…AND THEN WE NAMED IT GEZAWA CANYON
Kano is such a historical city and there’s no better place to start your Northern Nigerian jaunts. It has everything you need; culture, history, northern architecture and more all rolled into this ancient town.
If you’ve been on any of our trips then you’re familiar with Ebere. She’s one of our favorite unravellers and she recently went to Kano and has ALL the details about how it went.
We hope you enjoy it and maybe you’ll put Kano on your travel list.
Give us a brief description of where you went and what the trip was about
I visited Kano. Visiting Northern Nigeria was on my to-do list for this year and what better place to start than the Historic Ancient City of Kano.
Was accommodation required for this trip? If yes where did you stay and what was it like?
I went with a travel group that handled all the logistics. We stayed at the Porto Golf Resort situated at Gezawa-Minjir-Kunya part of Kano. It is a beautiful place. It has a lake which was a surprise and I intend to just go back someday just to explore the resort more.
Our Hotel
Old school cars anyone?
What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
The lake at the resort was a surprise. Such beautiful scenery. Never expected it.
What was your best moment of the entire trip?
Touching the ancient city wall of Kano and also touching the ancient city gates of the walls at the museum. It was an awesome feeling being around something that existed over 100 years ago.
Another cool thing was I saw a hippopotamus and an elephant at the Kano zoo. It was my first time of sighting both animals live.
Finally touched a bit of history
The face you make when you see an Elephant for the first time
What was the scariest moment (if any)?
None.
Did you find any sights or activities a bit off the beaten track ie beyond the tourist traps?
We saw the ‘Gezawa Canyon’ as we named it. It’s an erosion site which had transformed into a beauty due to the way the people take from it to make blocks for their houses.
Seeing this wasn’t part of the plan. We saw the view and shouted for the driver to stop the bus. Lol.
How cool is this?
What are two interesting things about where you went that the average person doesn’t know?
I’m not sure how to determine what is known or not but there’s a zoo in Kano that has an elephant and a hippopotamus.
Squad
Did you meet any locals? If yes, what were they like?
We met the men at the tie and dye center and it was a delight speaking with them.
All smiles
The outcome
What was the funniest/strangest/most insightful thing a local said?
When we went to a part of the remains of the ancient Kano city walls, a man wanted to harass us telling us we couldn’t take pictures and a group of men sitting under a shade scolded him.
They told him to leave us, that we were tourists and the walls are the Heritage of Kano and should be shared. That was a delight to hear. It gladdened my heart.
Crafts are an important part of Kano life
What was the hardest or most frustrating part of the trip?
Can’t think of any. Happy vibes all round.
Met these cuties along the way
Did anything go wrong that seems funny now?
Hmmmpphhh, yeah, the people at the resort had our reservations mixed up but that got sorted. The conversations of how to pair the group during the mix up is what’s funny now when thinking back.
Did you eat anything locally, if yes, what was your favorite?
Yes, we ate some locally made milk candy and cake like stuff bought on the road. Can’t remember the name now.
If you ate locally, what was the strangest thing you ate.
It wasn’t strange. I knew about them but hadn’t tasted them before.
Carefully arranged
What were the cost implications of this trip?
I joined the group in Abuja and the trip cost 37,500 from Abuja. This was exclusive of my flight from Lagos.
Looking like a northern belle
Now that you’ve been there yourself, when you think of your trip what’s the first image that comes to your head?
The city wall and gates.
Would you revisit or ever move there?
I would visit again. I didn’t go to the Emir’s palace and a visit to Kano isn’t complete without some touch of Royalty.
Coming back to see the Emir 🙂
We’re off to Kano State in Sep/Oct. Will you be interested? Get in touch.
LINK UP WITH US ON FACEBOOK, SHADOW US ON INSTAGRAM, BANTER WITH US ON TWITTER & WATCH US ON YOUTUBE
*Reviews are based on opinions and personal experiences, and may differ from person to person
*prices written are based on the time the visit was made and is subject to change by the owners
*images are owned by the interviewed horse
Comments