Don Det () is an island in the Mekong River in the Si Phan Don ("Four Thousand Islands") archipelago in Champasak Province of southern Laos.
History The Don Det–Don Khon railway was a -long narrow-gauge portage railway on the islands of Don Det and Don Khon, opened in 1893 to transport vessels, freight, and passengers along the Mekong River, and closed since the 1940s.The Railway Atlas of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, White Lotus, 2010.Mad About the Mekong: Exploration and Empire in South East Asia, Harper Collins, 2005.
Geography The walking path around the island is . Don Det is linked to its twin island Don Khon by a bridge. Don Som, the closest island accessible by pirogue, is from Don Det.
There is a Buddhist temple and two primary schools on the northern part of the island.:c:File:Food offerings in Laos.jpg
Climate Don Det features a tropical wet and dry climate. While the city is generally very warm throughout the year, it is noticeably cooler during December and January. Don Det also experiences wet and dry seasons, with the wet season from April until October, and the dry season during the remaining five months. Temperatures range from 15 °C to 38 °C.
Tourism The Khone Phapheng Falls, a succession of impassable rapids that gave rise to the construction of the railway, are among the main features accessible from Don Det. Freshwater Irrawaddy dolphins (pakha), an endangered species, are now extinct.
Wildlife Irrawaddy dolphins, water buffaloes (Bubalus bubalis), common house geckos (Hemidactylus frenatus),c:File:Hemidactylus frenatus mating, ventral view.jpg bronze grass skink (Eutropis macularia),:c:File:Eutropis (skink) eating a frog.jpg and bioluminescent beetles:c:File:Close-up view of a bioluminescent beetle Elateroidea.jpg can be seen in Don Det.
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