The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page….

During my university days, I organized trips (educational and fun) for students within and outside the university. I appreciate and marvel at the complexity of creations , hence the love for travelling. I also planned trips and chaperoned a lot in school and during nysc.

Sequel to the enquiries received on the obudu trip thread(via twitter and emails ), I will be giving a detailed travelling itinerary and my perspective because touring depends on the mindset of the tourist.

TRIP TO CROSS RIVER STATE (CALABAR + OBUDU)
Come And Live And Be At Rest (CALARBAR)
Cross river state is located in the south-eastern part of Nigeria with the republic of Cameroun to the east. The capital, CALABAR is noted for its hospitality and comfortable serene environment and hence the acronym Come And Live And Be At Rest (CALABAR) and the calabar carnival is renowned for display of culture and beautiful side of the good people of cross river state.
The government of Donald duke geared the state toward its present position as the tourism hub of Nigeria by proper planning of the state capital, development of existing tourist sites and the completion of TINAPA.. the attractions include
( 1) The Calabar town and her people……..as a tourist, I pay attention to people to understand the their ways and have a balanced view of their culture.
( 2 )TINAPA business resort
(3) MARINER RESORT
( 4) KWA FALLS
( 5) METROPOLITAN HOTEL
( 6) SLAVE TRADE MUSEUM CALABAR
(7) OBUDU CATTLE RANCH

SETTING OUT…….FROM LAGOS
Calabar is approximately 600km from Lagos and accessible via road and direct flight from Lagos. Major local carriers operate flights to calabar at varying rates and depending on season too. … (20,000 – 25,000) LOS-CBQ
You will be greeted by the wonderful smile and disposing nature of akwa-ibomites + cross-riverians at the Magret Ekpo airport, glad to welcome you into their midst.
For the road-runners like me and those that appreciate nature, beautiful landscape and have an inquisitive mind, a road trip to calabar is really an experience. It cuts across lots of states in nigeria and also afford you the opportunity to see Nigeria better.
Though the roads are bad in some states, they are fairly safe and cannot be termed dangerous, the choice of vehicle also matters, I do prefer coaster buses to mini vans and SUVs when travelling light to adapt to the road and create ambience in the vehicle required for long journey. It would take approximately 11 hours with stop -overs ... lets move

LAGOS -ORE ( 0ND0 ) VIA SAGAMU (OGUN) --- BENIN (EDO)

AGBOR (DELTA) --- ASABA --- ONITSHA (ANAMBRA) VIA THE GREAT NIGER BRIDGE

--- IHIALA --- ORLU ---VILLAGES IN IMO --- UMUAHIA (ABIA)

--- UMUDIKE --- IKOT EKPENE/ ABASI --- CALABAR


I have also tried this route…..
ONITSHA --- NNEWI --- IHIALA --- OWERRI
---ABA --- IKOT EKPENE --- CALABAR[i][/i]


But I prefer the former , I got to see a lot of igbo villages and universities. Stop overs at ore, Onitsha and any other spots that catches your fancy.

DAY 1

With flight, there is still ample time to search for hotels if you have not pre booked and calarbar has it in abundance. From the big trancorp metropolitan hotel ( 30,000) to the affordable le chateur (12,000), comfy hotels in the GRA.

NOTE.. FOR STUDENTS TRAVELLING IN GROUPS, JUST VISIT THE REPUBLIC OF MALABOR, UNIVERSITY OF CALABAR, THE STUDENT UNION HAS 3 COMFY ROOMS IN THE HALLS OF RESIDENCE RESERVED FOR THAT PURPOSE….TO WELCOME STUDENT TOURISTS…that’s acceptance and loveable culture of cross river..

Money for hotel saved and you need all the cash you can get as calabar is as expensive as lagos. Tuck into bed and sleep tite after a long journey (via road) .

Day 2
Welcome to cross river, the temperature is slightly lower than lagos and the streets are cleaner. Hitting the streets, the first point of call (least for me) is the central Marian market, a drive through town to see the cultural prescence of the people and eat too…yes eat calabar delicaies.
To maximize time and utility, the tourist attractions should be in this order….

