COCONUT BEACH
Coconut Beach is a beautiful beach in the coastal town of Badagry, west of Lagos. The beach is attractively set in an area surrounded by coconut trees. About 20 miles towards the border of Nigeria and the Republic of Benin, Coconut Beach is accessible through the Lagos-Badagry expressway. Visitors will find a friendly relaxed atmosphere. .   --

This beach provides a pleasant outing with safe swimming conditions, even for small children. Tourist may obtain deck chairs and an awning on the beach, for relaxed, casual comfort. Local yen dots sell delicious pineapples, coconuts and variety of other delightful treats.

Calabar Beach
This superb beach, at the mouth of the new Calabar River, is about 2 miles long and 500 feet wide, uninhabited save for a solitary fisherman hut. The

beach is virtually isolated and lends visitors the luxury of privacy in a beautiful setting off the beaten path. Since the beach is flanked by a swamp and can only be reached by boat or canoe, getting there is half the fun and enhances one's fascination with this enchanted locale.





MAMBILLA PLATEAU
The Mambilla Plateau, in the southeast corner of Taraba State, shares a border with Cameroon. A high grassland plateau averaging about 1800 meters, it is scenic, cool and a pleasant change from the heat and humidity of Lagos. Because the roads are still under construction, a sport utility vehicle or jeep is recom­mended and visitors should pack essentials, camping equipment and food. As an option, there are a few hotels on the plateau.
The Park provides an attractive setting, well worth a visit. Mambilla has cattle ranches, tea plantations and rolling, grassy hills. It is different from the rest of Nigeria with regard to flora and fauna and is home to some rare species of birds and animals, especially at the Gashaka-Gumti National Park.
There is a major road to Mambilla from Lagos, Benin City, Onitsha, Enugu, Otukpo, Yandev, Katsina Ala, Wukari, Mutum Biyu, Bali, Serti and Gembu. You can also fly into Yola Airport, then drive a few miles south to Mambilla.






YANKARI GAME RESERVE
The Yankari National Park is the premier game reserve in Nigeria. Yankari Park and Wikki Warm Springs are located around the Gagi River, approximately 1 1/2 hours by road, southeast of Bauchi Town. The beauty and size of The Yankari Game Reserve make it the most pop­ular reserve in Nigeria. Set up in 1956 and opened to the public in 1962, the main game-viewing areas of the reserve are open all year round. Japanese, Western Europeans, Americans and Southeast Asian tourists visit this park in abundance. The reserve covers 2,058 sq. km. of savanna wood­land and is well-stocked with elephants, baboons, waterbucks, bushbucks, oribi, crocodile, hippopotamus, roan antelope, buffalo and various types of monkeys. Lions are occasionally spotted as well, despite their natural cam­ouflage. The best time to visit is between November and May, when tourists are likely to see more game since the dense vegetation has dried out and the animals congregate around the rivers. The Wikki Warm Springs is one of the best features of the game reserves. Flood-lit at night, it is wonderful after a hot day¡Çs game-viewing to relax in the warm water. The spring gushes out from under a cliff, where the water is at least 6 ft. deep, with a bathing area that extends for 600 ft. to an open area. The park is inhabited by a variety of birds, including the huge sad­dlebill stork, golliath heron, bateleur eagle, vultures, kingflshers, bee-eaters and more. It is excellent for serious bird-watchers. Other facilities include: Tennis courts, squash courts, a small museum in the reception area plus gas stations with convenience stores at Wikki Camp and Bauchi. Reservations: It is advisable to make reservation during the holidays and weekends with Easter a particularly busy season. Reservations can be made at Durbar Hotel in Kaduna, Bauchi State House in Lagos and at the Zaranda Hotel in Bauchi. Or call Yankari Game Reserve at (069) 43-656. Route: You can travel by road from Lagos to Abuja, where you make an overnight stop, then on to Jos and Bauchi, as it is a 2-day journey by car over well-maintained roads




IBO(IGBO)
Living mainly in the forested areas of south-west Nigeria,on both sides of the Niger River the Ibo number some ten million individuals.Mainly farmers and merchants,they also hunt and fish.
They are subdivided into thirty subgroups and are spread out among about two hundred vilages scattered through the thick forest or semifertile marshland Only on the northern and western edges of the area,under influence from Igala and Benin,are hereditary rulers found.
The heads of families form the council of elders,which shares its power with numerous secret societies.These societes excercise great political and social influence.
They are highly hierarchical,their members passing from one level to the next.There is strong social pressure toward individual distinction,and men can move upward through successive grades by demonstrating their achievements and their generosity.
The Eastern Ibo are best known for masquerades associated with the havest festival,in which the forms of the masks are determined by tradition,though the content of the play varies from year to year



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HAUSA
The Northern Nigeria,origin myths among the Hausa claim that their founder,Bayajidda,came from the east in an effort to escape his father.He eventually came to Gaya,where he employed some blacksmiths to fashion a knife for him.With his knife he procceded to Daura where he freed the people from the opressive nature of a sacred snake who guarded thier well and prevented them from getting water six days out of the week.The queen of Daura gave herself in marriage to Bayajidda to show her appreciation.The two gave birth to seven healthy sons,each of whom ruled the seven city states that make up Hausaland.
The rise of the Hausa states occurred between 500 and 700 A.D.,but it wasnot until 1200 that they really began to control the region.The history of the area is intricately tied to Islam and the Fulani who wrestled political power from the Hausa in the early 1800s through a series of holy wars.Since the beginning of Hausa history,the seven states of Hausaland divided up production and labor activities in accordance with their location and natural resources.Kano and Rano were known as the "Chiefs of Indigo".Cotton grew readily in the great plains of these states,and they became primary producers of cloth,weaving and dying it before sending it off in caravans to the other states within Hausaland.Leadership in the early Hausa states was based on ancestry.Those who could trace their relations back to Bayajidda were considered royal.