Why Obudu Mountain Resort Should Be On Your Bucket List

OBUDU MOUNTAIN RESORT

Formerly known as Obudu Cattle Ranch. It is a renowned tourist destination located on the Obudu Plateau(1,575.76metres) in Obanliku LGA of Cross River State in Nigeria. Apart from being a resort, it is also a ranching site which was developed by a Scottish rancher by the  name Mr Mc caughley.

 This glamorous resort is not only for Nigerians but for tourists all over the world

Although, I observed my mandatory National Youth Service at Cross River State, I, however, did not get to visit the resort until after my service year but i finally did and guess what; THE EXPERIENCE WAS AWESOME!!! I actually do not think words can express the beauty embedded in that destination.

Here Is My Experience;
As stated earlier, I served in Adim, a small town in Biase LGA of Cross River State, but I normally visit Calabar almost every weekend because rural life is not my “genre”. So I and my colleagues in Calabar planned to tour the popular Obudu Cattle Ranch before leaving the state.
We were seven in number and we made arrangements to go the day after our POP (Passing out Parade), but unfortunately, four backed out a day before the POP. It was quite upsetting, but I had the determination to see the plan through. Just to be sure, I had to ask the other guys if they were still interested. Fortunately, their response was positive, so ahead we went with the plan.

Getting There
My friends in Calabar hired a car to convey us from Calabar to Obudu and I joined the car at Adim; (Adim is along Calabar- Obudu road), then this beautiful journey started.
Calabar to Obudu is about 5hours 30mins. We had a stopover at Ikom to eat. It has to be only me who loses appetite whenever I am travelling. But I managed to buy Banana and Groundnut just so I could have something to snack on the way. Hey! Ikom has good bananas, I must say.
 As at the time we made the trip(2018 to be pte, the road from Calabar to Obudu village was not smooth, and the road from Ikom to Obudu was indeed narrow and rough. However, the road from Obudu village to the ranch compensated for our earlier troubles.
You cannot imagine my joy when we finally got to the famous Obudu Cattle Ranch. This joy, however, quickly went from 100 to 0 when the driver decided to accelerate rather than stopped the car. Driver Stop! Stop!! We screamed. “Don't you know this is where the fun starts? Oga don’t be unfortunate o”, I said to him. Then I got down and I took some nice pictures.

 The cable car wasn't working so we had to drive up to the ranch.

The cable car is the world longest cable car system in the world. So I was pained for not experiencing the much acclaimed euphoria attached to the ride.

The journey up to the ranch isn't for the weak hearted and unskilled drivers. Amidst heavy fogs and winds on the snakelike road with the sharpest bend ever

we arrived at the reception💃💃💃 and oh, we picked up a guide at the entrance, there were plenty of them. A fine young man who approached us at the entrance was the one who guided our driver up the hill.
We got to the reception and sorted our accommodation.

I have heard prior to the visit that Obudu is cold but I was still surprised at how cold the place was (I went in July). I remembered my Geography teacher told us in secondary school that the higher one goes the cooler it becomes, but that was really cold. We had to shop for emergency cardigan, socks and even gloves from the nearby villagers. (Oh yes there are locals living on the ranch)the cold was that extreme.
Our guide told us he will be coming by 8:00am in the morning so we would start our tour early. We had our bath with hot water then we went to the restaurant to have a nice breakfast of rice and cow leg stew. One of the best meal I have ever had.



Day 2
Our guide kept to his words as he knocked at our door at exactly 8:00am. All were ready except me because I was busy choosing the clothes that will be perfect for both the weather and pictures.

I took this picture in from of our lodge

The Becheve Nature Reserve was our first point of call

The canopy walkway was the highlight of the nature reserve and I felt proud of myself for climbing it not until I experienced the one in LCC

Next was ANGELS VIEW located between the helipad & Presidential Villa

If what you want is a beautiful, peaceful, eventful honeymoon,
This hut is specifically made for honeymooning couples

Retreat, escape from the hustle and bustle...then Obudu Mountain Resort should come to mind.

GROTTO WATERFALLS was our next destination.

I met Jonathan, the beautiful white horse and I had an eventful ride even though I was screaming “let me down” all along.

 It was already evening and we were tired of exploring, you are wondering why we were exhausted? wait till you experience it.  IT WAS ALL WORTH IT. I took a zillion pictures. Obudu  Mountain Resort is just so beautiful

Enjoy the mini gallery👇👇👇

Holy Mountains/Smoky Mountains

If you're a lover of golf, there's a mini golf course in the resort. I even heard there's a yearly golf tournament.

 We also went to explore the Obudu town itself. Interestingly there are locals/villages on the resort too. It'll be good to visit & mingle with them also.

There's a Honey and milk factory in the resort also, I got Honey and my Dad testified to the originality.

Day 3
Our departure day finally came, (….oh God! shedding tears of joy) I didn't want to leave this place.

 I am not even exaggerating. I was so reluctant to leave, I was even having trouble packing but I had to. We had our breakfast and then we set out for Calabar.

Picture before departure

So I posted one of the pictures I took in Obudu Mountain Resort on WhatsApp recently and two people requested that I plan a tour to the Resort since I plan tours now(CC @tourersng)  but I believe the more the merrier, so if at least 10 people show interest before the end of July, hopefully this pandemic will be over before July, then we will tour Obudu Mountain Resort in September.

Kindly signify in the comment section if you are interested. I will contact you or better still Click Here to book the Trip.

What do you think about my experience in Obudu Mountain Resort?

Your comments will be highly appreciated

Thanks for reading




Follow Damilola discoveries, travel stories and guides on Instagram (@damiehindero).

 ‘Damilola is available for writing or travel expo opportunities.