A. TINAPA BUSINESS RESORT is a free trade zone (an area where goods are landed, manufactured or exported without the intervention of customs authorities) that consists of retails and wholesale shops, entertainment complex, Amber hotel, a nollywood village, cinema, studio tinapa and a water park. The architectural design is really good and unnigerian. It is located in the outskirts of the town.

NB for students in groups, the security will ask of your mission there, sensing that it’s a trip or excursion, they will try to charge you a gate fee and now attach a guy to show you around. As a lagos boy, just retort that you are going to the mall for shopping…..money cannot waste.

In 2008, I was shown around by a manager of BROLL,[i][/i] the coy managing the facility after a pre visit. Most of the shops are empty but visibly decorated with banners of coys, the mall is really nice and the nollywood side has some fantastic views.

MARINA RESORT…..

driving through the government house are via crutech from tinapa, marina resort stands at the water mouth of calabar. It is the place where slaves were exported to sao tome and principie. It has several open spaces that can be used for get-togethr, a restaurant and harbor for speed boats (surfing the waters).
The slave museum has a gallery r should I say a presentation, artifacts and memorabilia of the slave trade era, an alley with frightening sound and wailings of slaves as they were been tortured and some really scary pictures. Just like Elmin cape coast castle in Ghana…. An interesting experience.

KWA falls, Mary slessor park [i][/i]are also interesting tourist attractions to visit if time pernits. The kwa falls is about 30km fromcalabar. It has a beautiful landscape with natural mangrove vegetation and the mary slessor park is within the calabar town.

A NIGHT IN CALABAR (CAVEAT EMPTOR)

As an average Nigerian, armed with the myth of the notoriety of the calabar girls . It would be an unforgivable sin not to either demystify or verify the myth. ***wink
For the Behind guys (lead city + bowen + Jabu 2011), the metropolitan hotel has a spacious bar and club that plays mainly jazz and cool musics with heavy security and expensive looking call girls.

For the we-we (futa, unaab and oau 2009, 2010 ), the jaspers along Marian road, Mayfair lounger at the channel viewhotels, the base bar (plenty olosho full here ) and the pinnacle club. They provide the loud music, the alcohol and the calabar girls be it Ekaette or the Behind Malabress (uncial girls) and the scintillating crutech babes.

DAY 3

CALABAR ----- IKOM ----- OBUDU

Obudu is about four to five hours drive from calabar via ikom , it is situated in obanliku cal government, outskirt of the obudu town and veering off the main road, like thirty minutes from the town( student trips planner should take note of this in case you decide not to lodge at the ranch).. In 2007 that I first visited the ranch, it was not tarred up till the local government with heavy dust. There is an airstrip (BEBI) which connects flight to calabar and save the five hour drive. On entering the ranch, you are greeted with this…



NB for students in group, please pay in group as the security men are locals looking to collect your lagos money as the call it, they would just give an approximate figure, haggle it and you get a fair deal.

THE MOUTAIN ----CLIMB OR RIDE

The obudu cattle ranch is at an elevation of about 5200 feet above sea level and gazing at it from the base brings a nostalgic feeling and awe. The distance of 11km from the base to the top via road.
The locals will warn you not to try to walk it as you might likely die ***very funny. A FUTA students once tried, he got to the fourth curve and started calling for help, we had to call a bike to bring the mofo back for the cable ride, the guy is now a second lieutenant in the Nigerian army (yes boss)

CABLE CAR[i][/i]…well, it’s not a car but it runs on the cable, covers 4km with over 30 cars, each with carrying capacity of 8 middle weighed passenger through the clouds and offering a beautiful view of the ranch. MOST TOURIST ARE AFRAID OF THE cable car because of the small size, hanging on a rope and the height. As one OAU students said,‘ I can’t risk my life on a piece of rope’. Talk about the Nigerian and concept of life and death.

Another cable car is used to convey your luggage to prevent overweight. The changes at the joints makes the car to vibrates and a lead city girl once bite a daring guy for standing up while in the car at high altitude ***who wan die.

