Kibiro Salt Gardens positioned close to the Uganda Safari destination of Lake Albert is among the interesting spots that one can look out for while in Hoima area.
The travelers on safaris in Uganda tend to break the journey between Murchison Falls and Kibale National Parks in Hoima and would thus have sometime to explore the surrounding spots. Kibiro Salt Gardens is a rocky plain extending for ¾ of a Kilometer intercepted by Lake Albert on west side and about 300m high escarpment on the opposite side.
This site is noted to have spent over 800 – 900 years in existence dating far back to the pre-colonial era when the Kingdom of Bunyoro was flourishing. The descendants of the ancient occupants have maintained the traditional practice of salt extraction – a heritage activity that every traveler on Uganda Safaris should look out for.
The Salt is extracted by recycling residual earth along with fresh soil which is then spread on the salt gardens with the intention of absorbing salty waters through capillary system. This exercise is followed by scrapping, spreading and heaping of salty soil for a period of 7 days. The scam leaching and crystallizing is then undertaken to release ash salt. The local people especially traditional women are the key actors in this process and travelers on safari in Uganda always find it authentic and amazing experience.
Because of the sandy soils is this locality, crop growing is hard to find and thus, the local people rely on this salt and fish from the Lake to exchange with the neighboring communities for food stuffs.
As a result of this great heritage, Kibiro Salt Gardens was listed as a world heritage site under the cultural category by United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Sept 10th 1997.
