Yankari Game Reserve
Yankari Game Reserve
4
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4.0
41 reviews
Excellent
12
Very good
18
Average
6
Poor
2
Terrible
3
Amina A
Lagos, Nigeria2 contributions
Jan 2021 • Family
Very annoyed,I just wasted my time and my kids 😭felt like crying like seriously.. no lights everywhere very dark, we couldn't see any wild animal.. jetlagged... Poor.. pls an advice ( you need to improve your standard and get a small generator instead of this punishment. We came all the way from kano for tourism with the kids but we end up sleeping now in the dark.. rite now in the dark. 😓😭
I really regret this.. I will never advice anyone to visit this judge mess
I really regret this.. I will never advice anyone to visit this judge mess
Written 11 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kunbi A
Chicago, IL362 contributions
July 2022 • Solo
This is a very underwhelming place. The safari ride - you see NO animals. The waterfalls is there in rainy season and there may be or not access to the marshal caves. The museum is informative. The Wikki Springs is DOPE. Overall, Yankari is great for a day trip from Bauchi city. Do NOT stay overnight at their gross 🤮 chalet. Very unclean, water is not constant & there will not put on generator overnight when there’s no electricity.
Written 16 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
vlady
Oundle, UK15 contributions
I agree with the Man from London's excellent review. Though nothing compared to parks in South Africa for comfort and pampering (no big 5 in Nigeria), Yankari is a hidden jewel and a real travel bargain. During my almost three years in Nigeria, I went to Yankari twice, in late January 2004 and June 2004. Both times, I saw a lot of wildlife--50 or so elephants, and a host of other animals, birds, crocs and of course Baboons. Wikki Warm Spring is worth the price of admission alone. Beautiful spring in a lush setting. Almost too hard to believe. To be frank, working, living and traveling in Nigeria is no picnic--crime, poverty, bad food, violence, corruption. Yankari really is one of the few wild (natural) places left in Nigeria or West Africa. It is a must for any visit to Nigeria, in my opinion, but here are some nuts and bolts.
When to visit: As guide books recommend, December, January, Feb., March (dry season) are the time to visit. I was there with a completely empty park in January 2004. The flowers were blooming. The brush was less and the animals were heading to the river to drink. Just amazing seeing elephants drink from warm springs, rolling in mud, and with birds everywhere. My June visit was good, but more brush and a harder time finding animals, though we still saw a lot. The road from Abuja or Lagos to Bauchi is good, but the last 25 kms into the park are slow and painful due to road pot holes and poor condition.
Guides: Well, the camp has a truck that goes out for about two hours at 7:30am. I suggest taking your own vehicle with a guide. You can also arrange to sit at a blind with a ranger and watch a watering hole. It is all very seat of your pants. The rangers have no vehicles, no walkie talkies, the uniforms are worn, but it is unlike the large game parks where everything is scripted. You can actually, with risk, get out close to the animals and birds. The rangers are, in general, very good and informative.
Cheap But Somewhat Filthy: Entrance to the park is about $2 with a fee ranging from $2 to $10 for cameras. The lodge is well worn with nothing really working (rooms range from $5 to $35 a night). If you know someone, there is a government and presidential lodge in the park. The rondavels are ok, they have clean sheets, really. You can camp or stay in a dorm also, if you are short on cash. But everything is in really poor condition. Such is Nigeria. The food is acceptable with a pleasant staff. Just simple two choices for lunch and dinner (African and European). Breakfast is standard fare. Prices range from $2.50 to $5.50 with a drink. The bar has a nice terrace overlooking the valley--great, great view--cheap beer and snacks. Buy food (snacks) and water for the stay in Bauchi City.
Warning: I led a group of 10 people to the park in June. Some were taken aback by the poor condition of the lodge--no tiolet seats, baths didn't work, dirty. Well, take this into consideration. But what a nice feeling to be out in the nature as it was thousands of years ago in West Africa. The bush alone is just wonderful and wild. Where almost every bit of land is under cultivation or cities are crammed with poverty, Yankari and Gombe, Bauchi and Plateau States are worth exploring simply for the fact that there really aren't tourists in Nigeria. Yankari is just bizarre in a sense, the crown jewel in Nigeria's National Park system that is languishing in such a beautiful setting while the country sinks further into poverty even with the all the country's natural resources. Get to Yankari before it becomes like parks in Kenya and South Africa. You probably still have time, I just hope that hunters and farmers don't kill too much of Yankari before the government can effectively manage the facilities and reserve. Yankari needs a lot of help to manage what it has.
