Kanangorok hot springs
Kanangorok hot springs, a hot spring is a spring produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater onto the surface of the earth. In the North Eastern part of Apoka, one and a half hours drive into the park is Kanangorok hot spring. It is very close to the border of South Sudan. To get to Kanangorok is quite a challenge whose outcomes are worth it as you have to wade through the bush littered with tall grass, thorny acacias and more, just to see it nestled between hard rock where the hot water vents onto the surface of the earth at 50degrees Celsius and the water flow is a liter per second.
The cultural theories about the formation of the Kanangorok say that, years ago, Karamoja was hit with drought, as well as its neighbors, Sudan. The king at the time then sent a youth, Longorok to fetch water in a traditional gourd from the South (probably Kidepo Valley National Park). On his way back with water in the gourd, heavy clouds form and it started pouring heavily and when Longorok had just reached where the hot spring now is, he was blinded by lightning and he fell and poured the water.
The water in the gourd then mixed with the blood flowing from Longorok to form a hot-spring at that instant. Other cultures also believe that hot springs are as a result of strange things as epidemics, calamities, droughts, infertility, sudden death and others happening because the spirits of the ancestors have been angered and offerings have to be made to appease and seek pardon. To the local community, the hot spring is a sacred place where spirits and ancestors reside. People from afar visit the springs to pay homage, seek blessings and bathe in the water to cure body ailments.
To the geologists the formation of hot spring is merely geography. What the theories have in common is the high mineral content in the hot spring water and to the indigenous communities a spa that is cure to many body ailments. The area surrounding the spring has a foul Sulphur smell.
Sulphur is a mineral component that wildlife species feed on to treat their gastronomical ailments so they may be sighted around the hot springs area. A site of the hot springs is a hive of activities with large groups of people. There often is a guide to explain the traditional beliefs to the travelers. Take time to be a part of the spa in the wilderness of the kanangorok hot springs
