TOURISM SITES IN NIGERIA

TOURISM SITES IN NIGERIA

THE YANKARI NATIONAL PARK

The Yankari National part and the warm springs are located around the Gagi river approximately 11/12 hours, south east of Bauchi town,

The beauty and size of tyhe Yankari game reserve made it the most popular reserve in Nigeria. It was setup in 1956 and openeublic in 1962. The main game viewing areas of the reserve are opened all year round. The reserve covers 2.058 Sq Km of savannah woodland and it is well stocked with elephants, baboons, water bucks, crocodiles, hippopotamus, roan, antelope and various types of monkeys. lions are also there.

The wikki warn spring is one of the best features of the game reserve. it is wonderful after a hot day game viewing to relax in the warm water. the spring gushes out from under a cliff where the water is at least 6ft deep, with a bathing area that extends for 600ft to an open area. The park is inhabited by a variety of birds, including the huge saddle billed stark.Goliath heron, vultures, Kingfishers bee eaters etc.There are also facilities such as tennis Court, Squash Courts, a small museum in the reception area.

THE MAMBILLA PLATEAU

The mambilla Plateau in the south east of Taraba State shares a borer with cameroon. A high grassland plateau averaging about 1800 meters. The park provides an attractive setting. Mambilla has cattle ranches, tea plantation and rolling grass hills. It is different from the vast of Nigeria. It harbors different species of birds and animals especially at the Gashaka-gumti national park

GASHAK-GUMTI NATIONAL PARK

This is a vast land of Spectacular wilderness (6000 Sq Km) in the south east corner of Taraba State adjoining the Mamb
illa plateau mostly mountainous from 457 to 2407 meters. It contains Nigeria's highest mountain. It is the most ecologically diverse conservative area in the country and contains swaths of guinea savannah, gallery forest, moist forest, mountain forest and grass land.

Many rivers flow through the park including the Taraba major tributary of River Benue. A wide variety of animals can be found  there including Buffalo, Antelope,  Chimpanzee, colabus smokey, Hippopotamus, Hyena, Gaint forest Hog, Lion, Leopard. The park is a bird watcher paradise, also fishing in the River Kam

OGBUNIKE CAVE

Ogbunike Caves are situated in a valley with tropical rain forest behind the "Ogba" hills in which lies St. Monica College, Ogbunike. Descending into the valley where the caves are located is a lengthy walkway made up of about 317 steps said to have been constructed by the Anambra State Government in the mid 90s. At the end of the walkway is an open space used as a reception point where visitors are by tradition to remove their shoes.

The main cave consists of a massive structure with a big open chamber of about 5m high,

10m wide and 30m long at the entrance. There are ten tunnels at the main chamber leading to different directions. Within the tunnels are big chambers and other tunnels of varying lengths, some of which are inter connected. The caves are occupied by a large colony of bats of various sizes. There are streams and body of water at various places. A stream flows out from one of the tunnels into a rapid flowing river (River Nkissa). At the meeting point of the river and the stream one can feel the warm water from the caves and the cold river water.

Beside this portion of the river is a table land of about 5 X 5 square meters used as a relaxation spot by visitors to the caves. The immediate environment of the caves up to about 200 meters radius is a thick tropical rainforest type of vegetation. Among the fauna of the site are deer, antelope, grass cutter, porcupine, rabbit, alligator, snakes and frogs. Others are fish, crabs and birds.

IBENO BEACH AKWA IBOM STATE

IBENO BEACH AKWA IBOM STATE. One of the numerous fine beaches in Nigeria is the Ibeno beach in Akwa ibom state. A lover of water sport finds the beach which stretches to James town on the Atlantic coastline with opportunities for water sporting.

Located in south-south region of the country, Akwa Ibom is an oil-rich state as it is the second largest producer of crude oil in the country. The state is made up of a homogenous group of people believed to have originated from a single ancestral stock, and speaking closely related languages. The cultural similarity amongst the people of the is also epitomized in folklore, songs, dances, food, beliefs and mythology.

The Ibeno beach is a beautiful sand beach which stretches to James Town on the Atlantic,

providing recreational facilities for water sporting. Other impressive beaches are located at Eket, Ikot Abasi, Adadia, Nwaniba, Uta Ewa and Oron. The state is well known for her exciting and rich culinary culture, and highly reputed for her irresistible and salivating variety of cuisines which are predominantly vegetables and sea foods. 

