Calabar
Calabar (also referred to as Callabar, Calabari, Calbari, Cali and Kalabar) is the capital city of Cross River State, Nigeria.
It was originally named Akwa Akpa, in the Efik language, as the Efik people dominate this area. The city is adjacent to the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers, and the creeks of the Cross River.
Getting to Calabar
Calabar is about 1 hour from the city of Lagos by plane. Calabar is about 25 minutes from Port Harcourt and has an International Airport.
- 01Margaret Ekpo International Airport
Calabar is a 1-hour flight from Lagos and a 4-hour drive from Port Harcourt.
Worth seeing
There is a lot of colonial architecture in the older parts of Calabar that are around Henshaw Town, Duke Town and the waterfront areas. Duke Town Hall (Ekpe Stone), Eton by Eyamba Street. The present site of the Magistrate Court was before colonialism, more or less a town hall which was used also as an Ekpe lodge and the “Itiat Ekpe” there represents it.
- 01Drill Monkey Rehab Centre
Atekong Dr (on Atekong Dr west of Jahas Guest House), info@pandrillus.org.
- 02Duke Town
Built in 1846, one of the oldest churches in Nigeria.
- 03The Marina Resort
- 04National Museum
Ekpo Eyo Drive, Duke Town (on the hill overlooking the waterfront, in the Old Government House).
- 05Slave History Museum
Located in a former slave-trading warehouse.
Things to do
- 01Tinapa Resort
Where to eat
Go to Bogobiri Corner (Suya Arcade) and enjoy suya from the many vendors. Freddy's Restaurant is the local eaterie. Run by Ellie and a very professional staff, Freddies is a successful and well run restaurant. Main menu is Lebanese foods but Ellie will try to please everyone. Good salads, fish and best of all huge prawns are the best. Local beers, wines and all drinks are available and all at good prices.
Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Flocci Nivis (CC BY 4.0), Wikimedia Commons.