Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tropical, tranquil and steeped in ancient history: the tail end of Laos is popular for a
reason. Anchored by the provinces of Champasak, Xekong, Attapeu and Salavan, the
regionlayatthecrossroadsofthegreatempiresthatruledSoutheastAsiacenturiesago
- Champa, Chenla and Angkor. Today, its proximity to Thailand, Cambodia and Vi-
etnam makes it a favourite stop among backpackers, who come here for lazy islands,
crashing waterfalls and ancient, sun-scorched temples. The far south conveniently di-
videsintotwosections,dictatedprimarilybytopography,withPakse,theregion'smost
important market town, as the main hub. In the west, the Mekong river cuts Cham-
pasak province roughly in half, while further east, the fertile highlands of the Bolaven
PlateauseparatetheMekongcorridorfromtheruggedAnnamiteMountainsthatform
Laos's border with Vietnam.
There are dozens of ancient Khmer temples scattered throughout the lush tropical forests that
skirt the Mekong, the most famous of which,
Wat Phou
, is the spiritual centre of the region
and the main tourist attraction in southern Laos. An imposing reminder of the Angkorian em-
pire that once dominated much of Southeast Asia, Wat Phou is one of the most impressive
Khmer ruins outside Cambodia, and lies a few kilometres from the town of
Champasak
, the
former royal seat of the defunct Lao kingdom of the same name.
From here it makes sense to follow the river south until you reach
Si Phan Don
- or “Four
Thousand Islands” - where the Mekong's 1993km journey through Laos rushes to a thunder-
ing conclusion in a series of picturesque
waterfalls
. As the region's name suggests, there are
thousands of sandy islands cluttering the river, many of them home to long-established eth-
nic Lao villages, but just three -
DonKhong
,
DonDet
and
DonKhon
- have been properly
developed for tourists.
Much of the area east of the Mekong lies off the beaten track, with travel here often in-
volving long, bumpy journeys to spots of raw natural beauty. Easier to explore is the
Bolaven
Plateau
, just east of Pakse, with its rich agricultural bounty and crashing waterfalls. Histor-
ically, the isolation of this region made it an ideal place for insurgents to hide out - from anti-
French rebels to the North Vietnamese in the Second Indochina War. The latter transformed
trails and roads along Laos's eastern edge into the Ho Chi Minh Trail, which American forces
and their allies later subjected to some of the most intensive bombing in history. By braving
the primitive transport links between the far-flung villages of Salavan, Xekong and Attapeu,
you'll witness the resilience of the land, still home to a diverse variety of wildlife.
Pakse
, the region's commercial and transport hub, provides the most convenient
gateway
to the far south, with travellers arriving either from Savannakhet or from Thailand via the
Chong Mek border crossing. It's also possible to arrive from Stung Treng in
Cambodia
by
road, or from Vientiane by air.
