Farin Ruwa Falls is said to be among the highest waterfalls in Nigeria. It’s drop is allegedly higher (150m) than that of Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe/Zambia. Although it’s in Nasarwara State, the waterfall’s source can be found in Jos hence it begins its descent from the Jos Plateau.
Tayo is a Software Developer bitten by the travel bug. She believes adventures fuel her creativity therefore, she must always explore. You can follow her adventures and general rants about life on twitter.
Tayo definitely got adventure on this trip; from spotting pythons to jumping across rocks we definitely don’t know how she made it out in one piece.
Give us a brief description of where you went and what the trip was about.
I visited Farin Ruwa Waterfalls in Wamba Local Government, Nasarawa State. It was a Democracy Day Trip organized by Sehembz Travels & Tour in Abuja.
The water is brown because it had rained in Plateau the day before
Was accommodation required for this trip? If yes where did you stay and what was it like?
No accommodation was required for this trip.
What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
I saw a python in hibernation, I was fascinated and scared at the same time. I was even more surprised when one of our local guides insisted that we do not kill the snake.
Spot the Python
What was your best moment of the entire trip?
Small chops… lol! Well, my best moment was stopping to buy good mangoes and avocado for ridiculously cheap prices (when compared to Abuja prices any way). With just N875 ($2.75), I balled out of control, if you know me, you would know I love a good deal.
Small Chops is bae
What was the scariest moment (if any)?
My scariest moment was having to decide to cross a make-shift bridge (made with an iron bar and chair) because the water levels had risen and jumping across required a lot of discipline. I was so scared because that was also the only way back from the waterfall. My fears wear legit though because someone did fall into the water and the currents were pretty strong. With my weight, I’m almost sure I would have been pulled away. Thankfully, there were no serious accidents.
Can you see the chair and iron bar on the left?
Did you find any sights or activities a bit off the beaten track ie beyond the tourist traps?
I think if I had gotten at least midway to the top of the waterfall, I would have found something off the track cos from the videos I saw, it seemed quite interesting.
What are two interesting things about where you went that the average person doesn’t know?
Your fitness level is important for this trip, it helps if you hike or exercise regularly anyway.
The waterfall is still about an hours drive from the “Welcome to Wamba” sign. After the last village before the waterfall, there is no motor-able road, so you have to use bikes (Okada) to complete the journey. Bike guys charge as high as N5,000 ($15.89) for return trips to the fall but you can negotiate for as low as N1,500 ($4.77). However, you still have to get off the bike at least 4 times for the bike guys to navigate the rocky/steep terrains.
Dirty Ridin’ on the ‘okada’
Did you meet any locals? If yes, what were they like?
Yes, we did. The bike guys were quite wild with their pricing but let’s blame that on the economy. They were very helpful with navigating the fall and even giving us some back story on the fall. Other locals we came across were farmers and children in the villages who waved and greeted when we went past.
What was the funniest/strangest/most insightful thing a local said?
It wasn’t what he said, it was his behavior. This guy was on the phone from the moment we got there till we left. I had to wonder if he had shares with Etisalat or MTN.
What was the hardest or most frustrating part of the trip?
Negotiating with the bike guys. At some point, they became unnecessarily difficult to manage but they soon came around thanks to the negotiating power of our guide. Did anything go wrong that seems funny now?
Wow! Yes o! The baptism of Gbolahon takes the lead.
Did you eat anything locally, if yes, what was your favorite?
No I didn’t, we brought all our meals.
What were the cost implications of this trip?
I paid N8,999 ($28.59). lol… yes I paid the exact amount to the tour company.
Now that you’ve been there yourself, when you think of your trip what’s the first image that comes to your head?
A picnic on a flat surface, listening to the sound of the powerful current with red/orange water flowing past and cool breeze.
Would you revisit or ever move there?
I would revisit if I can, it was a proper adventure. I would not move there though, they do not have internet access. I need to be able to check mails, read tweets and stalk on Instagram.
*foreign conversion is based on the current rate of the Naira and is subject to change.
*prices written are based on the time the visit was made and is subject to change by the owners.
*Reviews are based on opinions and personal experiences, and may differ from person to person
*all images were provided by the ‘horse’ interviewed.