Gashaki-Gumpti National Park
National Parks in Nigeria are striking, significant areas set amidst spectacular scenery and marked as symbols of the nation’s pride. They are reserves of natural, semi-natural or developed lands that serve various purposes such as conservation, public recreation and relaxation. On today’s Saturday Small Chops, we explore Nigeria’s largest and most diverse National Park, the Gashaki-Gumpti National Park.
Gashaki-Gumpti National Park is the largest park in the country. It is located in the eastern provinces of Taraba and Adamawa, down to the Cameroon border, with a coverage of about 6,402 km². The park consists of five different ecological regions: montane forests, lowland rain forests, grasslands and two kinds of the savanna. These ecosystems serve as home to some rare and endangered species in Africa such as the cheetah, colobus monkey, wild dog, and chimpanzee.
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An expansive section of the park’s northern area is covered by savannah grassland while the southern section of the park has a rugged terrain featuring mountainous, steep slopes and deep valley, and serves as home to montane forests. The Gashaki-Gumpti National Park plays out as an important catchment area for the Benue River. The river-flow regardless of the season is beautiful and a delight to watch.
The park also includes diverse species of animals including 103 species of mammals such as yellow-backed duiker, African golden cat, the African buffalo, chimpanzee, African elephant, world’s largest antelope, the giant eland, roan antelope and the rare Adamawa mountain reedbuck.
Additionally, the park is home to rich and diverse species of birds estimated at up to one million. With over 500 species of birds found, the park is now labelled as an Important Bird Area (IBA) in Africa. The numbers remain open as bird watching tourists and enthusiasts are constantly discovering and adding new species to the stocks.
Asides from its host of natural attractions, Gashaki-Gumpti National Park features a German fort that dates back to the early 20th century as well as a natural history museum. The park also includes campgrounds for tourists, researchers and national parks enthusiasts, with dedicated park rangers available at the snap of a finger. Visitors are usually captivated by the lushness of the forests, wide sweeping grasslands, cool highland plateaus, rugged moody mountains, diverse wildlife and the fascinating ethnic cultures around the area.
The park is open all year-round, but easily accessible during the dry season. One of the favourite ways tourists explore the park is through the Gashaka Primate Project, accessible via – www.ucl.ac.uk/gashaka.
Tell us what you find interesting about the Gashaki-Gumpti National Park.