Remarkable Tourist Destinations In Northern Nigeria

Many believe that Northern Nigeria is riddled with violence and terrorism alone. This thought is far from the truth as the North in its entirety has a lot to offer in terms of culture, festivals, tourism, rich history and beautiful sites. From beautiful palaces, to the rich Durbar festivals, the food, hospitable people and scenic sites and destinations, the North is an adventure waiting to be explored.

Popular tourist destinations include Kajuru Castle and Yankari Games Reserve, but we cast our spotlight on these little-known tourist destinations to explore in Northern Nigeria. They will cast your fears away so you don’t cringe the next time you hear about Northern Nigeria.

Matsirga Falls Kafanchan, Kaduna

Matsirga Falls is located in Madakiya, Kafanchan Kaduna and is yet another beautiful waterfall in the North. It has a height of about 30 meters and gets its source from springs on the Kagoro hills. The water at the Matsirga Falls drops into a gorge that has been supported by beautiful rocks. Something magical happens at the point of impact with the river, the avalanche of the fall creates a rainbow-like mist which appears and disappears mysteriously.

Gashaka Gumti National Park, Taraba

Gashaka Gumti is said to be the largest wildlife park in Nigeria with various species of games to view. The national park was created from two game reserves in 1991 and is in the eastern provinces of Taraba and Adamawa state to the border with Cameroon. The animal fauna is diverse with over 103 mammal species recorded, the avian fauna also has an estimate of over a million birds and has been labelled one of Africa’s “Important Bird Areas”. The flora includes an isolated population of the red sunbird bush.

Shere Hills, Jos

This magnificent wonder of nature located in Jos is one of the foremost tourist attractions in the North. It is very scenic and quite an adventure to hike on as it is a combination of various hills and rock formations with the highest hill standing at 6,001 feet above sea level. They also form the third highest point in Nigeria after Chappal Waddi and Mount Dimlang.

Gurara Waterfalls, Niger

Gurara waterfalls was discovered by a Gwari hunter called Buba in 1745. It is one of Niger’s major tourist attractions. It was named after two deities Gura and Rara which were worshipped by the Gwari people. The waterfall is very beautiful and it stands at a height of 30 meters and a gushing width of 200 meters. When you visit Niger or Abuja, be sure to stop by at Gurara waterfalls.

Mambilla Plateau, Taraba

It is the highest point in Nigeria standing at about 1,600 meters (5,249 ft) above sea level and is a combination of waterfalls, hills and mountains. The highest mountain Chappal Wadi which stands at 7,936 ft above sea level is the highest mountain in Nigeria is found at the northeastern flank of the Plateau. The plateau is Nigeria’s northern continuation of the Bamenda Highlands of Cameroon.