THE ROAD….[i][/i].

I took the road in 2010 when I chaperoned OAU students (broke ass niggas with socialistic tendencies), they claimed the car is too expensive ( 800 for students, 1500 for non students, sincerely the price varies depending on your negotiation power, sometimes 500 sef), they claimed the road is more adventurous. After consulting with the drivers ( 2 school coasters buses), we started the journey.

Luckily we had good drivers and new buses with good traction; it has about 20 evil bends and one really scary one called the devil elbow. Due to the length of the car, you have to be experienced to meander that elbow. The driver cannot turn, more like turning in a tight spot at high altitude and space behind you….the driver was cursing , some were taking pictures, the others rending praise worships and others chanting “great ife anthem” .

Meandering through the elbows are off limit to alto phobic and hypertensive people.

ARRIVAL AT THE RANCH
The reception at the ranch is heavily dressed with artwork and a ver imposing figure of a cattle head attached to the wall. It has a bar that welcomes visitor and sells a bottle of star for 600 naira. *** Altititudinal beer, beer on the moutain

The African sun resort offers top class service hospitality, a fully equipped gym, floodlit tennis and squash court, a golf course and log fire for warmth.. the weather is really cold at that height about 4 degrees Celsius in the morning, raining season from june to sept. so get some good clothing or buy at the villagers market..

The people’s hote[i][/i]l….well no such thing exists but the inhabitants of the mountains have bungalows that are used as hotels. The rates varies depending on howtastily furnished the lodge is, from 6000-15000, it has no fixed rate as you have to haggle it. It offers premium service of a 2 star hotel.
Yes, there is a local market along the road away from the African sun hotel where locals sell cattle beef (very spicy), local dishes and cheap alcohol as obtainable outside the ranch.

If you cant afford this as students, there are local, very local hotel in obudu town that goes for 2000 a night or you can just drive to the FEDERAL COLLEGE OF EDUCATION OBUDU shouting ‘Greatest Nigerian students’, they will help with accommodation.

Attractions
Please take an early morning walk and appreciate nature and the wonders of creation. Due to the altitude, it appears as if the cloud is within grasp.
An early morning dip in the river from the fallwould really be soothing, extremely cold water, early in the morning. Don’t be surprised that at some location, particularly far east, the network changes from MTN NG to MTN CAM…yes cameroun.

The cattle ranch still boasts of very huge cattle and fresh milk are available at a diary behind the GTB ATM machine.( oops I forgot to mention, there is a GTB ATM planted at the mountain).


The canopy walk is a 100m swinging bridge suspended above the forest. It is 70m above forest level. A small feat if you have walked the kakum national park canopy ( 350m).


The water park is an ideal fun spot to take a dip, water slides and Jacuzzi feeling.

Return journey

Route 1
Obudu---calabar --- lagos via flight




Route 2 [i][/i]

Obudu cattle ranch --- obudu town --- abakaliki

--- Enugu --- Awka --- Onitsha --- asaba --- Benin --- ore --- lagos.



[b]Route 3 ( the road runners choice)

Obudu cattle ranch --- obudu town --- enter benue state ( kastina Ala) --- Aliade

--- gboko ---markudi road --- Ajaokuta --- Ankpa ( kogi state)

---Okene --- owo (ondo state) --- akure --- Ilesha --- ife (via osu)

--- Ibadan ---Abeokuta --- lagos that’s a road trip worth taking.


[/b]

Please feel free to add your experience, any question or information,

I have a road trip planned for five west African countries, the thread would come up shortly. Thank you.
Regards
Midax & Phoenix

Travel is fatal to justice, bigotry and narrow mindedness and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all ones’s lifetime…..mark twain

Nice one! Beautiful photos and a write-up well written ! I've not had the opportunity to travel to Calabar yet. When i do, i'd make sure i have as much fun as you had there.

Nice. Very nice!

@ chukxie, thanks for reading through and try and make the trip! Its worth it!

@ phema, thanks!

Midax & Phoenix:
@ chukxie, thanks for reading through and try and make the trip! Its worth it!

@ phema, thanks!

I sure will !