Pakse & the Bolaven Plateau Overview Trip ideas Experiences Places to visit Best time to visit Accommodation Back to all places Built by French, Chinese and Vietnamese immigrants at the turn of the 20th century, the city of Pakse isn't a stunner, but it’s the jumping-off point for some of Laos’s most exciting adventures – including the waterfalls and coffee plantations of the Bolaven Plateau. Tad Fane Waterfall at Bolaven Plateau Ziplining in Pakse Connects with Laos ChampasakYou’d never guess it now, but Champasak was once the seat of an independent royal kingdom that thrived for over 200 years. Today, this tiny, sleepy, riverside town is best-known as the gateway to the lush and laid-back 4,000 Islands. Laos 4,000 IslandsSi Phan Don, or the 4,000 Islands, is landlocked Laos’s answer to the coast: laid-back, palm-fringed, and lush beyond belief, this riverine archipelago is the ultimate place to relax.