Islands in the Mekong

When travelling along the mighty Mekong River from Southern Laos to Cambodia, you'll pass through an area filled with thousands of small river islands. This area is called Sipandone.

During the dry season, when water-levels have gradually dropped, dry land emerges from the river and approximately four thousand islands are created. You'll stay at one of the larger Mekong Islands in Laos and you'll get a taste of the slow-paced island lifestyle. During your stay you can hop on bike and peddle past paddy-fields or try to spot fresh water dolphins during a boat trip.

Duration:	3 days - 2 nights Offered daily	Accommodation:	Comfortable hotel with private facilities Comfort Level 3 (see accommodation)
Price:	From $189 per person - based on 2 people sharing	Included:	Transportation, accommodation with breakfast
Transport:	Bus and ferry	Excluded:	All other meals, excursions, ferry to and from Khong Island and return bus transfer

Day 1: Pakse - Khong Island (Siphandon)

If you've added this module to your itinerary right after our Boloven Plateau trek, Boloven Plateau waterfalls and rainforests, you'll be collected from your hotel near the roaring Tad Fane falls and transfered to the Pakse bus station, where this module will begin. If you're already in Pakse at the start of this module, you'll be collected from your hotel in Pakse and transfered to the Pakse bus station.

A comfortable bus will take you to a location just short of the Cambodian border where you'll board a ferry to Khong Island. It's part of a collection of islands known as Sipandone, or four thousand islands, that appear during the dry season. You'll spend the night at one of the more luxurious hotels on Khong Island, a colourful and cosy guest house. During your first evening in Laos, you can sample traditional Laotian dishes at the hotel's restaurant or one of the many local restaurants.

Day 2: Khong Island

Today is a free day that you can spend however you wish. For instance, you can go out and explore the island on your own. Khong Island is mostly covered with 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 desk can arrange a boat trip for you to one of the 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. You'll buy 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 you can take a night train to Bangkok, which we can also add to your travel plan.

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

Laos accommodation pictures

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