Yankari Game Reserve
Guide to Yankari Game Reserve
As a travel enthusiast wanting to explore various tourist sites in Nigeria, Yankari Game Reserve should be no. 2 on your bucket list especially if you're inclined toward ecotourism.
Getting to Yankari Game ReserveÂ
Yankari Game Reserve is a large wildlife park located in Bauchi State, northeastern Nigeria. Covering an area of about 2,244 square kilometers (866 sq mi) and is home to four natural warm water springs, as well as a wide variety of flora and fauna.
Its location in the heartland of the West African savanna makes it a unique way for tourists and holidaymakers to watch wildlife in its natural habitat.
It is home to the remaining Elephants and Lions in Nigeria. It is under the management of Bauchi State Government.
Best Time to Visit
The best time to have the full experience of Yankari is during the dry season with warmer temperatures, typically between October and May. This allows you to see a wider range of animals during the safari
Top Things to do at Yankari Game ReserveÂ
Safari Game Viewing
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A refuge to over 50 mammal species, you get to see them in their natural habitats gracing the beautiful environment with their various uniqueness and colors.
Some of the mammal species you get to see are African Bush Elephant, Olive Baboon, Patas Monkey, Tantalus Monkey, Roan Elephant, Western Hartebeest, West African Lion, African Buffalo, Waterbuck, Bushbuck, and Hippopotamus.
There are also over 350 species of bird found in the park. Of these, 130 are residents, 50 are Palearctic migrants and the rest are intra-African migrants that move locally within Nigeria. These birds include the saddle-billed stork, guinea fowl, grey hornbill, and the cattle egret.Â
Imagine sitting in the park with your eyes closed and all you can hear is the melodious singing of the birds.
Visit Dukkey Wells, Marshall Caves & Anfara iron Smelting Site.
Marshall Caves – 59 dwelling caves dug into sandstone escarpments, which were discovered by P.J. Marshall in 1980. There are rock paintings and engravings in zig-zag form and straight lines.
Dukkey Wells – 139 wells with interconnecting shafts representing an elaborate water storage system.
Tunga Dutse – a rock with more elaborate engravings than the Marshall caves. Legible writings cover an area on the sandstone rock embankment of about 4m in length in Dwall River. The writings are legible. However, their age and meanings have not been determined
Iron Smelting – the shau shau iron smelting works has about 60 standing shaft furnaces, which are believed to be the largest historical industrial complex of its time in the West Africa Sub-region
Swim at Wikki Warm Spring
The Wikki Warm Spring is the largest warm spring in Yankari and is about 13.0 meters wide and 1.9 meters deep. It daily flows 21,000,000 litres of clear, spring water into the Gaji river. The spring has a constant temperature of 31.1 °C through the year during both day and night and has been developed for recreation
The other warm water springs are Dimmil, Gwana, and Mawulgo springs. A fifth spring, Tungan Maliki, is the only cool spring in the park.
Imagine yourself in the beautiful warm spring with a bottle of champagne on a cool day. That’s enough fantasy!
Museum
The museum in the camp is well stocked with a variety of skins, tusks, bones and fully mounted stuffed game from the park. It is educational while also acting as a conservation centre, displaying hunting gear and traps taken from poachers.
How Much Will it Cost Me to Visit Yankari Game Reserve?
Here’s a breakdown of costs you need to prepare for if you want to visit Yankari Game Reserve
Reserve entry and access to Wikki Warm Spring; N2,000 per adult and N800 per children/student.
Accommodation ranges from N1,800 per bed space for students and N9,500 for a studio suite to N236,000 for a corporate villa per night.
Feeding in Yankari varies from N1,000 per meal and more for a banquet.
Safari Game Viewing is at N6,000 for the chartered vehicle for students and N8,000 for non-students.
We hope these few points are enough reasons for you to add Yankari Game Reserve to your list of places to explore. Do well to comment down and share your thoughts on places you would like us to review for you.
Enjoy your trip if you do visit here!