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A wooden longtail boat on the Mekong at Don Det at sunset, riverside bungalows behind a big tree

Southern Laos · Verified 25 October 2026

4000 Islands (Si Phan Don): getting to Don Det and Don Khon

Don Det and Don Khon are about 3 hours from Pakse by van and boat, or 8 to 9 hours from Siem Reap or Phnom Penh across the Nongnokkhene border. There is no road bridge: every trip ends with the boat from Nakasong.

  • Pakse approx 3 hrs
  • Siem Reap approx 8 hrs

How do I get to Don Det and Don Khon?

From Pakse, take a van-and-boat ticket: about 3 hours to Don Det, leaving 08:30 to 12:00, from about USD 10.50, sold online for November 2026. From Siem Reap or Phnom Penh, day vans cross at Nongnokkhene in about 8 to 9 hours. The islands have no road bridge, so every ticket ends with the boat from Nakasong.

Pakse to Don Det and Don Khon: the van, then the boat from Nakasong

The road from Pakse runs about 150 km south on Route 13 to Nakasong, the pier on the mainland; small boats cross from there to Don Det and Don Khon. Through tickets cover both.

Pakse Nakasong change to the boat Don Det / Don Khon
Pakse to Don Det, sold online for November 2026, one adult, boat included.
CompanyLeaves PakseReaches Don DetFare
Pakse Travel08:3011:30USD 11
Airbus09:0011:45USD 10.50
Sarah Transport Laos08:3012:00USD 12.30
Green Paradise09:00, 12:0012:00, 15:00USD 12.29–16.38
Nakasang Paradise Travel09:0011:30USD 14.34
MMB Travel08:3011:30USD 16.25

MMB Travel starts from the Chitpasong bus station; the others pick up in town. For Don Khon, Airbus runs 09:00 → 12:00 for about USD 11.55. The boat on its own is not sold online: it is part of these tickets.

Back to Pakse: Green Paradise leaves Don Det at 11:00 and 16:00 (about 3 hours, from USD 12.29), Pakse Travel and MMB Travel at 11:00 (USD 13 and USD 16.25), and Airbus at 15:15 (USD 10.50).

The Mekong at Don Det under storm clouds, a painted longtail boat moored at the bank
The Mekong at Don Det: small boats like this one carry everyone across from Nakasong.

Don Det to Siem Reap and Phnom Penh across Nongnokkhene

Vans and buses run straight from Don Det into Cambodia through Nongnokkhene–Trapeang Kriel, the only crossing between the two countries, about 30 minutes south of the islands. Prices are sold online for November 2026.

Don Det and Cambodia, sold online for November 2026, one adult.
RouteCompanyDeparts → arrivesFare
Don Det → Siem ReapNamo Angkor Travel09:00 → 17:00, 10:45 → 18:45USD 20.70–22.50
Don Det → Siem ReapDara Panha Sak Transport11:00 → 18:30USD 24
Don Det → Siem ReapSRL Transport09:00 → 17:00, 11:00 → 19:00USD 27
Don Det → Siem ReapDara Panha Sak Transport15:00 → 05:00 (night, next day)USD 25
Don Det → Phnom PenhTrans Passion08:45 → 17:45USD 30
Don Det → Phnom PenhRally Tour and Travel11:00 → 18:30USD 30.70
Don Det → Phnom PenhSRL Transport11:00 → 20:00USD 40
Don Det → Phnom PenhSRL Transport15:00 → 05:00 (night, next day)USD 35
Siem Reap → Don DetNamo Angkor Travel07:45 → 15:45USD 20.70
Siem Reap → Don DetGrand Apsara Voyage08:00 → 15:00USD 23
Phnom Penh → Don DetSeng Horn 16807:30 → 15:30USD 24
Phnom Penh → Don DetDara Panha Sak Transport20:00 → 09:30 (night, next day)USD 28

The Lao side opens 06:00 to 18:00. Cambodia's e-visa is accepted at Trapeang Kriel; entering Laos here, a Lao eVisa is not, so you need a visa on arrival or an exemption. The border page has the fees and the steps.

4000 IslandsSiem Reap

Sold as
bus, van
Duration
approx 8 hrs advertised
Border crossing
Nongnokkhene – Trapeang Kriel

Starts right at the border, shaving hours off the same journey from Pakse.

Check prices

4000 IslandsSiem ReapSiem Reap4000 Islands

4000 IslandsStung Treng

Direct service
Sold as
bus, van, taxi
Duration
4–5 hrs
Border crossing
Nongnokkhene – Trapeang Kriel

The shortest leg across this border, often paired with an onward bus the same day.

Check prices

4000 IslandsStung TrengStung Treng4000 Islands

4000 IslandsPhnom Penh

Sold as
van, bus, taxi
Duration
9–10 hrs advertised
Border crossing
Nongnokkhene – Trapeang Kriel

Starts closer to the crossing than the Pakse service, for travellers already based in the islands.

Check prices

4000 IslandsPhnom PenhPhnom Penh4000 Islands

Khone Phapheng, Li Phi falls and life on Don Det

  • Khone Phapheng: the largest waterfall by volume in Southeast Asia, where the Mekong drops across a wide fault line and cannot be navigated; about 6 km south of Don Det and 13 km from the Cambodian border.
  • Li Phi falls (Somphamit): rapids and cascades on Don Khon, with suspension bridges over the channels. Lao people call them Somphamit, after a sacred Buddha image lost in the river; Li Phi is the name for the whole 20 km stretch of falls.
  • Don Det and Don Khon: Don Det is the most laid back of the islands, with guesthouses, bars and restaurants along the river. In French colonial times a railway was built across the islands to link Laos with Saigon.
  • Don Khong: the biggest island, and the easiest to reach.
  • The dolphins are gone. The Irrawaddy dolphins once watched from boats at the Cambodian border have died out there: the last one died in February 2022.
Khone Phapheng Falls, white water pouring over dark rocks between wooded banks
Khone Phapheng, about 6 km south of Don Det: the falls that stopped boats on the Mekong.

Common questions

How do I get from Pakse to Don Det?
By van and boat on one ticket: about 3 hours, leaving 08:30 to 12:00, from about USD 10.50, sold online for November 2026.
Is there a bridge to Don Det?
Not from the mainland. Every trip ends with the boat from Nakasong, which through tickets include.
How long is Don Det to Siem Reap?
About 8 hours by van through Nongnokkhene, leaving 09:00 to 11:00, from about USD 20.70 for November 2026.
How do I get from Don Det to Phnom Penh?
By van, about 8 to 9 hours, from about USD 30; night buses leave at 15:00 and arrive around 05:00.
Can I see dolphins at the 4000 Islands?
No. The last Irrawaddy dolphin of the pool at the Cambodian border died in February 2022.
Where is Khone Phapheng?
About 6 km south of Don Det, 13 km from the Cambodian border: the largest waterfall by volume in Southeast Asia.

Laos Bus Tickets

Written and kept up to date from Vientiane by people who have lived in Laos for two decades and take these buses, trains and boats themselves, around the country and across its borders. Each page is checked against Lao government, immigration and operator sources and the news, and the routes it lists are tested online on several dates. We recheck whenever something changes, not on a fixed schedule (how we check things).

Sources for this page

  1. Tourism Laos: Champasak Province: Wat Phou, the Bolaven Plateau and its waterfalls, and Khone Phapheng
  2. Lao Department of Immigration: checkpoint list, opening hours and visa status
  3. Mongabay: the death of the last Irrawaddy dolphin of the Lao–Cambodian border pool, February 2022
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