Kibiro salt gardens and hot springs; a novelty to Uganda’s tourism – Uganda safari news

Kibiro Salt Gardens on the south eastern shores of Lake Albert is considered to be the novelist site that has presented itself for inclusion in the circuit of Uganda safari products. The land is under the Kingdom of Bunyoro and perched on a stony plain stretching to ¾ of a Kilometer amidst the lake shore and the base of the approximated 300m escarpment that mark the eastern side of the Albertine rift valley. The Kibiro Salt Village stands as a unique example of the industry that has maintained its people for close to 800 – 900 years past and probably continues to do this for the generations to come.
The Kibiro Salt Gardens and Hot springs have for long presented a supplement to fishing on Lake Albert for the resident communities. The people produce ash salt that is secured following the recycling of residual earth together with fresh soil that is spread on the salt gardens such that the salty waters can be absorbed through the Capillary system. This is followed by continuous scrapping, spreading and salty soil heaping for a seven (7) days period which is followed by leaching and crystallizing the scam to produce ash salt, something that is unique to encounter on Uganda safaris and tours.
The residual soil that has remained after leaching is then intermingled with fresh soil in order to repeat the process of salt production. The production of this salt at Kibiro Gardens was and has been the work of the female making it a hereditary occupation in the area. Prior to the introduction of metallic Vessels, ware made of clay was used to do the leaching and boiling which is evidenced by archaeological depositions featuring pot heads spread all over the village that stretch to about 4 meters in depth dating to 800 – 900 years ago to up to now. These dispositions can be explored by travelers on safari in Uganda
The Village surrounding Kibiro Salt Gardens and Hot springs feature a sandy beach and as a result food cannot grow there. Therefore, the communities have taped the opportunity presented by this natural feature along with Lake Albert to derive a livelihood through exchanging salt and fish with the neighboring farming communities. This makes the Kibiro Gardens a site of cultural and ethnographic significance in the Ash salt production aspect.
Because of its famed history, the tourism product developments including tour operators such as Prime Uganda Safaris and Tours and Wild gorilla Safaris have resolved to incorporate it into its chain of products that are packaged for sell to world travelers that would wish to plan safaris to Uganda.
The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has also recognized the significance of Kibiro Salt Gardens and Hot springs by adding it on the list of the world heritage sites tentatively on 10th September 1997 falling under the culture Category. Due to the terrain, there is no road that accesses the site but one can follow a foot path below the escarpment.
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