The 4000 islands is a unique place situated in Southern Laos. But wait… isn’t Laos a landlocked country? The islands are actually not in the ocean – they’re in the Mekong river! They have pretty much everything a backpacker could ask for: a very laid-back vibe, possibilities for adventure, beautiful nature, and cheap food and drinks. On top of that, they’re still relatively unknown of tourists!
We were only planning on staying there for a day before continuing on to Paksé. We ended up staying for three nights and probably would have stayed for longer if we hadn’t been on a tight schedule because of our visas.
What you will find in this article
Getting there
Lots of tourists skip the 4000 islands because they think getting there is hard. And that’s not necessarily true! Sure, you’ll probably need to get out of your comfort zone but I swear it’ll be worth it.
Check routes on Rome2rio or book tickets on 12Go.
From Cambodia
If you’re in Cambodia this should be relatively easy. You can take a bus or a minivan from Phnom Penh or Siem Reap straight to the Laotian border. We took a van by Asia Van Transfer from Siem Reap and were very happy with it.
The vans will usually drop you off at the border, which you will cross by foot. At the other side a Laotian tuk-tuk should be waiting for you. If you’re staying on Don Det or Don Khone (that’s where most people stay – we’ll get to that in a moment) you’ll be dropped off at the pier where you’ll board a tiny boat which will then take you to the island you’re stayng on.
The boat ticket’s cost should be covered by the van company but make sure to check when booking.
From Laos
By bus from Vientiane
The first (and cheapest option) is to take the night bus from Vientiane to Pakse, and then keep going with a van or another bus. We travelled from South to North and went with the “Green Paradise” bus company to Pakse, and with King of Bus to Vientiane.
>>Suggested: Quick review – King Of Bus, Laos
By plane from Vientiane or Luang Prabang
There’s an airport in Pakse. You can fly there from Vientiane or from Luang Prabang if you’re short on time or just want some extra comfort.
From Thailand
You can either fly to Pakse and take the bus, or take a bus/van from Bangkok to Siem Reap and continue to Don Det from there.
From Vietnam
Da Nang is probably the closest large Vietnamese city. If you have a car or a motorbike you can drive the 10-hour drive by yourself. If you don’t, it technically is possible to go all the way to the 4000 islands with buses. You would have to take a bus from Da Nang to Hué, then to Savannakhet, continue to Pakse and take the 3-hour bus to Nakasang pier where you can take the boat to your island of choice. This trip lasts roughly 24 hours so I wouldn’t recommend it.
If you’re in Ho Chi Minh City, you can take a bus to Phnom Penh followed by a bus/van to the 4000 islands.
Realistically speaking, if you’re staying in Vietnam and you really want to see the 4000 islands I would recommend flying to Pakse and taking a bus from there. If you’re on a longer Southeast Asia trip I’d recommend just including the islands in the Cambodia/Laos part of your journey.
Where to stay
Most people stay on one of these two islands: Don Det (where we stayed) or Don Khone. These islands cover pretty much the whole range of available acommodation. If you stay near the pier on Don Det, you’ll be surrounded by restaurants, guesthouses/hostels, and other backpackers. When you go further from the pier you’ll find cheaper guesthouses and less people, but you’ll also have less choice in terms of food.
If you decide to stay on Don Khone, you’ll be able to enjoy authentic guesthouses for even cheaper prices. You’ll be further away from everything, which can be exactly what you want or a total nightmare.
We stayed at Mr Tho’s Bungalows, which I strongly recommend. You can also book tours and bus tickets at the reception!
What to do
Zipline over waterfalls
I just had to put this one first! You can zipline over the Tat Somphamit falls for roughly 250 000 kip per person. If you just want to admire the falls, the entrance costs 35 000 kips.
It was definitely one of the coolest things I’ve ever done, not to mention the fact that now I can casually drop the fact that I’ve ziplined over waterfalls in a conversation.
You can get there easily by renting a motorbike or a bicycle. We went there by bike and although they only cost 10 000 kips a day, I want to warn you that the roads are very rough, especially when you go off the main roads. It’s definitely worth it, don’t get me wrong – I just wanted to give you a heads up.
Before you zipline you’ll need to sign a form with your insurance details. Make sure you have them readily available, you’ll need a phone number and all relevant information if something were to happen. It’s a little scary but you have nothing to worry about – we had two trained guides for three zipliners.
Kayak in the Mekong river
The easiest way to do this is by booking a kayaking tour. You’ll see guesthouses and agencies advertising them all over Don Det.
Kayaking was another thing I absolutely loved doing in the 4000 islands. The cool water provides a fantastic contrast to the Laotian heat, and the water buffaloes, currents, and tiny islets in the river make the journey even more exciting! We kayaked to several islands, stopped to see waterfalls on some of them, and ate lunch on the sandy riverbanks.
You don’t necessarily need any kayaking experience, but I was glad it wasn’t my first time. The distance is quite long and you’ll need to navigate around some obstacles (we got stuck on a rock…).
In total we probably kayaked between 10 and 15km, but it felt like much more (I think it had to do with the weight of the kayaks but that’s not really the point). We had a lot of fun, especially when we went right by water buffalos or when our guide said “there are lots of snakes in places like these with shallow water and lots of plants”.
Go dolphin-waching
In the Mekong river, on the border between Cambodia and Laos, lives a unique species of dolphin: the Mekong River Dolphin. The easiest way to see them is going with a tour – you can even combine a kayaking tour with a dolphin-watching tour!
Full disclaimer: we barely saw any dolphins. If you think you might be interested it’s definitely a lot of fun trying to spot them, but try not to go in with unrealistic expectations of a dolphin show.
Explore the islands by bike
Rent a bike and ride around Don Det and Don Khone for the day – who knows what you’ll find? Our coolest findings were water buffaloes and a waterfall to swim in!
What to pack
Clothes
- Good shoes. Sneakers are the best option in my opinion. If you’re planning on ziplining, you’ll need closed shoes you can climb in. The same applies for (motor)biking, and flip flops probably aren’t the easiest to walk in (I would recommend flip flops for kayaking though). I also wouldn’t recommend wearing bulky hiking shoes because your feet can get very hot in those.
- T-shirts. duh. Avoid tank tops – showing shoulders isn’t very respectful in the Laotian culture.
- Pants/shorts. again, duh. Just make sure your shorts aren’t too short.
- Sport shorts/shirts. You can’t go kayaking in your swimsuit, but you also don’t want to wear heavy materials that take a long time to dry.
Others
- Malaria pills. Northern Cambodia / Southern Laos is probably the only region in Southeast Asia where I’d recommend taking malaria pills (I’m NOT a doctor, this is just my opinion based on some googling). If you don’t want to take pills at least make sure to use mosquito repellant and covering youself with clothes.
- Sunscreen. This is especially important if you go kayaking.
- Sunglasses.
- Cash. There are no ATMs on the island so make sure you have enough.
If you’re planning a trip to Laos and have any questions I’d love to answer them in the comments!
You can find more posts about Laos here!