You are welcome. Safe journey.
When to visit: As guide books recommend, December, January, Feb., March (dry season) are the time to visit. I was there with a completely empty park in January 2004. The flowers were blooming. The brush was less and the animals were heading to the river to drink. Just amazing seeing elephants drink from warm springs, rolling in mud, and with birds everywhere. My June visit was good, but more brush and a harder time finding animals, though we still saw a lot. The road from Abuja or Lagos to Bauchi is good, but the last 25 kms into the park are slow and painful due to road pot holes and poor condition.
Guides: Well, the camp has a truck that goes out for about two hours at 7:30am. I suggest taking your own vehicle with a guide. You can also arrange to sit at a blind with a ranger and watch a watering hole. It is all very seat of your pants. The rangers have no vehicles, no walkie talkies, the uniforms are worn, but it is unlike the large game parks where everything is scripted. You can actually, with risk, get out close to the animals and birds. The rangers are, in general, very good and informative.
Cheap But Somewhat Filthy: Entrance to the park is about $2 with a fee ranging from $2 to $10 for cameras. The lodge is well worn with nothing really working (rooms range from $5 to $35 a night). If you know someone, there is a government and presidential lodge in the park. The rondavels are ok, they have clean sheets, really. You can camp or stay in a dorm also, if you are short on cash. But everything is in really poor condition. Such is Nigeria. The food is acceptable with a pleasant staff. Just simple two choices for lunch and dinner (African and European). Breakfast is standard fare. Prices range from $2.50 to $5.50 with a drink. The bar has a nice terrace overlooking the valley--great, great view--cheap beer and snacks. Buy food (snacks) and water for the stay in Bauchi City.
Warning: I led a group of 10 people to the park in June. Some were taken aback by the poor condition of the lodge--no tiolet seats, baths didn't work, dirty. Well, take this into consideration. But what a nice feeling to be out in the nature as it was thousands of years ago in West Africa. The bush alone is just wonderful and wild. Where almost every bit of land is under cultivation or cities are crammed with poverty, Yankari and Gombe, Bauchi and Plateau States are worth exploring simply for the fact that there really aren't tourists in Nigeria. Yankari is just bizarre in a sense, the crown jewel in Nigeria's National Park system that is languishing in such a beautiful setting while the country sinks further into poverty even with the all the country's natural resources. Get to Yankari before it becomes like parks in Kenya and South Africa. You probably still have time, I just hope that hunters and farmers don't kill too much of Yankari before the government can effectively manage the facilities and reserve. Yankari needs a lot of help to manage what it has.
You are welcome. Safe journey.
Written 13 December 2004
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
taiwoa
Lagos, Nigeria4 contributions
Dec 2011
Our family trip to the Yankari Game Resort (December 27-29, 2011) was a decent getaway from Lagos. The closest and preferred airports from which to travel to Yankari are the Jos and Gombe airports. Gombe airport is 1 hour 40 minutes to Yankari. Our 8AM flight from Lagos local airport on Associated Airlines was cancelled because of visibility problems due to the harmattan weather at Gombe Airport. Therefore, we took an uneventful 2 hour flight from Lagos to Kano (via Abuja).
From Kano we drove about 4.5 hours by chartered van to Yankari in Bauchi State, passing through Jigawa State. The entire road network from Kano to Yankari was single lane each way. The roads were paved with minor potholes along the way. There were several security check points and our driver spoke Hausa to the security folks who let us through without incident; our van's luggage compartment was checked briefly only once at one of the check points.
The terrain was Savannah grassland and the vegetation was dry due to the harmattan weather. We took notice of the architecture, with some mud huts and houses still existing, deeper into our journey. We crossed a handful of bridges driving within Bauchi State but the rivers and streams were dry during this time of the year in December. The population along our route was sparse. Bauchi has a lot of hills and small mountains. The small farms along the roads were mostly for sustaining the families and not for export outside of the state.
