway on Don Khone in an attempt to solve this problem. The railway hasn't been used in quite some time; however an old French locomotive and a railway-bridge still remain as memories of days gone by.

Day 3: Khong Island - Pakse (end of module)

After you've checked out of your hotel this morning, the guest house staff on Khong Island will take you to the local bus station, where you'll arrange your own bus tickets back to Pakse, where this module ends.

From Pakse you can easily travel to the Laos/Thai border (45 minutes), and then onwards to the Thai city of Ubon Ratchatani (approx 1½ hours). From Ubon Ratchatani it's possible to travel by night train to Bangkok, which we can also add to your Travel Plan.

You could also continue your travels through southern Laos and cross the Cambodia border. We can arrange a transfer to take you from Khong Island to this border where you can then choose from one of the Cambodia travel modules.

Laos accommodation pictures

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