Uganda Cultural Safari at the Kibiro hot springs : Kibiro Hot Springs is located in Kibiro fishing village just 35km away and an hour out of the Hoima town. These hot springs are located very close to Lake Albert shore in Kigorobya Sub-county. This is a great place to visit during your Uganda cultural safari. Near the hot springs in the Eastern, direction is a very high escarpment, which is 100 meters and then Lake Albert is in the western side of the springs, less than a kilometer away.
Like many hot springs in Uganda, this too attracts so many people who go there for different reason although most go there for the same reason they visit the other hot springs, for healing. This water is boiling at 100° all the time and you can see the bubbles, which are formed when the water reaches it boiling point. For experiment purposes, you can put fresh eggs or use sweet potatoes or even Irish potatoes, you can also boil cassava or the green bananas and within a few minutes, those different food stuffs will have boiled and ready for consumption.
This is shallow waters, very hot and salty at the same time. From the hot springs, it forms a stream and follows in the western direction; it meanders around until it gets to Lake Albert and pours it waters in there. The sad news is that there are lots of aquatic animals that die from this place and that is because they happen to think that this water is just as cool as that in Lake Albert so once they land in this hot water, they can’t escape and so they are dead in minutes.
Salt Mining and Processing
There is also salt mining and processing done in this place the reason it is also referred to as a salt garden. The fact that the springs’ water is salty means it flowing over salty soils therefore suggests the existence salt and the locals use the traditional means to mine it and traditional processing methods to get pure salt which ready for human.
The entre process involves the local people sprinkling dry soil over that already moist soil along the water channel and this is to dry up the moist soil so you can easily pick out the salt from the soil. To be able to get pure salt without soil in it, you will need to collect that salty soil, placed it in a big sieve, which is placed on top of a bigger bucket or anything like a container. Then, you have to pour water in to this salty soil in the sieve and wait for the salty water to sieve through into the container leaving the soil behind as the residue. You have to boil that salt solution until all you have is salt crystals and it will turn into big cones.
Myths and beliefs about the Hot Springs
The local people that leave n ear every hot spring have different myths that they tell especially to the foreigners in the region who are visit the hot springs. Local guides are always there to give you all the explaining that you need to better understand the beliefs and why. For instance, they believe that this water has some supernatural powers and so can drive away all the bad spirits and demons that someone may possess. For body purification, you will need to take a bathe in this water naked and bathing should be done before 07:00 pm because thereafter, you anger the spirits.
As side from body purification, the water is believed to be a real cure for so many diseases like measles, also scabies and any skin rush as well as just fresh wounds and boils on the body.
Locals also believe that the hot springs is property of the spirits, which is why you should never use visit the hot springs after 7pm because at that time, the spirits are at the hot spring bathing too. Locals believe crossing the spirits’ path angers them and may harm you while on a Uganda Safari.
Minerals Combinations
This springs water contains different minerals and chemicals in varying amounts thus the reason it can cure the skin diseases when people spend time sitting in it. The minerals and chemicals in it have medicinal values but the local of course do not understand such a theory. This hot water contains minerals and chemicals like the sodium chloride, calcium phosphate, potassium chloride, magnesium chloride, lithium sulphate and calcium sulphate as well as so many other minerals.
