Connecting African Culture Through the Seas
The Amazing Journey of Bill Pinkney Imagine leaving your life and the familiar touch of soil beneath your feet to sail across treacherous seas around the globe with only a …
Home to roughly 1.2 million people, Benin City is the center of Nigeria’s palm oil and rubber industries, and an important crossroads linking Lagos to the west, Warri to the south, and Onitsha to the east.
The downtown area, which can be easily — and safely — explored in a day or two, offers a number of museums, markets, palaces and historical landmarks that provide a glimpse into the city’s fascinating past and dynamic present. The National Museum, based in King’s Square, is a circular three-story building housing many traditional Edo carvings, Benin brass, and some faded sepia pictures of Benin prior to its destruction by the British. For shopping, Oba’s market is a buzzing, edgy area with a sense of organised chaos, frequented by travellers from neighbouring states buying and selling all manner of goods.
Other points of interest in Benin City include the Benin Club, on the corner of Reservation Road and Seventh Avenue. This colonial holdover comprises tennis courts, a grand members club, and a golf course that is well maintained with impeccable greens. The best view of the city can be found by heading out of town on Sakpoba Street until the road descends and crosses the Ikpoba Road. As the road climbs the other side, it reaches the peak of what is known as Ikpoba Hill.
While Benin City has somewhat limited hotel options compared to other Nigerian cities, there are several mid-range and budget establishments in which to lay your head. Outside of the hotels, food offerings are also somewhat limited, but since Nigerian cuisine is abundant throughout the many informal eateries and cafes that dot the streets.
SAFETY: As with everywhere in Nigeria, it’s worth taking sensible safety precautions in Benin City. Don’t carry large amounts of currency or show it openly, and should you be carrying expensive equipment such as a camera, keep it in a bag. All the main ATMs in the city centre have armed guards and are safe to use, but those further away should be used with care, so as not to attract the attention of “area boys” (local youth gangs that each roam a different neighborhood).
The Amazing Journey of Bill Pinkney Imagine leaving your life and the familiar touch of soil beneath your feet to sail across treacherous seas around the globe with only a …
Benin City has a long and bloody history. When English colonial forces first arrived in the city in 1897, they marched past a succession of disembowelled, dead, and dying people …