We flew to Calabar where we spent the night.
11.00am
off to Obudu.This
is a 5˝ hour journey along reasonable roads.
We stopped off en route at two sites to see some 2000
year old monoliths, apparently carved by Bantu people before
their long migration to South Africa. A Cuban visitor to them
had known all about the ‘mbe’ cult and the drumming and
dancing associated with them.
We
arrive at the foot of the hill at 6.30pm and it is then a
half-hour drive uphill around 20 hairpins.
The views are absolutely stunning and certainly unlike
anything we have experienced in Nigeria.
Although the Ranch is not
yet officially open the NFS were able to negotiate a special
deal as a trial run to the Miss World contestants who are
visiting next month. We
were shown to our rooms which have been refurbished and were
very adequate.At the
moment there is no running water but this will soon be
operational. However
there were plenty of buckets of water and you could order a
bucket of hot water whenever you needed it.
We had a good meal in the dining room.
The Sonkwala Mountains viewed
from Obudu Plateau in the early morning mist |
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Next morning up for an early
morning walk and bird watching .
After an excellent breakfast guides from the nearby local
village of Becheve will take people who want on various walks
around the Ranch, the guides include some very good
ornithologists. Good
walking shoes/boots are needed and a waterproof jacket.
The rainy season runs from May – November.
The cost for a guide was N1,500 for the day. The walks include:
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The ranch
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| Gorilla trail: |
6 hrs one-way, not
possible to get there and back in one day |
| Natural spring, grotto,
where one can swim if the weather is OK: |
10 min walk |
| Cameroon border view: |
90% rain and mist, is a
3-4 hrs walk there and back |
| Waterfall: |
3-4 hrs walk there and
back |
| Anepe village:
| On the way to the
waterfall |
| Becheve nature reserve
(right by the lodges): |
40-45 min right round.
Small rainforest with tree house.
Good for bird watching.
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Our
guide Jude was very knowledgeable about the area and took us to
the view over to the Cameroons.
The scenery is breathtaking, rolling hills above the
clouds, wildflower meadows and cattle grazing.
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An ample packed lunch is
provided by the Ranch which we eat in a nearby field.
The rain comes down in the
evening and warm clothing is called for and its to the bar to
gather round a welcome open fire.
The next morning it is very misty but we head for Becheve
nature reserve, an excellent reserve looked after by Joseph, a
very good bird watcher. We
walk around the perimeter and then through the rain forest and
up the tree house. Comments:
Tim
described it as ‘his best day in Africa’.
Whilst I wouldn’t go that far, it was certainly the
best day in Nigeria. Unfortunately
due to the nature of
the trip we were constrained by time limits, but we will
certainly be going back.
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Becheve Nature
Reserve - a typical patch of Montane Forest
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Prices
negotiated by the NFS, bearing in mind that the resort is not
fully operational at the moment were:
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| Room: |
N3,000 |
| Breakfast: |
N650 |
| Lunch:
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N750 |
| Dinner:
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N950 |
| Lunch: |
N750
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The
tennis courts were playable (rackets and balls available).
Squash court may be ready.
Mini golf course not ready.
The
only difficulty is getting to the Ranch from Calabar.
You would need to negotiate a taxi from Calabar to Obudu and
return, but the cost is unknown.
The NFS had organised a bus for our transport needs over
the 4 days.
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Places
to visit in Calabar in you have a few hours to while away:
Pandrillus:
Drill rehabilitation and breeding centre and chimpanzee
sanctuary. The
Drill monkey is the most endangered monkey in
the world and Pandrillus has 65% of the world captive population.
It has a permanent field site at Afi Mountain which we
also visited with the help of the Cross River National Park
vehicles and staff. All
the monkeys are either rescued or donated.
They have had 70 births, the most successful in the world,
with the first ever twin birth recorded recently.
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Rescued baby drills
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Cercopan:
here
are 6 different species of monkeys (guenons and mangabeys) ,at
Cercopan. Again
these are all donated or rescued and it is the only sanctuary of
its kind in Africa.
Their aim is to establish a field site for rehabilitation and
captive breeding in a protected forest area in Cross River
State.
Donations
to both these very worthwhile organisations are gratefully
received.
Calabar
Museum:
This
is situated in the Old Residency building which was shipped out
from Glasgow in 1884 in flat pack form.
Tim says that this is the best museum in Nigeria,
possibly West Africa. It
has an elevated position overlooking the town and is set in
pleasant surroundings.
Kwa
Falls:
A
41km drive to the north-east of Calabar.
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Ann Gatt (England)
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More photos? Click here.
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Lagos Branch
