Mambilla Plateau

The Mambilla plateau rises in southeastern Taraba to an average of around 1,600 metres, the highest sustained elevation in Nigeria, and the altitude produces a climate unlike the rest of the country: cool days, cold nights, mist and rolling green grassland that looks more like an East African highland than West Africa. Cattle herding dominates, and the Mambilla and Fulani communities work the pasture. Tea has been grown at Kakara and Nguroje since the 1970s, and the Highland tea estate is the main commercial operation. The road up the Genti escarpment from Serti climbs in a long series of hairpins and is the memorable part of the journey. Gembu is the main town.

What you actually see

• The escarpment road - the hairpin climb up from the lowlands.
• Tea plantations - the estates at Kakara and Nguroje.
• Highland pasture - the rolling grassland and cattle herds.
• Cool climate - mist, cold nights and a different feel from the plains.

When to go

November to March in the dry season for the roads; the harmattan brings cold nights and haze in December and January. The rains from May to October green the plateau but make the escarpment road treacherous.

Honest expectations

The escarpment road is steep, narrow and dangerous in wet conditions. Accommodation in Gembu is basic. The plateau is a long journey from anywhere, with Jalingo the nearest sizeable city. Nights are genuinely cold and heating is rare.

Nearby

Chappal Waddi lies east; Gashaka-Gumti is north.