Katwe Salt Lake Works in Queen Elizabeth National Park

Katwe Salt Lake Works is located after Kabatoro village 5 kilometers ahead of Queen Elizabeth national park in Western Uganda. The fact that the lake is served by streams without outlets, makes it a salty lake due to intense evaporation during the dry season and the concentration of minerals in saline waters.

The lake is located North of the Mweya peninsular located in Queen Elizabeth national park. Tourists to Queen Elizabeth national park also get opportunities to visit other craters located in the park apart from the Katwe Salt Lake for example Lake Nyamunuka. Lake Katwe is located within an explosion crater.

Katwe Salt Lake dates as far as over 700 years ago and has for a long time been a source of income for the neighboring population. John Speke, in 1863 and James Grant in 1864, described the product as perfectly pure both in color and taste.

A visit to Salt Lake also allows tourists to explore and know more about Uganda. During the visit to Lake Katwe, you are guided and educated about various methods by which the salt is evaporated and purified as well.

Process for Salt Making at Lake Katwe

The salt garden is usually prepared within an area of any size and shape. Dry soil is also scattered over wet exposed surfaces. Salt production in Lake Katwe is usually carried out during dry months that is between January to March and July to September when there is too much evaporation that makes the saline water concentrate.

Both men and women take part in the salt mining process. However, during this activity, they are both cautioned to be careful. Women in most cases are forced to apply flour into their private parts to help them prevent infectious diseases as the salt can affect their reproductive health system. Men put on condoms during this activity to prevent salt water from entering their private parts.

Other Activities Done at Katwe Salt Lake

Salt mining in this area is a source of income for the local people living around though these people still live under poor standards because they earn little income from the salt mined.

Cultural encounters, get to interact with the local people of the area as well as visit the surrounding villages as you get to also interact with the people of Katwe town.

You can buy souvenirs from the Katwe crafts made by local women and take them home to your loved ones at the end of the trip on your way back home

Enjoy a local meal prepared by the local people in the local restaurants that are being operated by the residents of the Katwe area.

Accessibility to Lake Katwe

Tourists to the Katwe area are encouraged to use a 4-wheel drive on their trip to the Salt Lake area because during heavy rains the roads tend to be impassable. You can also get to enjoy the beautiful views of the Nyamugasani delta and Kihabule forest before reaching the pelican point.

Enjoy the beautiful views of the lake with green vegetation along the way to the lake. A visit to Katwe Salt Lake allows the tourist to meet and interact with the locals of the area as you get to learn about their daily life and how they have managed to live for years in this particular area

The salt mining community is representative of Uganda’s cultures of about 55 tribes of Uganda and this makes it the workplace with the largest selection of all Uganda tribes in the same place doing the same job.

This representation gives proof of the importance of Katwe Salt Lake as an important source of livelihood. Contact us if you want to know more about the Katwe salt lake!