Nigeria, a country of over 180 million people is a West African country that is richly blessed with human and natural resources. It has different mineral deposits and crude oil deposits, rich wildlife, weather, and environment. It has also played host to different tourists from different countries of the world with popular places like Obudu cattle ranch, Borgu game reserve and the rest.
There are other tourist centers that are arguably not as popular as the aforementioned once and, in this post, we would be looking at some of these not-well-known tourist centers in a bid to influence your choice of destination when next you plan for a tourist visitation to Nigeria or as a Nigerian, when you want to go on vacation.
Some not-well-known tourist centers in Nigeria
- Coconut Beach: located in the ancient city of Badagry, near the border between Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, Coconut beach is a beach that is made up of coconut trees. It can be accessed through the Lagos-Badagry Expressway and there is no charge for entrance.
It is surrounded by holiday resorts, vacation huts, white sand, palm trees and the rural feeling of the area. It can be visited at any time of the year depending on when you want to. You can get fresh coconut juice from the beach and ride on horse backs at low costs.
It is indeed a great place to go if you are planning on a vacation at little or no cost. You can also get guest houses around the area.
- Ancient Kano Walls: built and completed from 1095 to 1134, the ancient Kano walls is a 14km radius wall built in Kano for defense by the ancient people of kano. It has several gates and have associated sites like the Dala hills, Kurmi market and the Emir’s palace.
The Dala hills is the first place where kano indigenes first settled at. It is seen as the nucleus of living in Kano. It is believed to be of great influence to the civilization that was recorded in the Savannah zone of the west African sub region.
Kurmi market is believed to be the oldest and largest market in Africa and is still in existence up till this day. It has lanes which consists of traders who trade on the same goods and services having the same lane.
The Emir’s palace on the other hand, was built by a paramount ancient ruler Muhammadu Rumfa and consists of 3 gates and a magnificent structure to behold. If you are looking for a place for your next vacation, then think of the ancient wall of Kano.
- Osun Sacred Grove: located at the outskirts of Oshogbo, Osun state Nigeria, the Osun-Oshogbo sacred grove is one of the not-well known tourist centers in Nigeria. It is located in a dense forest and is said to be the place of abode of the ancient Osun goddess of fertility called OSUN. The forest has several rivers that meander throughout the forest and there are several shrines, artworks that are dedicated to the goddess and other deities of the land.
The Osun goddess is celebrated with a festival every year and this is a great time to visit the grove although it can be visited at anytime of the year. If you are looking for a great place for your next vacation, then the Osun sacred grove is a great place to visit.
The Yoruba people of the southwestern part of Nigeria are well-known for their rich culture and with a visit, you will be thrilled.
- Ngwo Pine Forest: another beauty to behold is the Ngwo pine forest located at the outskirts of Enugu town along the Enugu-Onitsha road, Enugu state, Nigeria. Although poorly managed, the pine forest is a very good site to behold. It has several pines in an arranged order that are very beautiful.
The place can be used for camping, picnics, site seeing and every other recreational activity you can think of. The place also has a waterfall which is inside a cave built with limestone by mother nature. As can be seen from the picture, the pine forest has played host to several international and local tourists.
If you are planning on the next place to go for tourism, then think Ngwo Pine forest. The people of Enugu are good and God-fearing people. The city is also nice, with a wide-range of hotels and rest rooms where you can lodge and take trips to the pine forest.
It is advisable that you find someone that knows the place and take him or her as a tour guide. You can find someone around the pine forest all the time.
- Ibeno Beach: this is a beach located at Ibeno local government area of Akwa Ibom State, southwestern Nigeria. It is a beach alone the shorelines of the Atlantic Ocean and is a haven for lovers of nature. The beauty of the beach as can be seen from the picture below lies on the endless white sand dunes that stretches as long as the human eyes can reach.
The dunes have stood the test of time and have not gone with the tides and the sound of the breeze heard on the beach is just soul-soothing. It is also adorned with several activities that you can engage in while at the beach. Activities such as beach volleyball, beach soccer, boat racing and water sporting. The beauty of the beach is that it can be visited at anytime of the year as there is no time it is dangerous to visit.
The beach also has an array of tall trees that are very pleasant for rest or for other recreational activities.
There are also hotels around the beach that you can lodge in while you enjoy the natural bliss of the beach. Hotels like Bexco Guesthouse (which you can pay as low as N6000 for a night) and Sunrise hotel and resort (which you can find a room as low as N4000 per night).
