The green hills
Like a grass carpet.
Ei'eke — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ei'eke — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Laminartosin — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Favouridowu — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Ei'eke — CC BY-SA 4.0
Obudu Mountain Resort, formerly the Obudu Cattle Ranch, is a resort on the Obudu Plateau in Cross River State, close to the Cameroon border. It stands out for air far cooler than the rest of the country, rolling green hills and clouds drifting between the peaks. It is a world apart from the hot coast, and people come here to rest and walk. It was developed in 1951 by a Scot named McCaughley, who had explored the range in 1949 and camped for a month on the Sankwala Mountains. He returned with a fellow rancher to found the cattle ranch. Since 2005 a cable car has climbed 870 metres from the base to the top of the plateau, sparing visitors the very winding road. From above you see soft green hills that look carpeted in grass, distant blue mountains and a road winding between them. The resort has timber lodges with red roofs, round huts with thatched roofs and pine woods. You reach the plateau by glass cable cars, with the valley below their windows. The area has small waterfalls and walking trails. It is about 39 km from Obudu town in a straight line and 332 km by road from Calabar. Bring warm clothes, as nights are cold. The road up is hard, so use the cable car if it is running. Book your stay ahead and check which services are open.
Like a grass carpet.
Above the valley.
Thatched roofs.
Obudu Plateau, Cross River State, Nigeria
By road from Obudu or Calabar, or a charter to a nearby airstrip.
The dry season suits best, and the plateau is cool all year.