Obudu Cattle Ranch | Obudu Cattle Ranch Nigeria

Thinking of escaping into the middle of a rain forest, hiking through amazing scenery and viewing spectacular wildlife in the mountains? Where else, but Nigeria?! Cast aside your preconceptions and be prepared for Obudu Mountain Resort, formally known as Obudu Cattle Ranch, in the Cross River State. Flying in from Lagos is like entering a different world. The canopy of trees, protruding through the light mist over the border of Cameroon, veils the Sankwala Mountain wonderland, home to white-faced monkeys, Mbe gorillas and an array of other captivating wildlife.

And if you think you needed to pack a tent with your hiking boots you’ll be gladly mistaken. Nestling at the top of the mountain the Obudu Cattle Ranch Nigeria has traditional African round huts and chalets on stilts maximising the breathtaking views. On arrival, being a keen athlete, I was all set for my first hike – to reception. From the base of the mountain, it’s a winding 11 km road climbing to an altitude of 1600 metres. However, whilst 200 athletes race up the mountain every November; most guests opt for the cable car. At 4 kilometres long it’s Africa’s longest cable car system and gently transfers guests right to the reception area of the Obudu Cattle Ranch. It’s a spectacular and rather easier way to ascend the mountain than running up!

Other than search for rare species of baboon, gorilla and leopard from the Canopy Walkway what is there to do here? Well you won’t find flat plains with cowboys lassoing their cattle at Obudu Cattle Ranch! The name change to Obudu Mountain Resort is immediately understood given the facilities on offer. The water park is both a sight and an experience to behold. For children and adults alike this breathtaking playground evokes screams of excitement. Forget indoor, multi-coloured chutes, think stylish aluminium slides, hurtling you down the mountain, with the breeze whistling past your ears.

From Obudu Cattle Ranch to Obudu Mountain Resort transforms the image of ‘rustic’ to ‘luxury’ and it’s not only in the name. This is an African Sun resort, so expect the comfort and top-class service, which the group is famous for. I took advantage of the fully equipped gym and floodlit tennis courts, (there’s also a squash court and 9-hole golf course), before relaxing at the Terrace Restaurant complete with blazing log fire. This may be tropical Nigeria, but remember you’re at the top of a mountain!

Expect to discover idyllic tranquillity, breathtaking views and beautiful scenery at Obudu Mountain Resort (formally known as Obudu Cattle Ranch)

Nigeria is Africa’s most populous nation, home to over 15% of the continent’s people – it’s also Africa’s second largest oil producing nation after Angola. What is more, the country is tipped to be the second economic superpower on the continent - after South Africa - because of strong macroeconomic and political reforms and a growing consumer class.

However, the fact that national wealth is largely dependent on commodity exports, and oil prices have dropped by more than 50% over the past year, has meant that the government must look to other sectors, such as tourism, to bolster the economy. It was to this end that the South Economic Summit was held to promote cooperation between the region’s states.

African Sun, who was a summit sponsor, is committed to Nigeria and is increasing its investment in the region. To date, the group has provided employment for over 500 Nigerians and is planning on opening a hospitality school in the country. It goes further than business though, African Sun hosted Gabe Onah, special advisor to the Calabar Governor and Mrs Elenda Osima-Dokubo of the Cross River State Carnival Commission, at the recent tourism Indaba in Durban.

We believe that their presence at this event is a sure sign that authorities in Nigeria are taking tourism seriously. And well they should, since it is well positioned to provide immediate revenues and create advocates of the country as a destination for investment and travel.

When commodity prices rebound and the oil money is flowing again, the understanding of the role tourism plays in not just revenue generation, but nation building, should hopefully be well enough entrenched that the sector still receives the priority it is now being given.

The Tinapa Shopping Complex is located within the Tinapa Free Zone & Resort, Adiabo, Calabar, Cross River State, Nigeria. It comprises four emporiums of 10,000m2 each and about fifty four line shops that range between 150m2 to 200m2 in size. The product mix will include lifestyle products, fashion and accessories, specialty goods, stationery and office equipment, leather and luggage, pharmaceuticals, food, fruit and vegetables, toys, telephones, cosmetics, coffee shops, home accessories, computers and gadgets, electronics and appliances, art and framing materials, banking services, courier/ logistic services, vehicle rentals, photographic services, and so on.



The Tinapa Free Zone & Resort, home of the Tinapa Shopping Complex, is a world-class integrated business and leisure resort conceptualised and promoted by the Government of Cross River State, South Eastern Nigeria, and implemented in four phases under a Private Public Partnership (PPP) with some private investors. Located by the Calabar River, and contiguous with the Calabar Free Trade Zone, it is the realisation of an exciting dream - the first integrated business and leisure resort in Nigeria.

The first phase of the Tinapa Business Resort & Free Zone was officially commissioned on the 2nd of April 2007 and is currently leasing retail and wholesale spaces to reputable retailers who are interested in tapping into the over three hundred million brand-hungry consumers in West Africa with more spending power than ever before.



Apart from providing shopping experiences for shoppers, Tinapa, Africa's Premier Business Resort, also offer world class facilities that allow for leisure and entertainment. Some of these facilities include:

• An open exhibition area for trade exhibitions and other events.
• A movie production studio commonly referred to as "Studio Tinapa" or "Nollywood". It is set to become the most modern film production studio in Nigeria. Visitors can watch an actual movie production taking place.
• An entertainment strip that comprise a casino, an eight-screen digital cinema, a children's arcade, international standard restaurants and a mini amphitheater, a night club and pubs.
• An artificial tidal lake that feeds from the Calabar River
• A 243 room international hotel christened "Amber Tinapa" being operated by African Sun, South Africa.
• A Water Park (Leisure Land)
• Parking space for 4000 cars.
• A truck terminal
• An independent power plant that ensures uninterrupted electricity supply.

Fast Facts About Nigeria

Nigeria

A former British colony, it gained independence in 1960. It has a federal system of government and consists of 36 states as well as the federal Capital Territory, administered by the central government. A chequered political history and varying degrees of economic management make finding accurate economic and business statistics difficult. But Nigeria is a potentially wealthy country, more so since the discovery of significant oil and gas reserves in the Niger Delta area, with Port Harcourt as the hub.

Lagos, the former capital, with 11 million people making it the 17th largest city in the world remains the commercial and business centre of the country. Rich soils support thriving agricultural communities, producing millet, cassava and yams for local consumption. Export crops include cocoa, of which is the world's fourth largest shipper, and groundnuts.

Nigeria has a mix of good arable land, rainforest, savannah plains, a relatively dry northern area which is part the Sahel (the southern fringe of the Sahara Desert) and, being on the Gulf of Guinea gives Nigeria some excellent beaches. A mountainous area in the south east has a consequent temperate climate.



Indeed, the Obudu Hills, near Calabar in Cross River State, has one of the world's most bio-diverse areas, particularly as far as the variety and abundance of birdlife is concerned. The area, and part of neighbouring Cameroon, is home to the drill monkey, which is not found anywhere else. (Would you like to visit the Obudu Mountains? Stay at Obudu Mountain Resort)

As with other countries, it is the people who make it. The visitor will be amazed by the rich literary history and culture of music and dance obvious in this vast and diverse country.

It is estimated that human habitation in Nigeria goes back to 9000 BC and that the Cross River State area was home to the Bantu people who, over the centuries, spread throughout central and southern Africa.