Katwe Explosion Crater Lake in Queen Elizabeth National Park
Western Uganda is dotted with dozens of extinct volcanoes of a particularly violent type known as explosion craters. They are called explosion craters because eruptions were so violent that rather than piling debris around their vents like some volcanoes, they instead spewed ash and rock far and wide.
The Katwe explosion craters are a group of volcanic craters within Queen Elizabeth National Park in Toro, Uganda. The individual craters vary widely in size, but the largest are up to 3 km in diameter and 100 m (330 ft) deep. The unusual formations were formed individually by a series of violent volcanic explosions over the last 1 million years. The explosions were a result of super heated gas and steam and no lava flow despite volcanic activity.
Today most of the craters that form crater lakes are extinct although some still emit sulphurous smells. There are three main concentrations; the Katwe Explosion Craters in Queen Elizabeth National Park, the nearby Bunyaraguru Crater Fieldon the Kichwamba escarpment and the lovely Ndali-Kasenda Crater Field near Kibale National Park. Of the Katwe Explosion Craters the huge Kyemengo Crater is the most captivating.
The katwe explosion and Salt Craters are a short drive from Mweya Safari Lodge. There are two saline lakes but Lake Katwe is the famous one known. It is 3,265 feet deep and is highly saline. In pre-colonial times, salt was quite as valuable as gold. Although it’s former value has diminished, salt extraction has triumphed over time and technology for salt is still traditionally extracted up to this day. Systems of pans have been built around the edge of the lake. Water is then let into these compartments and allowed to evaporate leaving the essential salt. Although impure at 85% sodium chloride, it’s still sought after. It’s interesting to observe the salt extraction process, and also birdlife can be spectacular with large flocks of flamingo that converge at the crater lakes because the algae they feed on and an assortment of wabers. hippos and warthogs and elephants can be seen since they are enclosed by the park boundaries.