The first gate into the reserve is about 50km before the camp and the guest accommodations. At the first gate we paid the entrance fees: N200 for children and N300 for adults, N500 for camera use, N1,000 for camcorder use and N1,000 for our vehicle. We arrived at the Yankari resort at about 5:30PM fairly exhausted. The camp was clean and there weren't a lot of visitors when we arrived. We saw baboons and warthogs roaming around the camp ground. We had been forewarned that the baboons were mischievous and would take foods or items left unobserved.
I understand from the resort staff that there is a 64-bed hostel on the resort but mostly made available to students. We observed other posh-looking accommodation which were gated. We were told that these were made available to government officials although they were also available for rent to guests when not in use by government officials. One building by the resort's museum supposedly has 5 suites and a swimming pool and is available for N200,000 per night.
Thanks to the manager who was already expecting us, we were quickly shown into our two-bedroom suite chalet - Marshall House - which we rented for N52,000 per night. The chalet had high wooden ceilings with modern and well appointed furniture. There was a large flat screen TV with cable TV service in the living room with comfortable seating for six. There was a nice wardrobe closet in each bedroom; the beds in each room was king size with clean white sheets and pillow cases. I inspected the pillows and they appeared new. There was only a bed sheet covering the mattress. There was a thick gray-colored bed cover which we weren't sure was washed but it didn't smell either. There was air conditioning in each bedroom, the living room and the dining area, which had a dining table and chairs for six. The chalet also had a kitchen and a guest toilet.
There were no towel hooks or hanging rack in the bathrooms so we had to hang our towels over the bathroom doors. The windowsills were unfortunately dirty (with sand/sawdust and dead bugs) as were the air conditioning vents. There were no curtains covering any of the bathroom windows. The refrigerator in the kitchen was dirty. There was no microwave oven. From the dirt on the sole of my bathroom slippers I could tell that the floor tiles were dusty (although this wasn't obvious to the naked eye as the floor tiles were dark in the dining and living rooms). There were a handful of bugs especially in the bathrooms but we were given insecticide spray which helped address these. Other than these observations, the chalet was decent and we could tell that it was fairly new.
Most of the meals provided by the resort kitchen consisted of pasta, rice, fried yams, red sauce, eggs, bread, and baked beans. Tea and coffee were also available. We brought our beverage and snacks. After dinner the first night our two boys decided to stay in and watch TV while along with my wife, my 12-year old daughter and my mother-in-law, I went to take a swim at the Wikki Warm Spring which is claimed to maintain a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius year round. The Wikki Warm Spring was a distance of about 400 meters from our chalet. The spring starts at the base of the rock by the museum and is about 40 feet below. The spring water was extremely clear and was about 7 feet at the deepest end. I did not see any exhaustive information about the Wikki Warm Spring but I understand from a local gentleman at the resort that earlier explorers located two openings under the rock from where the spring flowed. A third opening could not be properly investigated because the stream flowed at a speed that curtailed the investigation. The staircases leading from the camp to the Wikki Spring below were a bit uneven and slanted at points. An elevator would be useful for the elderly. The man-made concrete platform built to enter the Wikki Warm Spring slopes dangerously at several points and one needed to navigate carefully to avoid slipping.
After breakfast the next morning we set out on our first private safari at about 10:15AM in a modified Toyota pickup truck with comfortable seating in the covered truck bed. Our tour guide informed us that the entire Yankari Game Reserve ground is approximately 2,244.10 square kilometers! Our first safari took about 2 hours. Unfortunately we did not see any lions or elephants although we observed several elephant droppings which indicated that the elephants had been recently around. We saw antelopes (water bucks) whose lifespan, according to our guide, is 18 years. We saw guinea fowls, a Tantalus monkey, more baboons and warthogs. We saw the confluence where river Geji meets the Wikki Warm springs. Apparently, during the rainy season crocodiles and hippopotamuses live in the river Geji. We stopped by an observation tower from where, we are told, reserve officials observe animals consuming potash from the soil which our tour guide indicates helps the animals digest their food. We observed a lot of animal droppings in this area. We also visited Marshall Caves where the natives supposedly hid during the time of war in the past.
