Ban Bo Luang is a village in Bo Klue District in Nan Province in northern Thailand. For centuries now the people of Ban Bo Luang have been producing salt from the brine they have been collected from two wells in the mountains, which are situated some 1,900 meters above sea level.
The people of Ban Bo Luang still make salt the good old way. They boil the brine until it crystallizes and then they dry the crystals in bamboo baskets on boiling pans. The salt that is produced using the age-old method is pure, clean and perfect for consumption. Even iodine is added to the salt before it is packaged. The wells are truly unique. Although some years the brine is less, the wells never dry up.
In Ban Bo Luang, there are 20 families involved in producing salt. All the families have access to the brine without any problems and they produce salt and sell it to customers all over the country.
According to legends, the salt was first discovered in Nan when a hunter accidently finds reserves while chasing wild animals. Later, Chao Luang Phu Kha, the first king of Nan, came to know about the salt reserves so he dispatched his aide Chao Bo Luang to check out the area. The aide returned with affirmative answer and then the king decided to develop the area into a village. People from Chiang Saen were requested to move to Ban Bo Luang and this led to the digging of the two wells, which we see even today.
Every year in February, the people of Bo Klue hold a three day ceremony to pay respect to Chao Bo Luang, who is considered to be the guardian spirit of the district.