National Parks in Nigeria (Nature Unspoilt)

Nigeria has abundant physical attractions ranging form hills, waterfalls, springs, caves, lakes and mountains across the length and breadth of the country. The fascinating features and beautiful scenes provide interesting sites for leisure, adventure and other tourism related activities. Some of these include the Jos Wildlife Park, Old Oyo National Park, Yankari National Park, Obudu Cattle Ranch etc..
National Parks are special natural ecosystems with unique attributes. They play special tangible and intangible roles vital to national/regional well-being as well as act as a catalyst for the development of eco-tourism. National parks also enhance ecological processes and life support systems such as soil regeneration, protection of nutrient cycles, cleansing and purifying hydrological cycles etc. Indeed the overwhelming roles National Parks play in ecological protection, enhance agriculture and medicine in a country like Nigeria far outweigh all other benefits. Today there are eight National Parks in Nigeria.

YANKARI NATIONAL PARK
Created since 1936 as a Game reserve, Yankari National Parks was upgraded to its present status(as a National Park) in 1991 and it covers an area of 2,250.10km. Its located in Alkaleri Local Government area of Baauchi State about 115km from Bauchi town. The Park could be reached by road from Jos airport through Bauchi state route and from Kano through Jos-Bauchi route.
The park has 110 visitor Chalets at Wikki camp, they are of several categories, including a low income youth hostels, a conference hall, in-door and out-door sport facilities, a standard restuarant, a natural clear and pure swimming pool(wikki spring water) sports facilities: badminton, table tennis and squash.

52 idetified species of animals including elephants , hippos, hartebests, baboons etc and variety of birds and fishes, marshall caves for those interested in caving. Yankari is also rich in ethno-historical and archaeological attractions, they include the Dukkey well, monumental iron smelting works of earlier settlements at Ampara and Shanshau with standing shaft furnaces. The year round wikki springs water, the source of river wikki which also serves as natural swimming pool is an added advantage to the park.

GASHAKA GUMIT NATIONAL PARK
This is the most scenic of all the National Parks in Nigeria. The Park covers an area of 6,402 sq km. Potentially, it is also the most important site for nature tourism with pleasant sub temperate climate, beuatiful array of scenery dominated by mountain valleys, rivers streams etc. The Park is home to some very highly endangered species fo wild life.
The Gashaka-Gumti National Park comprises tow sector each rich in its won unique flora and fauna species. The Gumti sector is located in its northern fringe while the Gashaka is on the southern fringe. The twin park is regarded as the largest in Nigeria and situates on vast land of mountains and valleys shared between two states, Adamawa and Taraba in North-East of Nigeria. It can be connected from Maiduguri, Jalingo, Yola and Republic of Cameroon

The park contains some historic sites, one of which is the Old Germain Fort at the Gashaka Hill. Gangarwal peak of the Chapal Wadi Mountain in range located in the Park is the highest peak in Nigeria. Fauna These include chimpanzees, cheetah, loepard, giant forest hog, colombos monkey etc. The Park is also a spawning ground for some fish species such as Nile perch, electric fish, Tilapia etc

CROSS RIVER NATIONAL PARK
It is located in the forest belt of south-east Nigeria. It has two sector, the southern Urban Division near Calabar and the Nothern Okwangwo Division near Obudu. It is conceived to protect and conserve the last vestige of the rain forest ecosystem and to promote eco-tourism in Nigeria. It is about an hour's drive from Calabar and can also be linked through Port Harcourt route.
The ultimate tourism potential of Cross River National Park lies on the development of the Kanyang Tourist Village to exploit the unlimited tourism resources of the Mbe Gorilla and the Obudu Cattle Ranch

The Park is home to many localized species of plants and animals which, include gorilla,drill. chimpanzee, an gwantibo or golden potto forest elephant, saleginella species.

KAINJI LAKE NATIONAL PARK
This Park is situated between Borgu and Zugurma sectors of Kwara State, it is reached through Ilorin by road and from Abuja through Lokoja; from Lagos through Ibadan, Ilorin and Jebba.
The Park have chalets, restaurants, conference hall and a water bus for lake cruising.

The Park is endowed with diverse wild life, a variety of ethno-historical and cultural sites among which are kobs, antelopes,hippopotamus, lions, etc The Park is closely associated with the famous Kaniji Lake oil hydroelectric complex.

KAMUKU NATIONAL PARK
The parks falls wholly within the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The park could be reached through Kaduna-Lagos route from the south west and north east and from the central parts of the country. The park is 305km from Abuja, 789 km from Lagos and 125 km from Kaduna.
The park boasts of elephant, antelope, Oribi water- bust, hunting dog, wet cat, green monkey, side stripped hyena and jackal. A wide variety of bird is also found in the park.

OKUMU NATIONAL PARKS
It is located in Ovia south west Local Government Area of Edo State. It lies 45km west of Benin City and immediately south of Udo town. Okumu is endowed with forest elephants, loxodants Africa, cyclotis, dwarf crocodile, forest buffaloes, red river hog, chimpanzees, leopard and white throated guenon monkeys put on wildlife conservation list for species near extinction. Okumu is also rich in bird life. This unmistakably is a very serene environment
Ranger escorts, canoeing and sport fishing and a house from which a panoramic view of the park can be enjoyed.

CHAD BASIN NATIONAL PARK
It is situated between Borno and Yobe states. The wetland of Bade and Nguru are internationally acclaimed as congregation site for migrant birds coming all the way from Europe. The park is an internationally refurbished tourist attraction as it has played host to Prince Bernhard of Netherlands (1987) and Prince Philip of Britain (1989). The park contains some rare desert wildlife like giraffe, ostrich, red fronted gazelle, etc.

OLD OYO NATIONAL PARK
The park is located in the northern part of Oyo State.It is rich in fauna and flora resources, significant species of which are the buffoon, kobes, buffaloes, and wide variety of birds.
The park is close to cities like Ibadan, Ogbomosho, Abeokuta, Lagos, Saki, Iseyin, etc. It is situated in the centre of a busy commercial and industrial part of the country. It is also in the middle of a vibrant community rich in tradition and cultural heritage. Facilities available include chalets, tourist camps, standard restaurant, air conditioned buses and facilities for boat cruising and sport fishing etc.


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