Nigeria travel guide

The border crossing at Gembu - Banyo between Nigeria and Cameroon is really out of the way. It's located on the Mambilla Plateau, which rises up to about 2000 m above sea level. The road is a potholed dirt road, which passes several villages on the way (picture). Cows graze the otherwise mostly barren soft rolling hils which make up the plateau. Due to the high altitude it's nicely chilled up here.

Nigeria is infamous for the many checkpoints along any road. Some sections have more than others, but the A4, parallel to the Cameroon border, is a league of its own. Here you can see from one checkpoint to the next. Some are guarded by various departments of the police or military, while others seem to be controlled by clandestine armed private security forces seeking "opportunities". On a long day, you can encounter more than 100 checkpoints! Be patient and firm, and it will be possible to pass every single one of them without a bribe.

The Kingdom of Benin has nothing to do with the modern country Benin. It was a kingdom in what is now southwestern Nigeria. It was formed around the 12th century, but annexed by the British Empire in 1897, when the British sacked and burned Benin City. Up until then Benin City was known for its city walls, a series of earthworks made up of ditches and banks. With a length of 15 km inside the city and an additional 16,000 km outside (yes, it sounds like there is a zero too many), it's considered to be the largest earthwork carried out prior to the mechanical era. Unfortunately, there isn't much left of the ditches, but the remains have made it to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative list (not the proper list, yet). A "world heritage site" sign is already hanging over the brass casters street, Igun street (see picture).

With a population of more than 20 millions Lagos is not only the biggest city in Nigeria, but also the biggest in Africa (though exact numbers don't exist). Though it's the economic hub of Nigeria, Abuja is the capital. It's obviously very big and spread out. It doesn't have a traditional city centre, but is more split into neighbourhoods. The islands (Victoria Island and Lagos Island) are the posh part of town, where Ikoyi is the most affluent neighborhood with a lot of embassies. Ikeja, near the airport, is an orderly commercial center, where the markets have some bustle. Of course there are slums and crazy congested neighborhoods, but they have little appeal for most travelers, maybe except for Makoko stilt village, which can be seen from the expressway at the 3rd Mainland Bridge.

Olumo Rock is more like a small hill located inside the city of Abeocuta. It was used by the Egba people as a natural fortress during inter-tribal warfare in the 19th century. The obscure elevator hasn't been working for ages, but the staircases are easy, else there is also no more adventurous route between the boulders (be careful the boulders are smooth). From the top you get nice panoramic views over the ancient city of Abeokuta. You should be able to see the First Church of Nigeria, the Central Mosque, the River Ogu as well. The neighborhood around the rock is actually charming with dilapidated Brazilian and Cuban mansions built by returned slaves.

In the outskirts of Oshogbo lies one of the last remnants of primary high forest in southern Nigeria. A fascinating Yoruba shrine dedicated to the River Goddess Oshuno is located next to the river with good views of the primary jungle. The trail from the main entrance is lined with sculptures by Suzanne Wenger, an Austrian artist who was here in the 1950s. Curious monkeys patrol the path in the hope of some bananas. The 75 hectares of sacred grove is a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Palace of Ooni of Ife was built in the 18th-century and is the centre of Yoruba history and culture, which to this day still practices traditional beliefs. The actual palace of Ooni is off limits, but the king's servants (who usually hang around the entrance) will show you the shrines if "you give me something" (about N500 each).

In the Afi Mountains about 300 km outside Calabar there is a drill ranch, which rehabilitates monkeys (drills and other monkey species). However, if you don't have the opportunity to go that far, you can visit their headquarters in Calabar. There they have a few cages with various rare monkey species, including drills. There are more than one ranch in Calabar, but only one belonging to Pandrillus.
Calabar itself is by the way one of Nigeria's most pleasant cities.

Like most of rural eastern Nigeria, the countryside around Zaki Biam is dotted with villages made up of round mudhuts with thatched roofs. The town itself has a big bustling market. The local people seems curious, though a bit shy, probably because they don't see foreign travelers that often.