22 Aug 2019

Sleepy and relaxed does not even begin to describe southern Laos’ Si Phan Don or more popularly referred to as the “4000 Islands” – albeit nobody actually ever counted them.

Laos is not a super big country but it is a very long country, so instead of spending two days on a bus we decided to jump on a quick one hour flight from Luang Prabang to Pakse. A quick night stopover in Pakse got us on an early two hour-ish bus ride to Ban Nakasong where you jump on a bumpy traditional long tale boat for the quick set over to Don Det.

Don Det is probably the most touristic (and easiest to get to) island of Si Phan Don but by all means not actually very big or overdeveloped. In fact you won’t find any cars on the island, just scooters, a few tuk tuks and many bicycles which you can rent on every corner to get you around the bumpy roads on the island. To give you an idea of size (and bear in mind this is one of the biggest of the islands), we walked around the whole island (not very fast since it was nearly 40 °C) in around two and a half hours with a few pit stops in the shade in true island mentality.

We stayed at a riverside bungalow with a private bathroom and breakfast included at less than £10 a night, what a bargain! Most accommodation on the island is in bungalow style, there are some differences in price depending on shared/ private bathroom, size and cleanliness – but note almost none of the accommodations have an aircon unit and it gets hot! Oh so very hot!

Staying here in early April you can expect temperatures of just under 40°C, not that bad you might say if you’re an experienced traveller, but here in landlocked Laos you have no remedy from an ocean breeze, actually no wind at all and it is super humid – you just won’t stop sweating! Combine that with no aircon in your little bungalow and you certainly know what it means to be hot beyond compare, so if you’re struggling with heat, maybe Laos in April isn’t the right choice for you. But if you’re willing to give it a try, rest assured that you can always take a dip in the Mekong river to get a little refreshment and we recommend to opt in for a bungalow with private bathroom so you can cool down in the shower whenever you want.

The charm of the 4000 islands lies in a combination of super relaxed island vibes and the gorgeous wildlife. Expect to wake somebody up from their slumber in a hammock if you go into a shop or restaurant (don’t be shy, the locals are always happy about the business). On several occasions we wandered into a shop to pick up a few things to see one of the neighbours getting onto their mobile to call the shop keeper who eventually came cruising in on a scooter or bicycle, so take you time, don’t rush and don’t expect anyone else to rush. The lady from our accommodation always disappeared for 5-10min after taking our breakfast order, one day we asked her why and she explained that she had to go to their backyard to find the fresh eggs that her chickens had laid – can’t get more organic “farm to table” than that!

On every corner you’ll meet chickens with little chicks, duck with little ducklings, puppies, kittens, free roaming water buffalos, butterflies and (unfortunately) masses of bugs (they are especially a nuisance when it’s dark and the light are on) – but to be fair there weren’t that many mosquitos around. On the note of mosquitos though, come prepared, check the malaria status for the region, most times of the year it is advised to take anti-malarial tablets (great website for this and many other useful travel tips for all destinations is the NHS Fit For Travel website!).

If you’re used to island hopping in any other South East Asian country you’re probably expecting a beach and a dip in the ocean – in Laos this is replaced by lush green jungles and a dip in the Mekong river, very different but also beautiful! Just keep in mind that swimming in the Mekong comes with risks, the currents are very strong in parts, there are certainly a bunch of animals and plants you’re not familiar with (think water snakes and freshwater reeds) and the water is muddy brown so you don’t have great visibility – but don’t be scared, just don’t go alone (and never at night), make sure you don’t go further than you can stand and wear water shoes and everything will be fine!

On Don Det you can also rent tubes (big floating tires) that carry you on the current around the island! Super fun but make sure you either go with a group (and a guide) or you know for sure where you have to paddle towards land and get out otherwise you might be in trouble – if you survive the (not recommended) ride down the upcoming waterfall after Don Det you might just end up in Cambodia with nothing but your bikini, explain that to border control! But again, don’t be afraid, just be prepared and if all goes wrong the sleepy locals are quick to help! We saw an American lady floating much further than intended and not being able to get to shore – the locals spotted her straight away and the local fishermen had her on their boat in no time!

We had a really nice fishing trip with Nak, our accommodation “dad”, cruising along the Mekong and trying different fishing spots, caught a few catfish and enjoyed the beautiful sunset.

On this note you can also rent a Kayak but for the same reason we would recommend booking a tour with a guide.

Visiting the beautiful Li Phi Falls was one of our highlights and just showed us again how magical Laos is! Rent a bicycle for the day at around 10.000 Lao Kip (just over 1 Euro!) and cruise over the bridge to the neighbouring Don Khon island, then it’s just a short ride to the magical waterfalls! Go for a dip in the river before heading to the view point to cool down from your bike ride and don’t forget to drink enough water on the journey, it’s not a particularly hard ride to get there but don’t underestimate the heat and humidity getting to you, it can catch you off-guard!    

We certainly enjoyed island life in this magical place and can only recommend you add Laos to your bucket list, it was definitely our “surprise” country having enjoyed it so much more than expected and totally fell in love with it!

A quick lay over in Vientiane – not super spectacular (as per my earlier post, always choose Luang Prabang over Vientiane if you can only do one), nice seafood and a good night out though – gets us on our way to busy Bangkok! Meet us there (virtually) next time!