After lunch we headed out to our second safari. It was no different than the first. On this second safari we visited a waterfall which was dry at this time of the year. After the second safari we went with the kids to the Wikki Warm Springs where the kids spent the better part of an hour swimming. Compared to the air temperature the spring was cooler. The kids had a blast.
The next day, we took a 1 hour 40 minute drive from Yankari to Gombe airport from where we took a 2 hour flight (via Abuja) back to Lagos.
Having watched safaris on Animal Channel and Discovery Channel the Yankari experience was sub-par as far as safaris go. However, the environment and the friendliness and courteousness of the staff made our experience pleasant. If you're in or near Nigeria it is well worth the visit to get away from the hustle and bustle of Lagos during the holidays.
From Kano we drove about 4.5 hours by chartered van to Yankari in Bauchi State, passing through Jigawa State. The entire road network from Kano to Yankari was single lane each way. The roads were paved with minor potholes along the way. There were several security check points and our driver spoke Hausa to the security folks who let us through without incident; our van's luggage compartment was checked briefly only once at one of the check points.
The terrain was Savannah grassland and the vegetation was dry due to the harmattan weather. We took notice of the architecture, with some mud huts and houses still existing, deeper into our journey. We crossed a handful of bridges driving within Bauchi State but the rivers and streams were dry during this time of the year in December. The population along our route was sparse. Bauchi has a lot of hills and small mountains. The small farms along the roads were mostly for sustaining the families and not for export outside of the state.
The first gate into the reserve is about 50km before the camp and the guest accommodations. At the first gate we paid the entrance fees: N200 for children and N300 for adults, N500 for camera use, N1,000 for camcorder use and N1,000 for our vehicle. We arrived at the Yankari resort at about 5:30PM fairly exhausted. The camp was clean and there weren't a lot of visitors when we arrived. We saw baboons and warthogs roaming around the camp ground. We had been forewarned that the baboons were mischievous and would take foods or items left unobserved.
I understand from the resort staff that there is a 64-bed hostel on the resort but mostly made available to students. We observed other posh-looking accommodation which were gated. We were told that these were made available to government officials although they were also available for rent to guests when not in use by government officials. One building by the resort's museum supposedly has 5 suites and a swimming pool and is available for N200,000 per night.
Thanks to the manager who was already expecting us, we were quickly shown into our two-bedroom suite chalet - Marshall House - which we rented for N52,000 per night. The chalet had high wooden ceilings with modern and well appointed furniture. There was a large flat screen TV with cable TV service in the living room with comfortable seating for six. There was a nice wardrobe closet in each bedroom; the beds in each room was king size with clean white sheets and pillow cases. I inspected the pillows and they appeared new. There was only a bed sheet covering the mattress. There was a thick gray-colored bed cover which we weren't sure was washed but it didn't smell either. There was air conditioning in each bedroom, the living room and the dining area, which had a dining table and chairs for six. The chalet also had a kitchen and a guest toilet.
There were no towel hooks or hanging rack in the bathrooms so we had to hang our towels over the bathroom doors. The windowsills were unfortunately dirty (with sand/sawdust and dead bugs) as were the air conditioning vents. There were no curtains covering any of the bathroom windows. The refrigerator in the kitchen was dirty. There was no microwave oven. From the dirt on the sole of my bathroom slippers I could tell that the floor tiles were dusty (although this wasn't obvious to the naked eye as the floor tiles were dark in the dining and living rooms). There were a handful of bugs especially in the bathrooms but we were given insecticide spray which helped address these. Other than these observations, the chalet was decent and we could tell that it was fairly new.
Most of the meals provided by the resort kitchen consisted of pasta, rice, fried yams, red sauce, eggs, bread, and baked beans. Tea and coffee were also available. We brought our beverage and snacks. After dinner the first night our two boys decided to stay in and watch TV while along with my wife, my 12-year old daughter and my mother-in-law, I went to take a swim at the Wikki Warm Spring which is claimed to maintain a temperature of 31 degrees Celsius year round. The Wikki Warm Spring was a distance of about 400 meters from our chalet. The spring starts at the base of the rock by the museum and is about 40 feet below. The spring water was extremely clear and was about 7 feet at the deepest end. I did not see any exhaustive information about the Wikki Warm Spring but I understand from a local gentleman at the resort that earlier explorers located two openings under the rock from where the spring flowed. A third opening could not be properly investigated because the stream flowed at a speed that curtailed the investigation. The staircases leading from the camp to the Wikki Spring below were a bit uneven and slanted at points. An elevator would be useful for the elderly. The man-made concrete platform built to enter the Wikki Warm Spring slopes dangerously at several points and one needed to navigate carefully to avoid slipping.
