Calabar, Nigeria

Calabar is the capital city of the Cross River State. It is situated in coastal southeastern Nigeria with the Calabar and Great Kwa rivers part of this magnificent city. The creeks of the cross-river also run through Calabar. Calabar is one of the smaller Nigerian states with a area of 406km² and a population of 370 000.

Calabar is served by Margaret Ekpo International Airport (IATA: CBQ, ICAO: DNCA). Although the airport is considered a international airport there are no international flights that operate from there currently. Calabar International Airport is not too busy, but also not too quiet. One can get a flight in or out of Calabar everyday.

To book the cheapest flights to/from Calabar Margaret Ekpo International Airport use our handy online booking tool. Make sure you compare the price of every airline flying the route or use the booking tool to do a automated comparison.

Domestic flights

Calabar has a number of airlines operating domestic flights from it's airport, including Aero Contractors, Arik Air, Associated Aviation and Dana Air

Airline	Destination(s)
Aero Contractors	Lagos (LOS)
Arik Air	Abuja (ABV)), Lagos (LOS)
Associated Aviation	Lagos (LOS)
Dana Air	Lagos (LOS)

General Info (Climate, Travel, Things To Do)

Climate

Calabar is situated next to the sea and as such emulates the climate of a sea side city. It has moderate temperatures that are neither too hot or too cold. It also experiences it's fair share of rain, but fortunately no freak storms.

Average Temperatures for Calabar
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Avg
Average High	28	29	29	28	28	27	26	25	26	26	27	28	27.3
Average Low	27	28	28	27	27	26	25	24	25	26	26	27	26.3
Precipitation (mm)	41	69	157	216	292	394	445	394	409	310	175	51	2951

Travel

Calabar is a port city and as such carries the atmosphere of many port cities like it, namely : Cape Town, Dubai, Port Harcourt etc. Calabar is a peaceful and quite city. The city is also a major center of tourism in Nigeria. Calabar is ideally located with it only taking a 1hr flight to reach Lagos and a 4hr drive to reach Port Harcourt. There is also a boat service from Cameroon which carries people and vehicles. A visa for Cameroon can be acquired on the boat. Calabar roads are also up to standard with no potholes, large lanes and good signage. You can also catch one of the local taxis.

Things To Do

Calabar is definitely one of Nigeria's tourist hotspots. There are a number of things one can get up to, as tabled below :

Visit the Calabar Museum

Situated at the Old Government House the museum focuses on the history of Calabar, the region as well as slavery. The museum is at many times quite empty, so one can explore and discover to their hearts content.

Views of the Calabar museum. Unfortunately no pictures are allowed to be taken inside.

Drill Monkey Rehab Centre

Established by two American botanists (Peter Jenkins and Liza Gadsby) who were pesuaded by the Nigerian Government to stay in Nigeria and look after the endangered Drill Monkey. The centre caters for recently rescued monkeys and often releases them back into the wild.

Monkeys being rehbilated at the center and some that were released into the wild

Colonial Architecture

Calabar is home to many examplpes of colonial architecture. Make sure you walk through Henshaw Town, Duke Town and the waterfront. These will all give you a glimpse into Calabar during the colonial area. Visit the Duke Town church which is one of the oldest in Nigeria. Walk to the cemetry at Eyamba street and experience the magnificent views of the entire town and Calabar River.

Cross River State National Park

Filled with a variety of fauna and flora, the national park is a ecological hot spot. Take a walk on the suspension bridge, have a glass of palm wine at Atimbo or visit the Kwa Falls for a true tropical rainforest experience. There is hiking and kayaking available and one can have a guide escort them to see the endangered drill monkey.

Views from the Cross River Falls national park.

Events

The Calabar Festival

Held once every year, usually during the Nov 31 - Dec 31 period, the Calabar festival is one of the biggest festivals in Africa and with it's ever growing presence soon the world. It is affectionately known as "Africa's Biggest Street Party". It started in 2000 as part of the Cross River State annual Christmas Festival and has grown in leaps and bounds since then. In the year 2012 it is set to become the biggest self-sustaining socio-cultural event in Africa. In 2011 the festival featured the carnival, gospel nights, comedy nights, fireworks, international acts (Shaggy, Sean Kingston, Joe and many more), a Boat Regatta, fashion shows, a christmas village, traditional dances, the annual Ekpe festival and was 32 days long.

The Calabar Carnival

With over 50,000 costumed participants, 2mil spectators and coverage throughout the entire country, the Calabar Carnival is one of the must-see events in Africa.

Calabar Carnival 2010

Resources

Resource
Calabar page on wikitravel
Calabar page on wikipedia
Calabar carnival official page
Official portal of the Cross River State government