Top 10 tourist activities in Nigeria

So you’re looking for tourist activities in Nigeria, the land of… sapa?

But anyway, here you are now, and since you’ve heard a lot about the country and its cultural heritage, you’re probably looking for some tourist activities in Nigeria to make some memories to take back with you. So I’ll be your tour guide for today, and it’s absolutely because I’m a very nice person and not at all because I’m hoping you might repay me by taking me along. Oh, no, not at all. The thought didn’t even cross my mind.

So pack your sunscreens, mosquito repellents, and Jumanji spirits, because we’re going all over the country. The sun is hot, and mosquitoes are first-class citizens.

Top Ten Tourist Activities in Nigeria

Ikogosi Warm Spring

Of course, I’m going to start with my state, dear Ekiti. Ikogosi is located in Igede town in the south-western Ekiti State of Nigeria, and is legendary and unique due to the side-by-side presence of warm and cold springs that run parallel to each other and DO NOT MIX even where they meet. This makes it a superb vacation destination in Nigeria.

Aside from this wondrous phenomenon, there is the beauty of its topography, rich with green scenery, as well as the resort that was built around the springs to provide accommodation and comfort for tourists in Nigeria. So are you looking for fun tourist activities in Nigeria? Start with Ikogosi.

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Obudu Cattle Ranch

Located in Cross River State in the south-south and on a plateau 1,576 meters above sea level, Obudu Cattle Ranch offers outstanding natural scenery and is one of the top tourist activities in Nigeria that you can engage in. The semi-temperate mountain climate, with its beautiful view, is the perfect holiday location for tourists and adventurers.

The Mountain Resort at Obudu also provides visitors with a sporting environment to play golf, food, log fire, and traditional accommodations in chalets and African round huts are made available. The beautiful scenery, along with its temperate climate and serenity, offers the perfect location for holidays, adventures, and meditations. Don’t sha break your neck in the name of adventure.

The Idanre Hills

The Idanre Hills is an amazing arrangement of slopes with various tourist interests located in Ondo State. It has 640 steps with 5 resting points that lead to the highest point of the hills, and no matter how fit you think you are, I can bet that it will leave you winded with no energy to catch your breath. And this, I’m glad to say, is from experience.

The ancient palace and hills are still intact on top of the hills, as well as the Arun river and stream which, according to myth, gives a strange feeling to whoever swims within it. According to the locals, the name Idanre is a shortening of the Yoruba phrase awon onidan re which translates to here are the sorcerers on account of the ancient people of Idanre possessing powerful magic.

The hill is an abandoned city with hither-to dwelt in houses, an ancient palace, and a shrine, all left intact on top of the hills, and if you can successfully conquer all 640 steps, you will be rewarded with a breathtaking panoramic view of the town of Idanre, which lies at the foot of the hills.

Idanre is one of the most awesome and beautiful natural landscapes in Ondo State and Nigeria as a whole. Complementing its beauty which fires human curiosity is the fact that the entire people of Idanre lived on these boulders for almost a millennium. It was confirmed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in October 2007.

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Olumo Rock

Olumo Rock is located at Abeokuta in Ogun State and was used as a hiding place for early settlers in Abeokuta against their enemies, as well as to monitor them from a more advanced point. That said, it is one of the most visited sites and one of the top tourist activities in Nigeria.

New renovations in 2006 saw the likes of a museum, restaurants, a water fountain, and an elevator added to make visiting Olumo rock a worthwhile experience. The features of the rock that made it a refuge are amazing, a number of caves are designed to serve as rooms, bunkers, and halls, while the top serves as a point from where enemy advance could be monitored.

The Mambilla Plateau

Located in Taraba State, the Mambilla Plateau sits at about 1,830 meters above sea level and is thought to be the highest point in Nigeria. It is richly blessed with fertile green pastures that allow plants like strawberries, pears, apples, tea, and Irish potatoes to grow there due to the temperate climate.

Driving uphill through the winding road provides an outstanding experience, as the plateau environment is without mosquitoes and other biting insects. Now that’s a first. The plateau is blessed with a rather temperate climate that contrasts with Nigeria’s general tropic climate, although I’m not sure tropic is the word I’d use. But I’m told hellish is too extreme.

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Zuma Rock

Zuma Rock is a large natural monolith, or inselberg, an igneous intrusion composed of gabbro and granodiorite, in Niger State, Nigeria. Yes, I intentionally put that there; you seem to have been enjoying yourself so far, and this is Nigeria; we cannot have that. Hardship is a mantra, suffering is a motto. Pain is the great crucible from which heroes are forged. Don’t @ me.

Three hundred meters (980 feet) tall, Zuma Rock is one of the world’s highest and largest natural monoliths, and is located in the western part of Nigeria, near the capital city of Abuja. It was found in the 15th century by the Zuba people of Niger State, who called it zumwa, which translates to “a place of guinea fowls,” due to the abundance of the birds around the rock.

The Zuba people settled around the rock and came to see it as a spiritual guide, and even offered sacrifices to the rock to keep them safe from harm. And because it offered a clear view of the surrounding landscape, the monolith was also used as a defensive position against other invading tribes.

Yankari National Park

This park is located in Bauchi State, Northern Nigeria, and was created originally as a game reserve; it was later changed to the country’s National park in 1991. Covering an area of about 2,244 square kilometers (866 sq mi), it is home to several natural warm water springs, as well as a wide variety of flora and fauna.

Its location in the heartland of the West African savanna makes it a unique way for tourists and holidaymakers to watch wildlife in its natural habitat, and it has a large collection of different animals and plants. By virtue of being the most popular tourist attraction site for tourists, the reserve has over 59 caves and iron smelting works with centuries-old furnaces. There are also 130 wells with interconnecting shafts used by slaves during the trans-Atlantic slave era.

Yankari is almost part of Nigerian history and is under the management of the Bauchi State Government, and is one of the top tourist activities in Nigeria.

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Tinapa Resort

Tinapa resort, located in Calabar, Cross-River, was initiated by the Cross River State Government under Governor Donald Duke to boost the state’s tourism and economic value. Over $300 million was invested in the resort’s initial development. And apparently, they nailed it, because the resort has been nicknamed by many as Nigeria’s small London due to the beautiful landscape.

The nearby free trade zone, along with its beautiful scenery, provides visitors with an outstanding experience of business mixed with leisure, which I thought they said you should never do. But Tinapa is world-class, so I guess it can get away with it.

Visitors, tourists, and locals alike, can enjoy the beautiful scenery along with the entertainment made possible by the availability of a movie production studio, casino, cinema, amphitheater, pubs, and children’s arcade. And just so you know, most Nollywood movies are shot there.

Badagry

Badagry is located in Lagos state and is a very prominent town in Nigeria’s history, because it serves as one of the first places of contact between Nigeria and the Europeans. Places like the Badagry Heritage Museum showcase the relics and artifacts of the slave trade, and guns, locks, and chains used by slavers on the slaves are kept by the Mobe family and are available for tourists to view and handle.

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The first-storey building in Nigeria, built in 1845, is also in Badagry, as well as the spot where Christianity was first preached in Nigeria.