Travel to Laos: Si Phan Don

Si Phan Don is the landlocked archipelago in the southernmost point of Champasak province, composed of about 4000 islands. While most of the 'islands' are no bigger than a patch of sand sprouting sparse vegetation, some of the islands are large enough to support farming and villages. Subsistence living can be seen all along the banks of the Mekong with floating fishing villages and crop farming on land. In some sections of the river it becomes as wide as 14 km during the rainy season. This stretch of the river is a habitat of pla buek, the giant catfish. This rare species of catfish can reach 250-300 kilos, making it possibly the largest freshwater fish in the world.



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