Nigeria, a country of over 200,000,000 people, 500 languages, and 2,000 mountains (with 2,130 named), is an ever-growing and ever-changing country that has taken an increasingly important role in the sphere of West Africa and Africa as a whole.
Among its diverse landscape are 2,130 named peaks, spread all throughout the country. The tallest of these is Chappal Waddi at 2,419 m above sea level.
Chappal Waddi (also known as the Mountain of Death) is located in Nigeria and is the country's highest point. This peak, whose original and indigenous name is "Gang Peak" is steeped in enthralling ancient Mambilla mythologies. It represents the headquarters of some ancient mythological organizations.
It is located in Taraba State, near the border with Cameroon, on the edge of the Gashaka Gumti Forest Reserve and the Gashaka-Gumti National Park on the Mambilla Plateau.
It takes about two days to reach the peak of the mountain. So, it’s not just an impromptu trip; hikers have to be prepared and come along with appropriate camping gear, outfits, and food so they can set up camp while enjoying the great outdoors.
Read also: Nairobi High-Rises: Britam Tower
I just returned from climbing Nigeria’s highest mountain. This was a big dream of mine for a few years and it is the most emotional climb I have ever embarked on. I must confess that it was very heavy to lift the Nigerian flag at the summit (for obvious reasons) but the love I have for the country is hard to shake off.
Topography of Nigeria
Geography and Location
There are two states in Northeastern Nigeria called Adamawa and Taraba. These two states play host to Nigeria’s National park - Gashaka Gumti National Park. On the Taraba side, there is Nigeria’s highest mountain called Chappal Waddi.
Nigeria sits in West Africa along the Gulf of Guinea, at the junction of Benin to the west, Niger to the north, and Cameroon and a sliver of Chad to the east. The country is separated into several main climate categories, mainly along latitudinal lines; the majority of land is classified as tropical savannah, with arid steppe to the north and arid desert even further north, alongside tropical monsoon climate to the south and tropical rainforest along the coast.
The major water features of Nigeria are the Niger River and its tributary Benue River, with the Niger River the most important river of all of West Africa. It discharges through the aforementioned Niger Delta into the Gulf of Guinea.
Read also: Africa's Tallest Men
The capital of Nigeria, as mentioned, is the central city of Abuja, but the largest city is that of Lagos, on Nigeria’s western coast. Abuja is part of its own subdivision known as the Federal Capital Territory, while the rest of the country is split into 36 more subdivisions.
Geology
The extensive geological history and profile of Nigeria has resulted in a wealth and diversity of natural resources. Mineral deposits are scattered across the country, including, zinc, gold, lead. tin, and niobium, but large-scale production is mainly focused on the last two. A lignite belt in southern Nigeria, feldspar, kaolin, and gypsum are other mineral resources available in Nigeria.
The Nigerian economy relies heavily upon its oil reserves and petroleum production, though it is home to large quantities of natural gas as well.
As for Nigeria’s geologic history itself, its roots begin around 3,000-4,000 mya in the Precambrian period, specifically the Archean or Proterozoic, during which time the Benin-Nigeria orogen formed a crystalline basement rock that constitutes Nigeria, known as the Nigerian Province.
Ecology
With a diversity of climatic and geologic regions, it is no wonder that Nigeria is home to a diversity of ecosystems as well, from the wet and lush to the dry and sparse.
Read also: The Story of Sulemana
Southern Nigeria
The former is well represented by the Central African mangroves that run across Nigeria’s coast and the Niger delta, part of the largest mangrove swamp on the continent. Thriving in the humidity, these mangroves can grow around 45m/148ft tall, and are critical in holding rivers together, allowing for fertile and nutrient-rich soil as they filter the water.
Mangrove swamps are popular homes for a variety of invertebrates such as crabs, oysters, and abundant fish species, as well as African manatees, African softshell turtles, striated herons, reed cormorants, and many birds that stop by during migration.
Eastern Nigeria
Along the Cameroonian coast are the Cameroonian Highland Forests, where lower elevations are met by forests such as the tropical broadleaf Cross-Sanaga-Bioko coastal forests and the tropical and subtropical grassland/forest/savanna of the Guinean forest-savanna mosaic. Higher elevations house montane forests and grassland, as well as bamboo forests and subalpine grasslands.
These habitats are home to afromontane flora such as the brittlewood tree, African cherry and Cape beech. As for the region’s rich and diverse fauna, there are many species endemic to the ecoregion, like the Bangwa forest warbler, Mount Oku hylomyscus, or highland long-fingered frog, alongside significant endangered primates like the Cross River gorilla or Preuss’s monkey.