Visitors can have a taste of popular local dishes such as isi-ewu, Afang, Edikan Ikong and top it up with fresh palm wine. Oron Museum offers some finest carvings, relics, artifacts and other valuable

antiquities such as masquerade costumes, traditional/instruments, pottery. The museum also contains an attractive, shaded water front garden where visitors can watch small boats drifting on the creeks. 

Others includes mobile tank farm, the Oron museum, the Ibom connection.

AZUMINI BLUE RIVER

Azumini is an ancient junction community of Ndoki, located on the south-south eastern corner of Abia state, about 15 miles south of Aba, a major trading center. And also bounded to the North by a village known as Akanu, on the west by the village of Umuogo which is across the Azumini blue river and on the South and East by the Annangs. The Annangs are positioned east of the Aba-Azumini River which empties itself into the Imo River after a village called Akpala. The river has astonishing diversity of historical or significant sites. These sites would certainly fascinate a tourist to this ancient African settlement. The historical and significant of the sites are, however, not the only items that might intrigue the tourist to Azumini; some of Azumini’s rare wild lives are also fascinating and entertaining. This beautiful river, which has become one of the major tourist attractions in the country, flows from the southern part of Abia state to the fringes of Akwa-Ibom state. It is called “The Blue River” because no other river in Nigeria is as clear and blue as it is. Aesthetically pleasing, and surrounded by beauty and nature, lush greens and cool water, the blue river also shows a more wild and dangerous side, especially where it reaches the majestic rapids. At the rapids is the breathtaking scenery that is part of its center of attraction. Azumini Blue River offers tourists the greatest opportunity to explore Nigeria’s natural settings in a more urbanized way.

The water is so crystal clear that one can see and try counting all the fish clearly seen swimming around. The waters are in fact so clear you can see the fish from the bridge. The river color appears as sparkling blue aqua marine (like the beautiful Caribbean sea of the Bahamas). One could see all the way to the white sandy bottom of the river several feet deep, even under moonlight. The river is most beautiful especially when the bright sunlight glistens on this river, it is pure immaculate. One can also see the very bright colourful stones and of its bed from the surface. The stones are so clear and clean that the Aba Glass industry uses them as raw materials for their products. Along with the crystal blue waters come’s canoe rides and comfortable sandy beaches where you can choose to lie for hours on end. There are chairs and tables for picnickers as well as barbecue grills ready for the preparation of tasty fish meals.

   At the beach, tourists are thrilled by birds doing acrobatic swoop into the river to get their meals. Also young locals are seen doing amazing acrobatic dives into the river to add to the fun. Some Archeologists who have studied the area have determined that it is 15 m above sea level. Although flat, nature has ensured that the river is kept well drained. The river valleys are steep with 1 in 20 gradients. It has three major stretches: they are Mini Obuaku, Mini Ogigo and Aba to Samanga. It is held that the blue river was one of the major reasons, or perhaps the major reason, why Azumini ancestors settled in the present location after they left their original home in central/eastern Ijo (Ijaw) as captured in history. 

The blue river’s significance as a tourist attraction can hardly be overemphasized. Its tourist value is recognized, and promoted by Nigeria’s tourism industry as one of the 70 tourist sites in Nigeria. 

Also, Abia state has listed the river among the first two of its state tourist sites. Already it has gained serious international recognition. World fish Center-Fish base Project located in Philippines has used this river for its research with some noted successes. Also an International Primates Conservation group made a very telling discovery of a once considered extinct primate called C. Sclateria primate on the banks of this river. The river has remained as virgin as it was when the forebears came upon it. Azumini Blue River is surely a place you will visit and not forget.

KAINJI NATIONAL PARK

THE KAINJI NATIONAL PARK

This park in Kwara state was established in 1979 and incorporates the Borgu game reserve and Zugurma game reserve to the south east. The Borgu sector of the park alone covers an area of about 3.929 km. The Kainji national park also contains the Kainji dam and a major hydro power station. It is an artificial lake which covers the town of old Bussa. Here Mungo Park the explorer was said to have come to grief in 1805 when his canoe capsized on the bumpy falls of river Niger. Now the lake hides the scene of the accident. The lake is 136km long.