TOURERS NG  organizes private/ group tours to tourist destinations in Nigeria/ Africa as a whole. You can also book a private/ group tour   with TOURERS NG(@tourersng. 

All You Need To Know About Lekki Conservation Centre.

LEKKI CONSERVATION CENTRE

Lekki Conservative Centre (LCC) has been the number one on my bucket list since I became aware of this tourist destination in Lagos Nigeria. But I have been caught up with work and life. Opportunity, however, availed itself sometimes in April 2019 when my friend told me she would like to celebrate her birthday in LCC but she knew I would not be available. Wait!! What did you just say? I am over chanced. I am going to LCC💃💃

Here You Go;

Lekki Conservation Centre which covers approximately 78 hectares of land is located at KM 19 Lekki-Epe Expressway. It is endowed with an abundance of plant & animal life.

The highlights of LCC include:
The delectable canopy walkway which is in fact the most important highlight.

The canopy walkway features six towers that rises over 22 feet each. They are connected by series of suspended (and swinging) walkways. It is actually the longest canopy walkway in the whole of Africa.

It is not for the faint hearted I tell you. If you are acrophobic, I wouldn't even advise you to attempt climbing it.

 I could not climb at my first visit but I sure climbed at the second time. I did not have a choice at the second visit because I was the tour guide.


The wildlife that are left to roam about freely and this includes the Monkeys, Peacocks & Tortoise (Male & Female)

Watch out for those monkeys, they can harass especially if you are holding eatables.

The pathway which is made up of rustic wooden walkway

 that leads to a large span of grassland with Gazebos which they call FAMILY PARK for relaxation

Family Park

The Human Size Chess Board

Furthermore, there are fish ponds in the family park for aquatic lovers

If you are an ardent lover of nature or you are planning a picnic with friends, family's day-out or you love adventure, LCC should be your number one destination.

Extra Tips
The gate fee is #1000 while to access the canopy walkway attracts extra #1000

It is advisable to go with your food & drinks to avoid story that touches the heart.

Recommendations
1. A conspicuous signboard should be mounted at the entrance of the centre because I can remember a friend of mine who drove past the place because he was looking out for a signboard

2. The game centre I. e the human sized  chess could use a make up

Have you been to Lekki Conservation Centre before? If yes! Would you mind sharing your experience

If No! Would you like to visit?

Your comments will be highly appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

Follow Damilola discoveries, travel stories and guides on Instagram (@damiehindero).

 ‘Damilola is available for writing or travel expo opportunities.

TOURERS NG  organizes private/ group tours to tourist destinations in Nigeria/ Africa as a whole. You can also book a private/ group tour   with TOURERS NG(@tourersng. 

Click Here to book this trip

Lil Zanzibar, A Private Beach to Behold in Lagos

LIL ZANZIBAR PRIVATE BEACH

Lil Zanzibar Beach was our debut hangout for TourersNG(@tourersng on Instagram). I heard about it from a friend and I thought it won’t a bad idea if I plan a trip here. Then I made my research and I packaged it and people bought it.

Why Lil Zanzibar?
I wanted a safe and ideal place that we could have maximum fun yet with no disturbance. Lil Zanzibar qualified.
The person who told me about the destination doesn't even like beach but has to be there for a meeting. He emphasized on the tranquillity of the place and that got me. It was the name that struck me at first. I remembered convincing a lot of people that it is not the Zanzibar in Tanzania but a private beach in Eleko located at the far end of the Ajah axis right after Amen Estate, Ibeju.

We went on a Saturday, so there was not much traffic to deal with but I kid you not, its quite a distance if you're coming from mainland like most of us on the trip, except a couple of people who joined us at Lekki.
The beach has to be booked prior to arrival & the fee has to be paid in full. The booking is made per group with some exceptions for those doing musical videos. We were pretty excited to see what it looked like. My friends didn’t believe it would look as good as it appears pictures.

DID IT? YES …

We had an attendant at our beck & call who was super polite, cheerful and helpful and that made the experience much better for me.
It is a self-service beach so all the food & drinks were brought in by us but the attendant helped us grill the chicken that has been marinated & refrigerated overnight by me (this is me trying to stimulate your appetite 😉)

What I love most about the beach was that, provided you've made the booking validated by payment, then it is yours and yours alone to enjoy and it is actually a pretty fascinating serene.

So if you want to host a small party with friends, reunion, get-together, less populated destination wedding or even a retreat. This private beach is the perfect destination for you. Oh lest I forget, the beach is sparkling clean as well.

The features include:

A Tree House

A Swimming Pool (the best part) at least if you're afraid of the sea, there's the water for you to enjoy

Double Swing Chair

Beach Sun beds

Picnic Benches

Cooking

Your grilling can be done for you but you'll provide all the ingredients


Corn Hole

Restroom for both genders

Shower.

And we also had a lot of games to play

The place has been constructed in a way you'll have no choice but to have fun.


Recommendation
The beach house should have a big signboard that says LIL ZANZIBAR so as to distinct it from other private beaches there. Though direction was given but we lost our way when we got there and the beach house was right behind us all along so I thought had it been there was a signboard we would've just strolled in.


The environment is just so serene and the facilities are top notch and you will actually love it.

This was our after reaction so you can actually guess if we had fun or not😉

Have you ever been to Lil Zanzibar Beach? If yes, how was your experience?

 If no, have i been able to stimulate your interest?

Your comments will be highly appreciated.

Thanks for Reading

Follow Damilola discoveries, travel stories and guides on Instagram (@damiehindero).

 ‘Damilola is available for writing or travel expo opportunities.

TOURERS NG  organizes private/ group tours to tourist destinations in Nigeria/ Africa as a whole. You can also book a private/ group tour   with TOURERS NG(@tourersng. Click Here to book this trip.