Eastern Nigerian is another peculiar region with tourist attractions. Known for their rich and diverse cultural heritage, the area holds some of the finest ancient sites. Tourists from around the world have been mesmerised by its landmark features. Here are 5 must-see destinations in Eastern Nigeria:
1. Awhum Waterfall and Cave
Awhum Waterfall is located in Amaugwe village of Awhum town in Udi Local Government Area in Enugu, Nigeria. A section of the waterfall is always warm through the season. According to indigenes, the water has therapeutic abilities. Awhum waterfall is 30 metres high and is located close to Awhum Monastery. It erupted from a titanic outcrop of granite rock with water tumbling from the top to form a stream. The waterfall is beauty to behold anytime.
2. National War Museum, Umuahia
Established in 1985, the National War Museum is home to the largest memorabilia of the Nigerian Civil War which took place between 1967 and 1970. Located at Ebite Amafor in Isingwu Autonomous Community in the Umuahia North Local Government Area, the museum has three galleries featuring items on the traditional warfare, armed forces and Nigerian civil war weapons. The weapons are from both the Nigerian military and defunct Biafra. The museum’s location was chosen because it was where the bunker housing the famous shortwave radio “the Voice of Biafra” was transmitted from. There are also outdoor displays of warships, military aircraft, armoured tanks, and “Ogbunigwe” (bombs produced locally by Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War).
3. Ibeno Beach
Ibeno was the landing site for one of the most successful Christian missions in Nigeria – the Qua Iboe Christian mission from Scotland which arrived in the early 20th century. Ibeno beach stretches 45km from Ibeno to James Town, Akwa Ibom. It is said to be the longest beach in West Africa. Ibeno beach is a popular tourist attraction due to its serenity and security. It is also rated high amongst the top soothing and clean beaches in the country.
4. Ogbunike Caves
The Ogbunike Caves is a collection of caves situated in a valley with tropical rain forest behind the “Ogba” hills in Ogbunike, Anambra State, southeastern Nigeria. The caves is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Eastern Nigeria and has been on the tentative list of the United Nations Educational, Scientific And Cultural Organisation’s World Heritage Site.
5. Igbo-Ukwu Museum, Anambra state
Igbo-Ukwu is notable for three archaeological sites where excavations have found bronze artefacts from a highly sophisticated bronze metal-working culture dating perhaps to the ninth or tenth century, centuries before other known bronzes of the region. The first of these sites is called Igbo Isaiah which was uncovered in 1938 by Isaiah Anozie, a local villager, who found the bronze works while digging beside his home. Formal excavations by the archaeologist Thurstan Shaw in 1959 at the request of the Nigerian government resulted in the discovery of two other sites, Igbo Richard and Igbo Jonah, containing the remains of an ancient culture. Artefacts have included jewellery, ceramics, a corpse adorned in what appears to be regalia, and many assorted bronzes, copper, and iron objects.