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The province of Champassak is home to one of Asia's great, but
least visited temples, Wat Phu. Pakse, the capital is situated at
the confluence of the Se river and the Mekong (Pakse means 'mouth
of the Se') and is a busy trading town. The province also houses
much of the Bolaven Plateau, an area that is home to a number of
ethnic minorities. To the south is Si Pan Don (four thousand islands),
where the Mekong reaches up to 14km wide during the rainy season
and the Khone Phapeng Falls.
Pakse has a number of comfortable places to stay and is a good
base from which to explore the surrounding area. The town has one
of the largest markets in the region. Within Pakse is the Champassak
Museum where you can see relics from Wat Phu as well as from the
Bolaven Plateau.
Wat Phu
 Wat
Phu (mountain temple) is a site that dates back to the 5th century.
The original temple was built by the Khmer Hindus at the top of
a hill at the site of a fresh water spring. The peak of the hill
is said to resemble a lingum or Shiva Phallus. The exact history
of Wat Phu is unclear, but was certainly the site of a temple of
the Khmer empire that eventually made Ankor Wat its capital. The
temple is stunning, and very remote, with superb views of the Mekong
valley. At the top of the temple site are a number of carved rocks,
resembling a crocodile, a naga and an elephant. It is believed that
these rocks were used for human sacrifice.
To get to the temple complex from Pakse, the most pleasant way
is by chartering a boat down the Mekong. The journey to the town
of Champassak takes about one and a half hours. From Champassak,
a tuk tuk can be taken to the temple, about 8km away.
Champassak - Pakse - Getting There
Lao Aviation flies to Pakse from Vientiane - for flight information,
please click here for Lao Aviation's flight schedule. You can reach
Pakse by boat from the north or the south, although these services
change regularly. Buses run from Vientiane daily and the journey
can take as long as 15 hours. This bus service also serves the towns
of Tha Kek and Savannakhet.
There is an international check point at Ban Muang Kao on the Thai
border with Chong Mek. You can get a Visa on arrival at this checkpoint.
After entry into Laos, a short taxi ride to the new Bridge into
Pakse. Coming from Thailand, the nearest airport, train station
and bus terminus to Chong Mek is Ubon Ratchathani - about 1 hour
by road from the border.
Champassak Province - Out and About
Bolaven Plateau
 Situated
on the north east of Champassak province, the plateau covers parts
of Salavan, Attapeu and Sekong provinces although there are more
options for tourists visiting the plateau in Pakse.
The plateau is fertile farmland specialising in coffee, tea, cardamom
and fruit. The plateau houses a dozen mainly animist ethnic minorities,
including Laven, Alak, Katou, Ta-Oy, Houne, Ngai and Suk communities.
In the photograph of Alak children, note the young girl on the right,
smoking tobacco in a water pipe to keep away the mosquitoes. Accomodation
on the plateau is limited, but Tad Lo waterfalls has a number of
bungalows where you can enjoy trekking and elephant rides.
Sii Pan Don - Four Thousand Islands
The southernmost part of Champassak province, forms the border
with Cambodia. Here, the Mekong river spreads to a width of up to
14km during the rainy season forming hundreds of islands and islets.
The larger island are inhabited and the largest southern island,
Don Khone has an old disused 5km railway, built by the French as
part of the Mekong bypass route. The river cannot be navigated south
of Don Khone because of the Khone Falls - the smaller Samphamit
Falls and the larger Khong Phabeng Falls - the biggest in Asia,
and maybe the widest falls in the world. Near the falls can be found
the endangered Irriwaddy dolphins.
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