After breakfast the next morning we set out on our first private safari at about 10:15AM in a modified Toyota pickup truck with comfortable seating in the covered truck bed. Our tour guide informed us that the entire Yankari Game Reserve ground is approximately 2,244.10 square kilometers! Our first safari took about 2 hours. Unfortunately we did not see any lions or elephants although we observed several elephant droppings which indicated that the elephants had been recently around. We saw antelopes (water bucks) whose lifespan, according to our guide, is 18 years. We saw guinea fowls, a Tantalus monkey, more baboons and warthogs. We saw the confluence where river Geji meets the Wikki Warm springs. Apparently, during the rainy season crocodiles and hippopotamuses live in the river Geji. We stopped by an observation tower from where, we are told, reserve officials observe animals consuming potash from the soil which our tour guide indicates helps the animals digest their food. We observed a lot of animal droppings in this area. We also visited Marshall Caves where the natives supposedly hid during the time of war in the past.
After lunch we headed out to our second safari. It was no different than the first. On this second safari we visited a waterfall which was dry at this time of the year. After the second safari we went with the kids to the Wikki Warm Springs where the kids spent the better part of an hour swimming. Compared to the air temperature the spring was cooler. The kids had a blast.
The next day, we took a 1 hour 40 minute drive from Yankari to Gombe airport from where we took a 2 hour flight (via Abuja) back to Lagos.
Having watched safaris on Animal Channel and Discovery Channel the Yankari experience was sub-par as far as safaris go. However, the environment and the friendliness and courteousness of the staff made our experience pleasant. If you're in or near Nigeria it is well worth the visit to get away from the hustle and bustle of Lagos during the holidays.
Written 30 December 2011
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sightseer12840
London, England.1 contribution
The Yankari is a beautiful place, and because I visit Nigeria regularly, I often visit Yankari. My most recent visit to the park was in April 2004, and as always, the journey was worth it.
Wikki Camp (the tourist camp) has a community atmosphere because of the presence of visitors and the park's local staff. It is always likely that you will meet short term or long term friends. The camp has a spring area that is natural, with warm crystal clear and disease free water. You have to see it to believe it. It is indeed a natural wonder.
As at April when I last went, I saw a lot of wildlife species over my few days stay. There were lots of the usual waterbuck, and busbuck. Also as usual, elephants were always seen in the evenings by the river Gaji (though I saw some on a few occassions in the morning). Others which I normally see too were the baboons, tantalus monkeys, and warthogs. Other animals encountered on my April trip that are also common in the park include: large troops of patas monkeys (on several occassions), Western hartebeests, red flanked duiker (on several occassions), monitor lizard, Nile crocodiles (on several occassions), many colorful birds including an outstanding African Fish Eagle. We came across many signs of lion, including a kill. Whilst I was there, people would often enter the bush and come across lions, but during our own game drives, we did not encounter them. The West African lion maybe rare in other parts of the sub-region, but in Yankari, they are becomming more common by the day.
Yankari is definitely a wildlife haven. The only issue is the dense bush vegitation. The park has approximately 1000 elephants, 3000 bufaloes, and thousands of antelope. Whoever that says that West Africa lacks great wildlife areas needs to do his/her research again. There are at least three other Nigerian parks that boast of outstanding wildlife, and Yankari is an example of what is on offer.
Accommodation in the park is not excellent, but is managable for a few days.
Wikki Camp (the tourist camp) has a community atmosphere because of the presence of visitors and the park's local staff. It is always likely that you will meet short term or long term friends. The camp has a spring area that is natural, with warm crystal clear and disease free water. You have to see it to believe it. It is indeed a natural wonder.
