Among the numerous tourist attractions in Hoima are the Kibiro Salt Gardens, found in Kigorobya sub-county, Hoima District. This site boasts hundreds of years of heritage and a unique socio-economic system.
The Kibiro salt gardens are a sandy area along the southern shores of Lake Albert. Its community depends on salt production, trade, and fishing for a livelihood, activities they have done for centuries.
Salt production in Kibiro has been a women’s hereditary occupation, an intriguing crystallisation process that tourists can immerse themselves in to better appreciate the product but also learn from the sustainability strategies the community practices to maintain this resource.
The ultimate reward for tourists who visit Kibiro is the Kibiro Hot Springs, which, like many other hot springs Uganda is endowed with, have water puddles that heat up to 100°C and can boil foods like eggs, green bananas, and Irish potatoes, which is always an exciting activity for tourists to experiment with.
Basking in the warm waters of the hot springs, whose healing abilities many swear by, is also a must-do while in Hoima. It is believed that the water has supernatural powers that drive away bad spirits and demons from people.
At Kibiro hot springs, it is believed that in order to be purified, one should enter the water while naked, and the bathing should be done before seven in the evening because it gets really hot thereafter.
The Kibiro salt gardens and hot springs have been acting as a supplement to fishing on Lake Albert for the communities in Kigorobya sub-county, and the hot springs have attracted many local and international tourists to Hoima.
The leaders and natives of Kibiro, who have gained a lot from this salt production and hot springs for a long time, have been calling on the government to introduce modern technology within the area that would allow them to produce quality salt, ultimately increasing their income levels.
Take a trip away from the week’s troubles and visit Hoima to see and view a place with rich history.
