The Pearl Of Tourism | Tope Unravels Bauchi State

Why Did The Chicken Cross the Road?

The first time we met Tope was when she came on our trip to Idanre after which she gladly penned down a post to Whispering Palms.

We bumped into each other a few weeks ago and she mentioned she was off to Bauchi and had planned on surprising us with a post about her trip. Honestly we love our unravellers.

She’s still a lawyer, a budding farmer and still wants to make pencils for kids. She’s back from Bauchi and here’s a recap of her trip.

Off to Bauvhi State

GIVE US A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHERE YOU WENT AND WHAT THE TRIP WAS ABOUT

I went to Bauchi State. Visiting a state in Northern Nigeria was on my to-do list for 2018 and all the pictures I saw online were so beautiful. It was a very easy decision to make.

WAS ACCOMMODATION REQUIRED FOR THIS TRIP? IF YES WHERE DID YOU STAY AND WHAT WAS IT LIKE?

Yes. I was there for 3 days and 2 nights. I spent the first night at the Yankari Games Reserve and the second night at the Command Guest House in Bauchi city.

Command Guest House

WHAT WAS THE MOST SURPRISING THING YOU SAW OR DID?

The beauty and calmness of the state really surprised me. The roads were good and the people were very calm and friendly.

Very good roads

WHAT WAS YOUR BEST MOMENT OF THE ENTIRE TRIP?

Visiting the tomb of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa and the museum on his life. I love reading about Nigerian history and getting to see both places meant so much to me. His life is such an inspiration.

Look at this penmanship

Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa’s resting place

WHAT WAS THE SCARIEST MOMENT (IF ANY)?

On the second day, we attended the Durbar festival at the Emir’s palace. There was a point where the performers got really close to the crowd and people started pushing. I fell during the slight commotion.

DID YOU FIND ANY SIGHTS OR ACTIVITIES A BIT OFF THE BEATEN TRACK IE BEYOND THE TOURIST TRAPS?

Yes. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with caps so we went to the market to buy them. This is was a very nice experience for me. Getting to see the well-designed caps and trying them on.

Trying on hats

WHAT ARE TWO INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT WHERE YOU WENT THAT THE AVERAGE PERSON DOESN’T KNOW?

Bauchi is known as the “pearl of Tourism” and it has 3 wildlife parks. The most popular is Yankari National Park.

swim time

DID YOU MEET ANY LOCALS? IF YES, WHAT WERE THEY LIKE?

I met with Mohammed (Bauchi Friends) and he was so nice and helpful. He drove us around town and took us to see a few sights.

Northern Architecture

WHAT WAS THE FUNNIEST/STRANGEST/MOST INSIGHTFUL THING A LOCAL SAID?

Mohammed (Bauchi Friends) had a lot of insightful things to say.

WHAT WAS THE HARDEST OR MOST FRUSTRATING PART OF THE TRIP?

I was there in high spirits so honestly, nothing frustrated me.

Local huts

DID ANYTHING GO WRONG THAT SEEMS FUNNY NOW?

Yes! During our drive to the reserve, our driver hit a chicken that was running across the road. The poor chicken came out of nowhere and it was too late for him to avoid it. We didn’t see a reason to stop so we kept driving. We had to step out of the car at the main gate of the reserve to pay to enter. When we got back to the car, there were two men standing in front of it. One was (allegedly) the owner of the chicken and the other was the eye witness. They wanted restitution for the chicken. The reserve’s staff handled the issue on our behalf (they insisted that as their guests they were obligated to act on our behalf). It really was one of the funniest incidents though because these two men must have driven for over 1 hour to confront us at the reserve.

DID YOU EAT ANYTHING LOCALLY, IF YES, WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE?

I am not a very open minded person when it comes to food.

IF YOU ATE LOCALLY, WHAT WAS THE STRANGEST THING YOU ATE.

No thank you.

WHAT WERE THE COST IMPLICATIONS OF THIS TRIP?

The round trip flight was N70,000 and everything else was about N35,000.

Jungle Janes

NOW THAT YOU’VE BEEN THERE YOURSELF, WHEN YOU THINK OF YOUR TRIP WHAT’S THE FIRST IMAGE THAT COMES TO YOUR HEAD?

The mix of colours during the Durbar festival and the safari ride. It was such a beautiful experience.

WOULD YOU REVISIT OR EVER MOVE THERE?

Visit? Yes.

Move? Maybe temporarily or get a vacation house there.

Are you interested in visiting Bauchi State? Get in touch. If you’ve been there, what was your favorite part of the visit.

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*Reviews are based on opinions and personal experiences, and may differ from person to person

*prices written are based on the time the visit was made and is subject to change by the owners

*pictures belong to the ‘horse’ interviewed.

#NorthernNigerianTourism #NigerianTourism #BauchiFriends #durbarfestival #UnravellingNigeria #travelnigeria #SirAbubakarTafawaBalewa #NorthernNigeria #YankariGamesReserve #BauchiState

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