Marvel Overland Holiday

Surrounded by rugged mountains and national park—this part of the province has more forest cover remaining than many other districts—the settlement has a budding tourism scene with some decent accommodation options, despite it being seriously off the beaten track. It is, in a low-key kind of a way, a fascinating destination with a special feature—spoiler, the salt—giving rise to the village’s name: Bo Kluea in Thai means salt well. The village has grown up around two natural saltwater wells which have been exploited for centuries if not millennia, providing Bo Kluea’s historical raison d’etre and principal present-day attraction.

For now, very few foreign visitors make it up here so tourists are mainly Thai, though its remote location keeps even their numbers down. Bo Kluea retains an authentic, unspoilt feel and while—salt wells aside—there isn’t much to do here in terms of sights as such, it is one of those places where doing nothing is a delightful pastime. Locals seem very happy to see a few foreigners up this way so you can sit and pass the time of day in one of the town’s very good coffee shops; wander around the village, take a stroll down the valley along the banks of the Mang River, or sit in a riverside cafe sipping a ...