PEOPLES DAILY WEEKEND, SATURDAY 23 - SUNDAY 24, NOVEMBER, 2013
PAGE 19
Tourism
Wiki Warm Spring: Yankari’s tourist high point Y
ankari National Park is a large wildlife park located in the south-central part of Bauchi State. It covers an area of about 2,244 km² (870 mi²) and is home to several natural warm water springs such as the wiki warm spring, and a wide variety of flora and fauna. Its strategic location in the heartland of Nigeria makes it a unique way for tourists and holiday makers to watch wildlife in its natural habitat and isone of the most popular ecodestinations in West Africa. The open country and villages that surround Yankari National Park are populated by farmers and herders, but there has been no human settlement in the park for over a century. There is, however, evidence of earlier human habitation in the park, including old iron smelting sites and caves. Yankari National Park lies in the southern part of the Sudan Savannah. It is composed of savannah grassland with welldeveloped patches of woodland. It is also a region of rolling hills, mostly between 200m and 400m. Kariyo Hill is the highest point at 640m. Annual rainfall in the park is between 900mm and 1,000mm. The rainy season is from May to September. Temperatures range between 18C and 35C. During the dry season, the harmattan wind blows from the Sahara, often bringing dusty skies and night temperatures fall as low as 12C. The hottest period falls in March and April, when temperatures can rise above 40C in the day. In the dry season, larger wildlife in the park depend on the Gaji river and its tributaries for survival. This river is the only watershed and cuts the park in two. Marshall estimated the area of the Gaji River Valley used by elephants in the dry season at about 40 km². This increases the chances of seeing elephants at this time of year. The Park’s main entrance is at Mainamaji village, about 29 km from Dindima. It is located within the Duguri, Pali and Gwana districts of Alkaleri LGA, Bauchi State. This LGA has a population 208,202 people occupying a total land area of 7,457.78 km². The whole park lies on the Kerri formation, of Tertiary age, which is composed of sandstone, silt stones, kaolinites and grits. Underneath this lies the Gombe formation, of Cretaceous age, composed of sandstones, silt stones, and ironstones. The valleys of the Gaji, Yashi and Yuli Rivers are filled with Alluvium of more recent age. Sandy loans and clayey soils of riverine alluvium occur in the valley of the Gaji Yashi and Yuli Rivers. East of the Gaji valley is a 5–7 km wide band of very poor sandy soils that support a shrub savanna formation Yankari has rich wildlife re-
sources. The park is an important refuge for over 50 species of mammal including African Bush Elephant, Olive Baboon, Patas Monkey, Tantalus Monkey, Roan Antelope, Western Hartebeest, Lion, African Buffalo, Waterbuck, Bushbuck and Hippopotamus. It also has a large and diverse freshwater ecosystem around its freshwater springs and the Raji River. There are also over 350 species of bird found in the Park. Of these, 130 are resident, 50 are Palearctic migrants and the rest are intra-African migrants that move locally within Nigeria. These birds include the Saddlebilled Stork, White-rumped Vulture, Guinea fowl, Grey hornbill, and the Cattle Egret. Yankari is recognized as having one of the largest populations of elephants in West Africa, estimated at more than 300 in 2005. The growth of the elephant population has become a problem for surrounding villages at times as the animals enter local farms during the rainy season. The elephants have also stripped the park of many of its baobab trees. More than 330 species of birds have been recorded in the park. Due to underground geothermal activity, Yankari National Park also features four warm water springs. The camp is named after the most well known of these, the Wikki Spring, from the local Duguri language with “Wikki” meaning “where are you?”. The Wikki Warm Spring is the largest spring and is about 13.0 metres wide and 1.9 metres deep. It daily flows 21,000,000 litres of clear, spring water into the Gaji river. The spring has a constant temperature of 31.1°C through the year during both day and night and has been developed for recreation. The other warm water springs are Dimmil, Gwan, and Nawulgo springs. A fifth spring, Tungan Naliki, is the only cool spring in the park.Yankari is located in Africa Nigeria The “Wikki Camp” is the tourist centre of the Park. Located about 42 kilometers from the main entrance gate, the camp is built beside, and named after, the Wikki warm spring, which is open for swimming 24 hours a day. There are 110 furnished chalets with varying size and quality, ranging from the ‘’presidential’’ suites to the youth hostel, all of which are being upgraded in phases. The camp also provides a restaurant, bar and conference centre. Daily safari trips depart at least twice from the camp. The museum in the camp is well stocked with a variety of skins, tusks, bones and fully mounted stuffed game from the park. It is educational while also acting as a conservation centre, displaying hunting gear and traps taken from poachers.