EXPERIENCE CALABAR

WELCOME TO THE CITY OF SOCIALS

As a social centre Calabar boasts of the first social club in Nigeria, The Africa Club, and hosted the first competitive football, cricket and field hockey games in Nigeria. Among the city's firsts includes the first Roman Catholic Mass (held at 19 Bocco Street, Calabar – 1903) and the oldest secondary school (Hope Waddell Training Institution – 1895) in eastern Nigeria. The School later produced the first President of Nigeria, Nnamdi Azikiwe.

The city boasts of an International Museum, a Botanical Garden, a Free Trade Zone/Port, an International Airport and Seaport, an integrated sports stadium complex, a cultural centre, one of the most prominent universities in the country the University of Calabar, a slave history park and several historical and cultural landmarks. It also boasts of several standard hotels, resorts and amusement parks. The former Liberian warlord Charles Taylor lived in the old colonial palace in the city under an agreement which led to the end of his country's civil war before fleeing extradition to Liberia in March 2006. The Tinapa Resort, a development by the Cross River State government, lies to the north of the city beside the Calabar Free Trade Zone.

The Cross River State Annual Christmas Festival held every year attracts thousands within and beyond Nigeria. The Festival which includes music performance from both local and international artists, the annual Calabar Carnival, Boat regatta, Fashion shows, Christmas Village, traditional dances and the annual Ekpe Festival is a yearly event that bring in thousands of tourists at the time of the year.

Calabar is also home to the Institute of Procreative and Family Health. The foundation stone for this establishment was laid by Prof. Robert Walley of MaterCare International on July 8, 2012, alongside Dr. Henrietta Williams.

UNDERSTAND CALABAR

Calabar is one of the oldest trading centers in Nigeria. The city is set on a natural hill overlooking the Calabar River. Calabar was established as a center of slave trade by the British in 17th century. It became the biggest colonial administration in Nigeria in the 18th, 19th and early part of the 20th centuries. At the end of slave Trade, the city was a major port for Palm Oil trade and commodities exports and imports from the South East of Nigeria. It became the Capital of Niger Coast Protectorate and later the Southern Protectorate capital of Nigeria. Currently, Calabar is the Capital of Cross River State of Nigeria. The city is a major center of tourism in Nigeria. The Calabar Carnival is the largest street cultural festival in Africa. The Carnival holds in December of every year and attracts thousands of visitors and guests from all parts of the world.

The Federal Government of Nigeria is currently developing a major plant near the city to boost domestic and industrial power supply. Water is easily available in the city and it is of very good quality. Other attractions include the Slave Museum, Calabar Free Trade Zone, Tinapa Business and Tourist Resort, Cultural and Civic Center, Calabar Port and University Campuses amongst others. The city is a few hours drive to the Obudu Ranch Resort which had hosted many Presidential Retreats and conferences in the past. There is an airport which has connecting flights to other major cities in Nigeria.

GET INTO CALABAR

BY PLANE

Calabar is about 1 hour from Lagos by plane. Calabar is about 25 minutes from Port Harcourt and has an International Airport - Margaret Ekpo International Airport.

Calabar is 1 hour flight from Lagos and a 4 hour drive from Port Harcourt. With the development of the city, the flight schedules have increased and you can now get a flight in or out of Calabar every day. Also the major airlines in the country have their presence felt in Calabar and have flights to and from major cities in the country; they include: Virgin Nigeria, Arik Air and Aero Contractors. Their flight schedules can easily be found at their respective websites. Don't forget visas!

BY BOAT

There is also a regular boat service from various parts of Cameroon's coastline which will transport vehicles and people. You can actually get Cameroonian visas on the boat which can save you a lot of time. However, you can use Calabar as a base before transferring into Cameroon by road slightly further north.

BY CAR

There are several Car Transportation services into Calabar from all parts of Nigeria including the Major Cities of Lagos, Port Harcourt, Abuja, Yola. They include ABC Transport, The Young Shall Grow, Elim Tours Etc

GET AROUND CALABAR

The local authorities have made a great effort to make the streets safe by enlarging them, removing potholes, and adding stripes between lanes. Local taxis are advisable as the cars are pretty new and the drivers are very experienced. Calabar is quite safe and cozy.

SEE CALABAR

There is a lot of Colonial Architecture in the older parts of Calabar that are around Henshaw Town, Duke Town and the waterfront areas.

• Duke Town church: One of the oldest churches in Nigeria. It was established by the Presbyterian Church missionaries. If you go to Eyamba Street just past the church there is a cemetery with stunning views over the town and river. Inside the cemetery is the tomb of Mary Slessor, a missionary from Dundee in Scotland UK. She was very influential in this part of Nigeria.

• Calabar Museum. On the hill overlooking the waterfront, in the Old Government House, the former residence of the colonial governor. The building was designed and built in Glasgow and shipped over in pieces. The museum concentrates on the history of Calabar, the region and slavery. It has a larger quantity of original documents relating to Nigeria. Since it is not heavily frequented by tourists you can easily get a guided tour from one of the staff. Interested persons could spend 3 hours there and barely touch the surface of the material. There are a lot of artifacts relating to the production of palm oil in the back which are fascinating too.

• Drill Monkey Rehab Centre. Ndidem Nsang Iso Road hidden behind the Jahas Guest House. It was set up by two overlanders from the USA (Peter Jenkins and Liza Gadsby) who were biologists back home but who were persuaded by the Nigerian Government to stay in Nigeria and look after the endangered Drill Monkeys which were traditionally hunted and eaten in the Afi Mountain range that borders Cameroon. The couple now have staff in Calabar where they care for recently rescued monkeys e.g. those they capture from people trying to smuggle and export them and they also then return them to the wild at the Drill Ranch in Afi Mountains which is not too far from Calabar. You need a decent vehicle and map to get you to the ranch. The Afi Mountain Ranch (near Katabang) has cabins for guest accommodation and a forest canopy walkway (25m high!) for people to experience the environment more closely. You are able to visit both after prior arrangement with the team Tel: +234 (0)803 592-1262 Email: info@pandrillus.org Website: www.pandrillus.org. Go, meet Mickey the chimp and experience having him sit in your lap and fiddle with your hair.

• The Marina Resort. The Marina Resort is one of the most fascinating tourist destinations in Calabar. The resort is home to buildings dating back to the colonial era as well as modern facilities like the slave museum, speed boat ride, the carrousel horse ride, film/movie theatre, and night clubs. The resort affords visitors a rare view of the beautiful Calabar River in a relaxed atmosphere.