Consider a trip to Nigeria.
Africa has always been a favorite destination for African-American travelers, for many of whom West Africa is usually a "must see" region during vacations. The region has personal historical significance for the Americans.
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.
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 accomodate eco-tourists.
Animal attractions in the Park include gorillas and other primates, the gwantibo or golden potto forest elephants and forest leopards.
Tourist Destinations in Nigeria
For more information,contact Links and Tours Ltd. Call: +234 1 2635484, 7227959, 0803 470 8980 E-Mail: linksandtours@yahoo.co.uk
