Lake Katwe Salt Works

Lake Katwe is a saline crater lake inside Queen Elizabeth National Park where salt has been worked since at least the sixteenth century, and it is still done the same way: the lake is divided into individually owned pans, workers stand in the brine to rake and cut salt blocks, and the different grades are separated for human and animal use. It was once the most valuable commodity in the region and traded across a wide area.

What you actually see

• The salt pans - the lake divided into individually owned evaporation plots.
• The block cutting - workers standing in brine to cut slabs from the bed.
• The grades - the separation of salt for human food, animals and industry.
• The crater setting - the works inside a volcanic crater in the national park.

When to go

June to September and December to February are the dry seasons when production is highest. The rains dilute the brine and reduce output. Mornings are when most work is done.

Honest expectations

The working conditions are hard and the brine causes serious injury to the workers, which is uncomfortable to watch. Guides and fees are arranged through the community. Photographing workers requires asking.

Nearby

Queen Elizabeth National Park surrounds it, and Kasese is north.