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Thinking about your next vacation spot?
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Tourist Destinations in NigeriaFor more information,
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But for the average North American, Nigeria, for a number of reasons, is not one of the first places that come to mind as a vacation spot. For one, the West African region is a little further afield than the Caribbean or South America and a round trip there adds a few extra hundred dollars to the price of the air ticket. But this is not the main reason why Nigeria, and West Africa in general, is not as popular as East or North Africa or the Caribbean for tourists. The chief reason is government neglect of the tourist industry.
For many decades the Nigerian tourism industry saw little new investment by the state. The traditional tourist attractions -- Game Reserves, Nature Reserves and Museums -- are maintained, but there is very little investment in the promotion of the industry. As a result not many people are aware of Nigeria's rich variety in tourist attractions.
The situation is beginning to change, however. There is a new government emphasis on tourism promotion by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation, a subsidiary of the Federal Ministry Culture and Tourism.
Nigerian game and nature reserves may not be as co-extensive or heavily populated with animals as the East African reserves, but there are more of them, each unique in its own way and rich with wild life.
Apart from game reserves, there are museums with offerings of collections of art and cultural artifacts. But the most interesting cultural attractions are the traditional events and festivals that take place at different intervals throughout the year in different towns and communities across the country.
Yankari National Park | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Yankari Game Reserve is in the Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State, 115km from Bauchi town. It
was upgraded to a National Park in 1991. The Park covers an area of 2,250.10 sq km.
Over 50 species of wild animals can be located in the Park, including baboons, elephants, hippos, hartebests and variety of birds and fishes. There are natural formations such as the Marshall Cave Systems and the Wikki Springs, source of the Wikki River which provides cool and clear natural swimming facilities for visitors. Yankari Park contains several archeological preserves including the Dukkey Well System and the Ampara and Shanshau iron smelting works and furnace shafts dating back many centuries. Yankari provides a variety of accomodations and facilities for visitors, from hostels for youth and budget travellers to chalets with indoor and outdoor sports facilities and a conference hall.
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Cross River National Park | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Cross River National Park was conceived as a preserve of the last remaining Rain Forest ecosystem in
Nigeria. It is located in south-eastern Nigeria. The Park is home to the famed Obudu Cattle Ranch.
It also has the Kanyang Tourist Village designed to accommodate eco-tourists. Animal attractions in the Park include gorillas and other primates, the gwantibo or golden potto forest elephants and forest leopards.
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Cultural Festivals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ila Oso UzuakoliThe Ila Oso Festival begins in the second week of December and ends a few days before Christmas. It is a special time in Uzuakoli, Abia State, a trooping of the colors when every age group from the youngest to the oldest march past in proud displays of artistic talents and other achievements. The event is highly competitive among the different age groups and the five villages that make up the town of Uzuakoli. Each village has one day during which its age groups march and dance through each of the five villages. On the last day of the ceremonies all the five villages meet in the main square in a colorful display of rivalry and camaraderie between villages and between age groups.
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Kano DurbarThe historic old city of Kano is the site of this colorful festival of regal splendor, horsemanship and military displays. The Durbar festival, known as Hawan Daushe in the Hausa language, is held during the month of Ramadan in Nigeria. The actual dates vary from year to year, but it is always held during the Id-el Kabir. The event is held within the walled city in front of the Emir's palace. During the ceremony, groups of colorfully attired nobles and soldiers on colorfully decorated horses parade through the streets on their way to play homage to the emir. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iko Okochi AfikpoThis is an annual event that takes place in Afikpo, Ebonyi State from the last week of November to the second week of December. Iko Okochi is described as a friendship festival incorporating ceremonies of rites of passage. The festival begins with the Iko Onuoka "Masked Warrior Dance" and "Beauty Pageant" The greatest warrior and the most beautiful maiden are selected at the Iko Onuoka. The Festival concludes with the Iko Okochi when young men just come of age are initiated into the Ogo Age Group. This is followed by a spectacularly colorful parade of over 200 masquerades. The actual dates for these events may vary from year to year. To find out the exact date for this year's celebrations call Afikpo | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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