Calabar

Calabar sits on the Calabar river above the Cross River estuary and was one of the principal ports on the Bight of Biafra, exporting palm oil and, before that, enslaved people in very large numbers, and it later became the first capital of the Niger Coast Protectorate. The old residency, a prefabricated colonial house shipped out in 1884, is now the National Museum, with the Slave History Museum in the Marina resort covering the trade directly. Other draws are the Drill Ranch primate centre, the botanical garden, and above all the Calabar Carnival, a month of events through December ending in a large costumed street parade that has become the city's identity.

History

The Efik people settled on the shores of Calabar, whose Efik name is Akwa Akpa, and from the 16th century it was an international seaport exporting goods such as palm oil, as well as a major port of the Atlantic slave trade. Scottish Presbyterians set up a mission here in 1846, where Hope Waddell and Mary Slessor worked, and on 10 September 1884 a treaty of protection was signed with the king and chiefs of Old Calabar (Wikipedia, Calabar).

What you'll find

• The National Museum - the prefabricated colonial residency and its collections.
• The Slave History Museum - the display on the trade at the Marina.
• Drill Ranch - the rescued primate centre in the city.
• Calabar Carnival - the December parade and month of events.

When to go

December for the carnival, which is when the city is fullest and accommodation most expensive and hardest to find. November to March otherwise for the dry season. Calabar is one of the wetter cities in Nigeria.

What to expect

Accommodation during carnival must be booked far ahead and prices multiply. Museums are dated with limited interpretation. The city is very wet outside the short dry season. Distances between sights need taxis.

Nearby

Cross River national park lies north; Oron is across the estuary.

Key facts