If Laos is the Hammock Republic, then Si Phan Don is its capital. 4000 islands consists of many big and small islands the major ones amongst these are Don Khong, Don Khone and the Don Det. Here is all that you need to know about Si Phan Don before you get to Don Det or Don Khone.
Getting there: Your hotel in Vientiane can book you a direct package trip to Si Phan Don which will cover bus changes, transfer and the last mile boat ride. An overnight bus from Vientiane will take you to Pakse. From Pakse you will switch buses to get to boat harbor from where a boat will take you to the island you wish to go to – Don Khone or Don Det.
Accommodation: There are several box type bungalows as in tiny huts on the river, mostly with shared bathroom and a restaurant run by the guest house owner in vicinity. These places although cheap are mostly run down and dirty. To find the cleanest one would be bit of a struggle. Since they are plentiful with nothing special to mark them out, there is not much information about them online either.
Getting around: The island roads are unpaved, mud roads. With things far apart, cycling or sometimes a boat ride is the best way to go around and go sight seeing.
Food: The food in Si Phan Don islands is plain simple. Expect the usual Lao laap, fried rice and noodle soup. There are no Western options on the menu. But the preparation and taste is a notch better than . There is just no point in writing a ton of places you could eat in here because the choice in not varied. You get similar food at similar looking places and similarly charged prices.