One of the top destinations of tourists in Nigeria, especially the South-eastern part is the ‘Coal City State’ of Enugu State. It is nicknamed the Coal City State because coal was first mined in its territory: Udi Hills. The state has a total land area of 7,161-kilometer sq., so there are enough grounds to cover when you visit. The state shares borders with Abia State and Imo State to the south, Ebonyi State to the east, Benue State to the northeast, Kogi State to the northwest and Anambra State to the west. The capital city of Enugu state is also Enugu.
TRANSPORTATION
You would access Enugu State through the roads connecting it with its neighboring states. Enugu State can also be accessed through the railroad. It is about 150 miles (240km) from Port Harcourt. Tourists and businessmen have the Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu as their destination through the air route.
WHAT TO BRING
Come along with your families and friends, luggage, ATM cards, camera and journals to write down the beautiful memories of the sites of attractions. If you are a music lover, I’ll advise you to get some tracks by Bright Chimezie, Flavor N’abania for Igbo Highlife and Phyno for Igbo rap music. These will make you have a feel of the languages (Igbo and Pidgin English) spoken here.
PLACES TO VISIT
You just have to visit the site where the state got its nickname (Coal City State). Udi Hills was the site of the first coal mine operation opened in Nigeria in 1915. Today, the tunnels beneath the hills where coals were mined are now a fascinating tourist site. You can either climb the hills or explore the mine caves.
Nike Lake is a resort in Enugu with a large lake as its primary feature. Around the lake is a walkway and benches for tourists who would like to spend some time with the cool and birds-tweeting side of nature. The hotel also has a lawn tennis court, a swimming pool, and an art gallery for art lovers. There are over 200 rooms and 10 villas in this exquisite arena. It is surely modeled for tourists in the Eastern part of Nigeria.
Another place of interest is the Ezeagu Tourist Complex. It comprises of a lake, cave and waterfall. This waterfall, called Ogbagada, is about 23 meters high. There is a cave close to it which is about 5km long. It has several tunnels heading out to different directions. Some of the tunnels are interconnected, often opening up into large chambers which are two to three meters high and could go up to ten meters wide.
Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium is a place for football agents, sports lovers/enthusiasts, and tourists. It is a multi-purpose Stadium in Enugu, Nigeria. It used to belong to the Nigerian Railway Corporation. Today, it is the home Stadium of Enugu Rangers, the Nigerian Premier League giants. The stadium has a capacity of 22,000 and it was named after the first President of the Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe. The stadium hosted the world during the FIFA U-17 World cup in Nigeria, 2009. It hosted matches in Group D, which comprises Turkey, Costa Rica, Burkina Faso and New Zealand.
Other places of interest are Awhum Waterfall & Cave, Ngwo Pine Forest/Ngwo Cave, the Oaklands, National Museum, Akwuke beach, Ofu Obi African Center, Polo Mall and so on.