Northern Nigeria
To the northwest is the West Sudanian savanna, a tropical savanna that melts into the Sahelian Acacia savanna. The West Sudanian savanna is marked by long grasses, herbs, shrubs, typical savanna trees like bushwillows and Terminalia, and dry woodland trees like the acacia and Egyptian balsam.
Large mammals like the African bush elephant, West African giraffe, lion, cheetah, and other staples of the region roam the savanna, albeit often in limited numbers.
Central Nigeria
The aforementioned Guinean forest-Savanna Mosaic takes up quite a large swath of land through central Nigeria, marked mainly by its grasslands and tree populations along rivers and hillsides. This ecoregion separates the humid tropical forests of southern Nigeria with the drier West Sudanian savanna to the north, as frequent fires prevent further tree development.
Thus, a particularly notable tree species is the dwarf red ironwood, which tends to be more resistant to wildfires. The forests and grasslands provide habitats to many large, notable mammals, like the hippopotamus, African leopard, and antelopes, and a true wealth of birds.
The Mambilla Plateau
The Mambilla Plateau is a plateau in the Taraba State of Nigeria. The Mambilla Plateau has an average elevation of about 1,600 metres (5,249 ft) above sea level, making it the highest plateau in Nigeria. Some of its villages are situated on hills that are at least 1,828 metres (5,997 ft) above sea level.
Some mountains on the plateau and around it are over 2,000 metres (6,562 ft) high, like Gang or Chappal Waddi which has a height of 2,419 metres (7,936 ft) above sea level. It is the highest mountain in Nigeria and in West Africa.
The Mambilla Plateau is located in the southeastern part of Taraba State of Nigeria under Sardauna local government area. The Mambilla Plateau constitutes one of Taraba State's largest local government areas. There are numerous towns on the plateau, with the largest being Gembu.
The plateau has its south and eastern escarpments standing along the Cameroonian border, while the remainder of its northern escarpment and its western slope are in Nigeria. The Mambilla Plateau is hilly with deep gorges, and travelers are constantly passing from one panoramic view to the other.
The Kakara tea farm, located in Mambilla. The climate of the plateau is comparatively cold. Daytime temperatures hardly ever exceed 25 °C (77.0 °F) making it the coolest region in Nigeria. Strong winds prevail during the daytime and the rainy season lasts from mid-March until the end of November.
Vegetation on the plateau comprises low grasses with trees being noticeably absent except for man-made forest planted by German colonialists during the period of German administration of the Cameroons (c. 1906-1915) and other Nigerian government tree planting programs.
The plateau is the only region of Nigeria that grows the tea plant on a large scale and there are several tea farms, although the sector remains mostly underdeveloped. It is also home to the Gashaka Gumti National Park, which is the largest national park and protected area in all of Nigeria, as well as the Majang Forest known officially as Ngel Nyaki Forest Reserve, both of which harbor rare and endangered West/Central African plant and animal species endemic to the area.
The eucalyptus tree is the dominant tree is these man made forests as a result of the easily adaptability of the eucalyptus tree to the height and the cool climatic conditions on the plateau.
The abundance of low lush green grasses on the plateau has attracted a large number of cattle, whose advent beginning during British rule affected the plateau's vegetation.
The major, original and predominant group of the Mambilla Plateau are the Fulani and Mambilla people. Since the British occupation and thereafter, there has been immigration of other groups including the Yamba, and trading communities of Igbo, Wimbum (Kambu), Hausa and Banso.
Mambilla Plateau
Gashaka Gumti National Park
The Gashaka-Gumti National Park is Nigeria’s largest national park and covers 6,731 sq km, which is about 3 times the size of Greater London. The park was created by a federal decree in 1991. There are several conservation efforts going on within the national park and many projects by local and international organizations.
To get there, there is only one flight from Abuja to Jalingo, the state capital of Taraba. This flight is operated by Overland Airways, once a day, from Monday to Friday. This means that we had to fly from Lagos to Abuja then from Abuja to Jalingo (thank God for Overland) before we started the journey across Taraba State.
Overland Airways is the only airline that flies into Jalingo airport. There is one flight from Abuja to Jalingo and back every day from Monday to Friday. The flight leaves Abuja at 11:00am and leaves Jalingo at 1:00pm every day.
