Highlights of Southern Laos 4 days

Day 1: Bolaven plateau essentials and Champassak

We depart from Pakse in the morning and head towards the Bolaven Plateau. Our first stop is a small village, famous for its blacksmiths, where we can see how the local people make knives and other tools by hand. We continue our journey, driving past tea and coffee plantations until reaching the heart of the Bolaven Plateau. The plateau is home to many different ethnicities including the Laven people, that gives the plateau its name. We stop at the amazing Tad Fan Waterfall, a twin waterfall cascading over 220 meters into a valley. We then make our way to Tad Ngoung Waterfall, which has a great spot for swimming. Here we will have lunch, relaxing in the beautiful surroundings. After lunch and relaxing in the cool waters, we visit the local market in Paksong. This is a fascinating place to look around and get an insight into the lives of the local people. From the market we make our way to the town of Champassak where we will spend the night in a local guesthouse.

Approximately 4-5 hours driving, 2.5 – 3 hours walking

Day 2: Natural and cultural heritage of Champassak

We have an early start to the day with a visit to the ancient UNESCO World Heritage Site of Wat Phou. We spend some time exploring this fascinating ancient site before returning back to our guesthouse for breakfast. After breakfast we drive to a small village, where we will start our short hike through the Xe Pian National Park. After a short hike, we will have our lunch at a local restaurant, before we take a short transfer to another small village. Here we board our boat for the journey to Don Khone Island. Along the way we can see the local fishermen at work while watching the sunset, before arriving at our hotel just in time for dinner.

Approximately: 3.5 hours transfer, 45 minutes walking, 1.5 hour boat ride

Day 3: 4000 islands treasures

After breakfast we take a leisurely bicycle ride to the old bridge built by French colonists. We then cycle along the old French railway line to the stunning Liphi Waterfall. We return for lunch to a riverside restaurant where we enjoy some delicious food, watching the river float past. In the mid afternoon we cycle to Don Det taking in the sights of island life along the way. From Don Det we take a boat to see different islands donxom don dompadee to see the people  life are living in 4000 islands then take the boat back on sunset time to our hotel on Don Khone.

Approximately: 4-5 hours cycling, 1 hour walking, 1.5 hour boat ride

Day 4: Khonphapheng Waterfall

After breakfast we take a short boat ride to a waiting minivan, We take a short drive to Khonphapheng Waterfall, the widest in South East Asia! We have our lunch at the waterfall, taking in the stunning views. After lunch we return to Pakse, or we can take you to the Lao/Cambodian border.

Approximately 3 hours driving, 3-4 Hours sightseeing, 30 minutes

This is a moderately active tour. The primary activity is sightseeing but there is some walking, trekking, and cycling involved. Some days have up to six hours of physical activity.