Wat Phou & Mekong Island Discovery (2 Days)

Day 1 Pakse - Wat Phu - Don Khone (L)

Depart Pakse at 8:00am.
Drive to Ban Muang village on the Mekong where you will cross the river by ferry to Champasak town. Another 10km drive through scenic, rural and sleepy Champasak town will bring you to the impressive, 6^th century Khmer built mountain temple of Wat Phou. World Heritage Listed by UNESCO, Wat Phou was originally built to worship the Hindu God Shiva and other deity's before being converted to a Buddhist temple in later centuries.

Explore Wat Phou at a leisurely pace before returning to Champasak town for lunch and to continue your journey back across the Mekong and south to the 4,000 Islands.
Arriving at Hat Xay Khun opposite Don Khong, you will transfer to a boat for a scenic trip through the 4,000 Islands passing the old ferry at Don Det and then onto Don Khone.

Accommodation: Seng Alun Bungalows

Day 2 Don Khone - Pakse (B/L)

Enjoy breakfast before a short walk to Liphi waterfall and the old French railway.Passengers have a choice of 3 options for the rest of the day to head out in search of the rare Irrawaddy dolphins.

Kayaking (Option 1) (Available during low water level Oct - Mar)

Kayak after visiting Liphi waterfall to try and spot the rare Irrawaddy dolphins on the Cambodian side of the border where you will enjoy a picnic lunch (no Cambodian Visa necessary). After lunch continue kayaking another 5km to Veun Kham which is the official Lao/Cambodian river border.

Rafting (Option 2) Minimum 4 people (Available during high water level July - November)

Take a motorboat back to Don Det for a safety briefing and preparation for rafting. When ready and prepared, raft down the river between islands in simple grade 1-2 water. These water conditions allow plenty of time to take photographs and swim in the Mekong River.

After approximately 50 minutes of paddling through calmer waters, you drop off the main river heading down between 2 islands into a run known as Don Sadam for a little adventure.
Gradually increasing speed in this stretch of water as you continue, you will then get to the main run where the river flows with great tempo and is a lot of fun. Once through these rapids, the water returns to a slower, relaxing pace to continue meandering on the Mekong.

You then head to the side of the river to disembark off the raft and join some locals on a motorboat to gain access across the river to try and view the rare Irrawaddy dolphins in Cambodian water.

Enjoy a well deserved lunch in Cambodia (no visa necessary) with views of the mighty Mekong.

Make your way back to the waiting raft and paddle downstream towards the Lao/Cambodian border crossing at Veun Kham.

Boat Trip to see the Dolphins (Option 3)

Head to the southern tip of Don Khone where you will take a boat from a point known as Han Khone to try and view the rare Irrawaddy Dolphins. Have lunch before continuing by boat to the Lao/Cambodian border at Veun Kham.From Veun Kham, board awaiting transport for the trip back to Pakse stopping at the Mekong's largest waterfall, Khon Phapheng. This waterfall, known as ‘Niagara of the East', forms part of the Mekong fault line, formed by the eroding rock down stream and which stretches across the entire Mekong River making it unnavigable.