Kitagata hot springs
Kitagata hot springs is located Ishaka kagamba road, in Sheema county found in Sheema district Western Uganda. Its 2kms South East of Kitagata town and one of the urban centers in the district. It’s also approximately 62kms from Mbarara town and those that wish to fly these are its coordinates 0°40’42.0’’S, 30°09’38.0’’E.
The road to this site is Marrum and located near the swamp, the scenery to the site is breath taking with conical hills and inselbergs characterized with beautiful green vegetation of trees and grass. During the rainy season the river Ngaromwenda that supplies water to the springs floods thereby making the Kitagata springs to be warm instead of hot. That’s why, the local residents of Kitagata are concerned that the construction of the nearby Kagamba-Ishaka road might put the hot springs in harm of flooding.
There are two hot springs that are adjacent to each other and according to locals, one spring is believed to possessing healing powers and it’s called Mulago named after Uganda’s largest referral Hospital found in capital city of Uganda and all the sick people use its water by bathing, drinking it to get healed of their diseases while the hot spring was used by the former Omugabe of Ankole (King of Ankole) and known as a Ekyomugabe.
Kitagata hot springs is the must visit location to everyone visiting Bushenyi district and are on the route that easily connects to Lake Mburo National Park, Queen Elizabeth National Park, Mgahinga National park, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest National Park and Semliki Valley National Park.
On arrival to the site one will notice half-naked men and women bathing in the warm waters of Kitagata Mulago which is believed to possessing healing powers, as many as over 200 in 24hour period. Here, the water can warm up to 80°C.
One wonders whether it’s a market basing on the big crowd of people gathered on the site, it has some sections with boiling water hot enough to make millet porridge called Obushera/ ekisyanga or boil eggs and others sections has just warm waters.
