Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Si Phan Don (Four Thousand Islands)
In Laos's deepest south, just north of the border with Cambodia, the muddy stream of the
Mekong is shattered into a 14km-wide web of rivulets, creating a landlocked archipelago.
Known as
SIPHANDON
, or Four Thousand Islands, this labyrinth of islets, rocks and sand-
bars has acted as a kind of bell jar, preserving traditional southern lowland Lao culture from
outside influences. Island villages were largely unaffected by the French or American wars,
and the islanders' customs and folk ways have been passed down uninterrupted since ancient
times. As might be expected, the Mekong river plays a vital role in the lives of local in-
habitants, with the vast majority of island families fishing for a living. Ecological awareness
among locals is high by Lao standards, with nearly half of the villages in the district particip-
ating in voluntary fisheries conservation programmes.
The archipelago is also home to rare wetland flora and fauna, including an endangered spe-
cies of freshwater
dolphin
, which it's sometimes possible to glimpse during the dry season.
Southeast Asia's largest - and what many consider to be most spectacular -
waterfalls
are
also located here. The area's biggest sightseeing attractions, the
Khon Phapheng
and
Som-
phamit
waterfalls, dashed nineteenth-century French hopes of using the Mekong as a trade
artery into China. The remnants of a French-built railroad, constructed to carry passengers
and cargo past these roaring obstacles, can still be seen on the islands of
DonKhon
and
Don
Det
, along with a rusting locomotive and other ghosts of the French presence. The most de-
veloped place to base yourself is the popular island of
Don Khong
, with its collection of
quaint villages and ancient temples, but there's also plenty of accommodation on Don Khon
and Don Det.
