There is less to do on Don Det than anywhere else in Laos, and that is exactly why you are here. That does not mean there is nothing: there are waterfalls round the corner, dolphins in the river and you can spend a whole day kayaking between the islands. You just do not have to do all of it, and most people who stay longer than they planned do not.
A few things genuinely belong on the list. The bike ride across both islands, the sunset from the water, at least one waterfall. Others are in your guesthouse’s folder and are fun if you have a morning spare, although doing absolutely nothing here is time every bit as well spent.
So where do your two or three days on Don Det go, and what do you save for next time?
How to get there, where to sleep and how many days to give it are all on our Don Det page.
Cycling across Don Det and Don Khon
This is the best thing you can do on the island and it costs next to nothing. You rent a bicycle, follow the sandy paths along the river and at the southern end of Don Det cross the old French railway bridge to the neighbouring island of Don Khon. On the way you pass little rice fields, villages, buffalo on the path and the Mekong again and again in between.
A bicycle costs a couple of euros a day and the whole loop across both islands takes about three hours, stops included. There are no cars, so you only share the paths with other cyclists and the odd passing moped. On Don Khon you also find the remains of the colonial railway the French built to get boats past the waterfalls.
Do the loop towards the end of the afternoon, so you are on the west side around sunset. Bring water and check your tyres before you set off, because you will not find a bike repair shop on the way.
Our verdict: absolutely, this is why you are here
Sunset from a hammock
The west side of Don Det is called the sunset side, and that is not marketing: every evening the whole island hangs out by the river watching the sun sink behind the Mekong. Guesthouses have decks over the water with hammocks on them, and nobody thinks it is strange if you stay in one for three hours.
It costs almost nothing. A beer goes over the counter for around €1 and a plate of food for about €2, so your whole evening costs less than a lunch back home. Sit wherever you are sleeping, or walk the path along the river until you find a spot you like.
Bring a torch or a charged phone if you have to walk back afterwards. The power cuts out regularly here and the paths have no lights.
Our verdict: a must, and not one evening but every evening
Khone Phapheng
On the mainland, a way past Nakasang, is the waterfall that no other in Southeast Asia can match for sheer volume of water. About 10,800 cubic metres of water a second pour through it. It is not a tall, narrow veil but a wide field of churning water between the rocks, and you hear it before you see it.
You get there by boat and tuk-tuk, usually on a tour you arrange at your guesthouse, often combined with the dolphins. Count on half a day. In the rainy season the noise alone is worth the trip, and in the dry season the rock formations underneath come into view.
Stay behind the railings. This is not the place for a photo from a rock, because the current here kills, and that is not a figure of speech.
Our verdict: worth the half day off the island
The Li Phi falls on Don Khon
Closer than Khone Phapheng and much easier to fit in: the Li Phi falls are on Don Khon and you cycle past them on the same loop. Here the water squeezes through narrow channels between the rocks, with trees overhead and the fish traps that local people have been setting the same way for generations.
You get there across the old railway bridge from Don Det, so it slots straight into your cycling day. There is a small entry fee at the gate. Take the time to walk on past the first viewpoint, because that is where most people stop and it gets more beautiful further along.
The little beach nearby looks inviting, but do not swim anywhere near the falls. The river runs much harder here than it looks.
Our verdict: absolutely, you ride right past
Kayaking between the islands
This is the only activity on Don Det that fills a whole day, and for a lot of backpackers the most fun. You paddle between the little islands of Si Phan Don, the 4000 Islands, stop at villages and waterfalls and see the area from the one spot where it really makes sense: low on the water.
The tours leave in the morning and you are back by late afternoon, in plenty of time for sunset. You book it at your guesthouse or at one of the little travel agents along the main path. A visit to the dolphin spot and the waterfalls is often part of the same day.
Keep your life jacket on, even on the stretches where the water is mirror flat. The Mekong has undercurrents here that you cannot see, and that is the reason you are handed the thing.
Our verdict: a great extra if you have three days
Dolphin spotting off the southern tip of Don Khon
In the deep pools off the southern tip of Don Khon, right before the Cambodian border, a handful of Irrawaddy dolphins still live. The population is critically endangered and down to single figures, and they are shy, so do not expect a show: you see a grey back that surfaces for a moment and disappears again. The fact that they are still there at all is what makes it special.
You go out on a longtail, usually early in the morning or towards the end of the afternoon, when the animals are more active. From Don Det you do it as a separate boat trip or as part of the day with Khone Phapheng. Go with a boatman who cuts the engine and keeps his distance.
Your chances are best from March to May, when the water is low and the dolphins gather in the deep sections. It is never guaranteed, so only go if you do not mind heading back empty-handed.
Our verdict: at its best from March to May
Got time to spare on Don Det?
The dolphin trip in the right season
Between March and May the Mekong is low and the Irrawaddy dolphins gather in the deeper pools near the border, and that is when you have a real chance. From June to October the water is high and they are spread over a much bigger area. Coming in those wet months? Then a day kayaking on the river is every bit as good.
Swimming in the right spot
Near your guesthouse there are calm stretches of bank where it is lovely to get in the water, and that is one of the nicest things to do here. Just ask locally where it is fine. At the waterfalls themselves the water looks calm in places, but the current and the undercurrents there are deadly, so admire those from the side.
Two full days instead of one night
A lot of people plan Don Det as one night between Pakse and the Cambodian border. Give it two full days: you spend half a day travelling, and only on the second morning do you get why people end up staying. With a bed at €4 a night, that is an easy call.
Good to know about the evenings
The evenings here are relaxed: a hammock, a beer and the river. Drugs are also openly offered on Don Det, in shakes, in pizzas and just straight up. Do not get involved, even if everyone in your hostel is: sentences in Laos are severe, you are on an island without a hospital, and the river runs right beside the path you walk back on.
Our top five on Don Det
Only got a few days? These are the five we would do no matter what:
- The bike loop across Don Det and Don Khon, ideally towards sunset
- Sunset from a hammock on the sunset side
- The Li Phi falls on Don Khon, across the old French railway bridge
- Khone Phapheng, the waterfall with the most water in Southeast Asia
- A day kayaking between the islands of Si Phan Don
Still got time after that? The early boat trip to the dolphins off the southern tip of Don Khon is a lovely way to spend a morning, especially if you are there between March and May. And otherwise: another day in that hammock. Here, that counts.
Where to sleep on Don Det and what a day costs is on our Don Det page.
So what do you really have to do on Don Det?
Not much, to be honest. Don Det is the one place in Laos where a list like this works slightly against itself. The travellers who get the most out of it are almost always the ones who stopped planning after day one and just stayed put.
If we had to pick just one thing: rent that bike. Ride the loop across both islands, cross the old railway bridge, stop at the Li Phi falls and make sure you are back on the west side by six. That is half a day, it costs a couple of euros and it is the bit of Don Det you will still remember a year from now.
And keep your last evening empty. No tour booked, no bus leaving early the next morning. Just a hammock, a €1 beer and the Mekong turning pink. Cambodia can have you after that.
