NIGERIA information

NIGERIA (information)

stay: 2004/Jul/20..2004/Jul/27

general view **********************************************

There are a lot of police along roads who demand money or things. You never give up rejecting their offer. The south is an oil field. The guerilla aims it. The north seems to be nice view, though there are religious struggles. You have to decide the route with the latest good information.

I got a Nigeria visa at Accra (GHANA) / $20. (refer to 'Ghana.doc')

money **********************************************

*$1=N133 (bank in Lagos)

*No ATM (not sure, but I haven't seen.)

*T/C impossible

*At Cotonou (BENIN border town) there are many money changers. You can buy Naira (Nigerian money) from them. Their rate was $1=N130, CFA1,000=N250..255. But (by hearsay) they trick tourists out of their money. They try to roll the money or put on something on the money and after that the money becomes less.

*You'd better use all Naira in Nigeria. Out of Nigeria it becomes almost no value.

*At Ekok (Cameroon border town) you can exchange in a shop. N255=CFA1,000 (dropping fractions), $1=CFA500

prices **********************************************

hotel; (room) 500.., (tent); 100.., petrol; 40..55/L, stand; 100.., beer; 130, Internet; 100../h (so so)

food **********************************************

If you come here from west, you feel the taste good. Please enjoy Ugari, Gari, Fufu (spell?). 'Guinness' beer in Nigeria is brewed in Nigeria. The taste is a little different from the original.

accommodation **********************************************

They have enough parking space as long as there's no note in the following. But the security is your own responsibility.

in Lagos (capital)

YMCA (Ikoyi-iland direction, Awolowo rd. near Mobil, 90km from the Benin border) (N06°26'34.3" E003°25'10.8")

non-member +N200 the first day

D300, tent150 (nego.) / shared toilet&shower(bucket), duty

close to a beer shop, supermarket, book shop, Internet-cafe

in Benin City

MELA MOTEL (N06°22'21.1" E005°36'35.2")

S1500 / fan

W3500 / air-con

tent500 (nego.) / shared toilet, no shower

I found a sign, 'camp ground' 19km west (outskirts) of the town along the main road.

in Abakaliki

MAYOR'S PALACE HOTEL (N06°19'16.7" E008°06'41.7")

S500 (annexe) / shared toilet&shower(bucket), duty, Using the main building parking

S1575, W2100 (main building) / bar

in Cross River state (refer to 'road')

(head office of Cross River National Park)? (N06°24'43.3" E009°09'04.0")

room1000, tent100 (nego. ?) / shared toilet&shower(bucket), restaurant (supper N200, breakfast N100)

ONLY a monkey is there in a cage. The NP is almost for plant.

Drill Ranch (N06°17'57.2" E008°59'52.1")

? (lost the data, but expensive) / shared toilet&shower(bucket)?, You must bring in your food and water by yourself.

This is in a jungle. You can watch drills and so on. How about one day trip for the jungle road and the drills?

Cattle Ranch

room7000 / tennis, horse riding, pool, like a high class resort hotel

At the foot of the mountain, there is a tollgate (N60). The road before the gate is very good, like HOKKAIDO_SHIRETOKO in Japan.

in Ikom

not sure, but there seems to be some hotels.

town **********************************************

in Lagos (capital)

The biggest city in the West Africa. There are many skyscrapers and elevated highways.

petrol; 43.9, beer;120, stand; 100.., Internet; 100../h, egg; 50/3pieces, tomato; 50/pile, bread; 60

exchange; (bank) $1=N133, T/C impossible.

Internet-cafe: cross the road in front of YMCA. Two Internet-cafes are there. One is cheaper and typing Japanese is possible (Nankyokusei). The line is so so.

JAPAN embassy: (Apese st., Japanese flag) (N06°26'15.2" E003°24'37.6")

enlargement: a little more than N3000, on Fri., they close at 13:00.

CAMEROON embassy: (N06°25'55.8" E003°24'40.9") 1 month single: $60 or 50euro or CFA30,000, photo 2, issue; two days later

in Benin City

beer; 110,

in Enugu

little petrol, when I passed!

petrol; 40..55

in Cross River (NP)

supper (NP); 200, breakfast (NP); 100

in Ikom

You'd better use all Naira here. Out of Nigeria, it becomes almost no value.

petrol; 55

border **********************************************

Lagos (entry from Benin);

90km between Lagos and the border. Your 'YELLOW CARD (certificate of vaccination against yellow fever)' is required. Money is also required. Needless to say you don't have to pay any money. This is the first fight against Nigerian officials. At the immigration you have to declare your leaving day.

Ikom (leaving for Cameroon);

23km between Ikom and the border. At the border they require some money, though you don't have to pay. Be careful! They try to keep your passport until you give some money to him. This is the last fight against Nigerian officials.

road **********************************************

　 road map

I passed the main road in the south.

Lagos--Abakaliki; Lagos--(freeway)--junction00[to Shagamu]--(freeway)--Benin City[about 330km from Lagos]--(pavement)--Onitsha(mud, pavement but cracked, in the town)--(pavement, sometimes mud&puddles&holes)--Enugu--(pavement?)--Abakaliki

junction00: Be careful, or you'll pass over the junction. (N06°52'58.9" E003°34'42.2")

Abakaliki--(junction01)--(junction02)--(junction03)--Ikom: Abakaliki--(pavement)[30..km]--/--(earth&pavement in turn)[?km]--Ogoja--(pavement)[10..km]--*Gakem--(pavement)[20km?]--junction01--(mud&puddles&pavement in turn / hard for 4 wheels)[10km]--/--(pavement)15km--junction02--(pavement)[30km]--junction03--(pavement)[57km]--Ikom--(pavement)[23km]--(border)

*Gakem: (N06°41'57.7" E008°54'41.4")

(refer to 'accommodation')

junction01--Cattle Ranch: junction01--(pavement, nice view!)[50km]--tollgate(N60)--(pavement, mountain pass, fog, altitude +900..m)[11km]--Cattle Ranch

junction01: (N06°38'51.2" E009°12'28.4"), tollgate: (N06°24'07.5" E009°24'15.5")

junction02--Cross River National Park: junction02(sign)--(earth, rough, ditch, steep slope)[5km]--Cross River National Park

junction02: (N06°27'09.6" E009°07'51.3"), (head office of Cross River National Park)?: (N06°24'43.3" E009°09'04.0")

junction03--Drill Ranch: junction03(sign)--(earth, flat, bridge without handrail)[7km]--village(turn right here)--(earth, ditch, steep slope, narrow, bridge without handrail)[6km]--junction04(sign)--(earth, flat, jungle view!)[1km]--Drill Ranch

junction03: (N06°14'15.1" E009°01'27.6"), junction04: (N06°18'05.0" E009°00'15.9"), Drill Ranch: (N06°17'57.2" E008°59'52.1")

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