As at April when I last went, I saw a lot of wildlife species over my few days stay. There were lots of the usual waterbuck, and busbuck. Also as usual, elephants were always seen in the evenings by the river Gaji (though I saw some on a few occassions in the morning). Others which I normally see too were the baboons, tantalus monkeys, and warthogs. Other animals encountered on my April trip that are also common in the park include: large troops of patas monkeys (on several occassions), Western hartebeests, red flanked duiker (on several occassions), monitor lizard, Nile crocodiles (on several occassions), many colorful birds including an outstanding African Fish Eagle. We came across many signs of lion, including a kill. Whilst I was there, people would often enter the bush and come across lions, but during our own game drives, we did not encounter them. The West African lion maybe rare in other parts of the sub-region, but in Yankari, they are becomming more common by the day.
Yankari is definitely a wildlife haven. The only issue is the dense bush vegitation. The park has approximately 1000 elephants, 3000 bufaloes, and thousands of antelope. Whoever that says that West Africa lacks great wildlife areas needs to do his/her research again. There are at least three other Nigerian parks that boast of outstanding wildlife, and Yankari is an example of what is on offer.
Accommodation in the park is not excellent, but is managable for a few days.
Written 3 July 2004
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anago O
114 contributions
Oct 2018 • Friends
Amazing is the word to describe this natural haven. The travel was worth it. The apartments were great with comfort and the architectural design of the Duluxe type of accommodation that i stayed though modern is a traditional Northern Nigeria cone shaped structure.
This place will remind you of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Namibian safari. This is a dream come true for Anago James Akeem Osho. The following morning, I was awaken by special visitors. I came out and near my door were two hedgehogs. The animals move freely and are used to seeing people. Huge baboons too. These animals usually go around in twos.
The thought of wild animals like the lion, tigers etc. came up on my mind but the administrator told us that their habitat was far away from where we were and that they do not appreciate noise like peoples voices and movements and the sound of music that was coming from the restaurant.
The warm spring is another marvel. During the ride around the game reserve, it was spectacular to see animals run freely in the wild.
The visit to the palace of the emir was historical with beautiful murals on the palace walls. Traditional dresses and turbans by the men. It was great to be in Bauchi, the Yankari: home of tourism.
This place will remind you of Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Namibian safari. This is a dream come true for Anago James Akeem Osho. The following morning, I was awaken by special visitors. I came out and near my door were two hedgehogs. The animals move freely and are used to seeing people. Huge baboons too. These animals usually go around in twos.
The thought of wild animals like the lion, tigers etc. came up on my mind but the administrator told us that their habitat was far away from where we were and that they do not appreciate noise like peoples voices and movements and the sound of music that was coming from the restaurant.
The warm spring is another marvel. During the ride around the game reserve, it was spectacular to see animals run freely in the wild.
The visit to the palace of the emir was historical with beautiful murals on the palace walls. Traditional dresses and turbans by the men. It was great to be in Bauchi, the Yankari: home of tourism.
Written 19 November 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
awwalibrahimyusuf
Bauchi1 contribution
Aug 2012 • Solo
a wonderful experience of ones life time,and am encouraging people to come to yankari and see things for themselves and appreciate the gift of nature.till we see again
Written 31 August 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MissionRN
Cedar Rapids, Iowa1 contribution
We visited Yankari in July of 2008, and enjoyed the game viewing. We saw wildlife as mentioned in previous reviews - elephants, water buffalo, bushbucks, monitor lizard, monkeys, etc. After reading these reviews of inexpensive lodging, our group was surprised to find out that Yankari is now owned by the state, and they are in the process of making it into a conference center / resort. They have upgraded the rooms, which are very attractive, however they now start at $120 / night. There was no electricity or running water when we toured the rooms, although we had lights and water intermittently throughout the night we were there. They do charge for everything - coming through the gates, taking the tour, a charge per camera on the tour, swimming in the hot springs, etc. In my opinion, they have raised the rates to "resort" standards before the rest of the park is there, and that is not what my group was expecting. There was a loose window frame on one of our rooms, and baboons came in through the window while we were out, and ransacked the room, and that is a common occurrence.
Overall, Yankari is probably one of the nicer tourist attractions Nigeria has to offer, if you don't mind the expense.
Overall, Yankari is probably one of the nicer tourist attractions Nigeria has to offer, if you don't mind the expense.