In terms of difficulty, there is a stretch that requires us to get in a rugged Mambilla jeep on a dusty road for 5-6 hours. This was the most uncomfortable portion of the entire trip and the dust bath is worse than what can be described in words. I am looking forward to an alternative way of navigating this road (maybe by chopper or in AC Land Rovers) so that we can bring groups to the mountain. In fact, a chopper service from Jalingo airport to the foot of the mountain would cut out every single security or dust concern. Other than that stretch, the trip was rugged but bearable.
This climb was inspired by sheer adventure and a desire to find out how we can open up this incredible mountain to the country and the world. It is quite embarrassing that the average Nigerian does not know that the highest mountain in West Africa is in our country, and that an even greater number of people cannot call it by name. As I climbed Mounts Cameroon, Kenya and Kilimanjaro, I knew that if this was the last gift I gave my country, I would want to help explore the mountain and make it more accessible to the average person.
A few months to the climb, we were excited to have Overland Airways jump on board as flight sponsors for the Abuja to Jalingo leg of our trip. It was especially exciting because Overland is the only airline that can take you to the summit of Nigeria; connecting the country to the capital city of Taraba. A huge shout-out to the Overland team; their warm treatment of our crew from the beginning to the end was impressive.
Every travel experience is just as memorable as the team. For this expedition, it was important to me that the group was small, intimate and voraciously thirsty for adventure because many aspects of this trip were unknown. I clarified early on that this was not a typical packaged tour by TVP Adventures; that it was an expedition that I would gladly go on by myself but would happily open up to a small group. How could I promise people a paid experience that I didn’t know much about myself? What if costs ran over our estimates? What if schedules changed at the last minute? What if we couldn’t make it to the summit? There were many ‘what-ifs’ and I did not want the group to be a surprise! I wanted people I knew and trusted and for whom a surprising outcome would not mean an end to our personal or professional relationship. Also, as a physically challenging experience, the documentary crew needed to be up for the long walks and hikes and not throw in the towel at any point. Once we had a set team, we all planned for months, got COVID tested and set out! The group would become the secret sauce to our success!
In the end, I climbed with Toyeke Adedipe, Dotun Ajibade, Kingsley Obaseki, Ibinabo Oyibo, Kola Adetimole and Bethel Moseglad - our tour guide extraordinaire. I must say that if you’re ever planning to visit Taraba State, the Mambilla Plateau or Chappal Waddi, your best bet is Bethel Moseglad of Nature Connects. He knows his stuff in that state! We also had a team of 4 incredible rangers and 18 porters.
Everyone around the world was concerned for our safety. It is important to remind everyone that safety is in two parts - the actual safety and the perception of safety. Both elements are important because one without the other is useless. In this case, majority of the security concerns were based on the unfortunate perception of insecurity that has plagued the entire country over the last decade or so. The North is not a monolith of insecurity and the North East is not a monolith of terrorism.
This does not take away from the real issues we had to face on the ground. For example, we drove in a convoy of police officers on the Jalingo-Serti stretch because of how notorious that road has become with bandits and robbers. We also had to tread carefully on our last day because there was a clash between the park rangers and some unscrupulous miscreants and even though the clash was fatal on the side of the miscreants, it gave us room for concern. I must give kudos to the National Park Service who work hard to ensure that visitors are as safe as could be, especially with trained armed rangers who are with climbers all the way from Serti to the Summit.
It was also important to me that our summit had a clear sign post, as all major mountains do. I was honored to have gotten permission to do this and my friends were too. So, even though my carpentry skills are horrible, I almost cried for joy as we hammered the sign in place and lifted up the Nigerian flag at the summit of our country.
Chappal Waddi Summit
Quick Facts About Mount Chappal Waddi
Here is a table summarizing key facts about Mount Chappal Waddi:
| Fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Name | Chappal Waddi (Gang Peak) |
| Location | Taraba State, Nigeria (near Cameroon border) |
| Elevation | 2,419 meters (7,936 feet) |
| Significance | Highest point in Nigeria and West Africa |
| National Park | Located within Gashaka Gumti National Park |
| Mambilla Plateau | Situated on the Mambilla Plateau |
I cannot wait to see it when it is all lush and green in the rains. The hills are alive, with the Sound of Music. And more. It was cold before the Sun came out but who cares…we’ve got photos to take :)
Absolutely, 100% worth it! Look at some of the shots we were able to get on the morning after the summit. There’s a way that a mountain comes to life in the Harmattan season that’s bare and vulnerable.
Have you ever even wondered what Nigeria’s highest mountain is? Would you climb it?
What can we do to make this mountain and the entire Mambilla Plateau a globally relevant tourist destination?
Popular articles:
tags: #Nigeria
