Best places in Southern Laos?

Most tourists only visit the very south of Laos: the 4000 Island region (the main area here are a couple of islands which are very, very touristy, though there is a more relaxed island with only a few guesthouse on it that you could choose instead), Champanasek (a small town home to Laos' premier Ankor-style temple) and Pakse (the main town in the region, which is mainly used for travelers as a base). On the main route to Vientiane, both Savanakhet and Tha Khaek are pleasant, Mekong river towns, with a little bit of colonial architecture, some low-key sights in the vicinity, and great places to relax and sip a Beer Laos while staring at Thailand across the river. If you really want to get off the beaten track, I'd recommend Sepon, about 3 hours east of Savanakhet. There are other possibilities, but you do have fairly limited time, and you'll be spending roughly 24 hours of it just getting by bus from the Cambodian border to Vientiane.

I wouldn't include Luang Prabang - it's 12 hours by bus each way from Vientiane. You don't have enough time.

Similar to what Giora has decribed above, one suggestion is to go from Vientiane to Pakse (either a looong bus trip or fly with Lao Airlines), then travel south to the 4000 islands, cross the border into Cambodia, then continue through Stung Treng, Kratie, Phnom Penh and on to Siem Reap.
If time is short, there is now a new direct route from Stung Treng to Siem Reap.

Last year in August my father and I spent a couple of nights on Don Kong, which is the largest in the 4000 islands group. There were only a handful of tourists - it seems that 90% of tourists go to the two smaller islands, Don Det and Don Khon, further south.
We each hired a scooter and rode around the perimeter of the island (55km), stopping a meeting local people and visiting some small villages along the way - it was a really nice day trip.
The village of Muang Kong, which is the main arrival point to the island, has a small selection of budget and mid range accommodation and a few restaurants. Its a nice peaceful place to hang out for a few days.

As above forget Luang P and go to Pakse (and the other suggestions) on way south and then head up onto the plateau to places like Attapeu

We spent bit under 3 weeks in Laos and Cambodia in October -13: BKK to Luang Prabang by plane, speedboat to Huay Xai, 2 night Gibbon Experience, speedboat to Luang Prabang, bus to Field of Jars/Phonsavan, fly Vientiane, fly Phnom Penh, bus to Siem Reap (4 nights), bus to BKK. Not too rushed, but flying is of course bit more expansive than land transportation, but saves loads of time. Both of us approaching 60, had only carry-on sized packs 33 and 44 liters.

#4 great but no Southern laos. The point you make about flying is valid but first they really need to sort out what exactly they want to try and see in the time. There is a very sensible route starting in Pakse and ending in Siem Reap with plenty to see and do and it can easily be carried out using land transport

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.