Written 11 September 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
aahammayo
Manchester, UK60 contributions
Went to the reserve during the nigerian dry season and first stayed at the executive suite which was a two bed room suite with king size beds a sitting room and a dinning with toilets and flat screen t.vs. Later changed to the royal villa which was a 5 room ensuite apartment/building. It had tvs ,aircons , aswimming pool and a jacuzzi in one of the rooms. I had a nice time at the spring(wikki warm spring) which was luke warm and gushes out from a limestone rock. Had some problems climbing up the stairs from the spring. I went on two game veiwing rides to the forest one in the morning and one in the afternoon which were splendid. In the morning we saw gazelles,water and bush bucks,monkeys and some lions. I was more fascinated in the afternoon when we saw herds of elephants and buffallos and hippos,crocs and species of birds at the mouth of the river geji. Food at the resturant was good but was mainly nigerian. There was a museum which was fairly stocked up and a bar which I didn't try. There were souvenir shops at the camp selling nigerian art works. The manager was always on ground to see that all was well.
Written 11 January 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ndoy
Kitchener, Canada104 contributions
May 2015 • Couples
Yankari National Park has been around since 1954. The animals much longer than that. And the natural hot springs have always been there. When people started to figure out that these natural things existed, they "tamed" the place so people could come. I visited in 1992 and saw lions, elephants and many other animals. This time we saw one hippo, various amazing antelope (different kinds), baboons (of course), wart hogs and birds. The hot springs are God's gift and worthy of a visit in themselves!
In 2007 Bauchi State Government invested millions of dollars in buildings. Apparently they forgot about infrastructure since we had water in their cheapest room ($75/night) for a couple of hours in the morning and electricity from 8PM until 2AM. At this time of year if the AC is not running, you simply sweat in your bed. We ordered our dinner at noon and when it came time to serve us 6 hours later (7PM), they told us they had not one drop of any kind of fluid -- sodas, water, beer -- to accompany the meal. We were promised that we should be patient and those they sent to get it would arrive. Later we learned that drinking water arrived at midnight! Fortunately we had carried our own drinking water.
The first room they gave us had water all over the bathroom floor. When we asked if it could be changed, they said yes, but that we should wait 5 minutes while they went to pray. 30 minutes later we were guided to a different room.
We were going to stay two nights but decided not go given the comfort challenges we experienced...on our holiday.
Would I recommend the place? Certainly! There is beauty; people are friendly; and the Yankari springs are soothing! Just come prepared...
In 2007 Bauchi State Government invested millions of dollars in buildings. Apparently they forgot about infrastructure since we had water in their cheapest room ($75/night) for a couple of hours in the morning and electricity from 8PM until 2AM. At this time of year if the AC is not running, you simply sweat in your bed. We ordered our dinner at noon and when it came time to serve us 6 hours later (7PM), they told us they had not one drop of any kind of fluid -- sodas, water, beer -- to accompany the meal. We were promised that we should be patient and those they sent to get it would arrive. Later we learned that drinking water arrived at midnight! Fortunately we had carried our own drinking water.
The first room they gave us had water all over the bathroom floor. When we asked if it could be changed, they said yes, but that we should wait 5 minutes while they went to pray. 30 minutes later we were guided to a different room.
We were going to stay two nights but decided not go given the comfort challenges we experienced...on our holiday.
Would I recommend the place? Certainly! There is beauty; people are friendly; and the Yankari springs are soothing! Just come prepared...
Written 4 May 2015
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sobowalewemimo
Maiduguri, Nigeria
1.How much does it cost for animal sightseeing in their natural wildlife?
2.What is d minimum accommodation cost a family of 5 can get.
Written 28 March 2018
prices varies
but it is cheap and very affordable
Written 17 April 2018
Hello, i will like to know what means you used to get there, i can´t find any Flights online from Abuja to Bauchi and back.thanks
Written 31 July 2017
You can actually fly into Kaduna Aiport or Jos -- but they are all locally bought flights that I could not find through regular online booking platforms such as kayak or orbitz. There used to be a functional airport in Bauchi, but that's not the case anymore. From either of those, you can then take a public bus to Bauchi. I was traveling in a private car from Bauchi; I don't not now how folks move from Bauchi to Yankari, unfortunately.
Written 4 August 2017
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