Don Det

Hammock mornings and the railway bridge to Don Khon

Don Det is for slowing down. Walk the paved sunrise shore in the morning cool, between farms and bungalows, continue round the north tip and back along the sunset track, and on a second day cycle across the old French railway bridge to Don Khon for its stupa and the Li Phi Falls.

Give the first day to slowing down. Order lunch well before you are hungry. By late afternoon most of the island drifts to the western bank, and a hammock facing the channels is the place to watch the light go.

On the second morning, rent a bicycle and ride south to the old French railway bridge, buying the day pass as you cross to Don Khon. The temple beyond the bridge keeps a very old stupa in a style rarely seen in this part of Laos. From there the track leads on to Li Phi Falls, where the Mekong is forced through a maze of rock and white water. Head back before dark, since the paths have no lights.

Spend day three at Khone Phapheng, the far larger cascade on the mainland, usually visited on a half-day trip booked on the island. If that feels like too much effort, swim off your bungalow steps where the water is calm and keep the evening for the bars at the north tip.

Lentil curry, laap and lao lao on the sunrise strip

Kitchens on Don Det are small, and an hour between ordering and eating is ordinary, so order the next drink while you wait. Menus along the sunrise strip offer lentil curry, laap, grilled Mekong fish and sticky rice, and lao lao, the rice spirit, closes the evening.

Kitchens on Don Det are small, and cooks often prepare one plate at a time, so an hour between ordering and eating is ordinary. Islanders like to say that Lao PDR stands for Please Don't Rush. Order the next drink while the food is on its way and accept that dinner is the evening's main event.

Menus along the sunrise strip mix Lao standards with backpacker comfort food. Look for laap, minced meat or fish tossed with lime, herbs and toasted rice, eaten with a basket of sticky rice. Mr Mans, across the path from the guesthouse of the same name, has a loyal following for its lentil curry and rice soup, and burgers or pancakes turn up on almost every menu for those who want them.

Drinks are simple. Beer Lao sits in every fridge, fruit shakes are blended to order, and lao lao, the local rice whisky, is often sold in old water bottles, so check what you are pouring. Adam's Bar at the north tip is a long-standing spot for a cocktail and a late plate of food. Cannabis is offered with little discretion, but it remains illegal in Laos.

Don Khon, Khone Phapheng and Kratie as day trips from Don Det

Don Khon, joined to Don Det by the railway bridge, is the easiest outing by bicycle with a day pass, passing its temple and stupa to Li Phi Falls. On the mainland, Khone Phapheng is a broad sweep of rapids the Mekong's boats could never pass, and Kratie in Cambodia is the first stop on an onward route.

Don Khon's temple and unusual stupa sit on the route south, and the same track continues to Li Phi Falls, a run of churning chutes where the Mekong breaks over bare rock. Swimming anywhere near the falls is dangerous; watch them from the bank.

Khone Phapheng is the big one. On the mainland east of the islands, it is a broad sweep of rapids, not a single drop, and standing beside it explains why boats have never been able to pass this stretch of the Mekong. Guesthouses arrange transport, which saves you crossing back to Nakasang and finding a ride yourself.

River dolphins are the sad footnote. The last Irrawaddy dolphin in Lao waters died in 2022, so the dolphin trips still advertised online are out of date. The surviving population lives downstream around Kratie in Cambodia, reached on the tourist buses that cross the border south of the islands. Treat it as the first stop on an onward route through Cambodia; it is too far for a return trip.