By Bassey Nkponam
Obudu Mountain Resort, formerly known as Obudu Cattle Ranch, is a ranch and resort on the Obudu Plateau in Cross River State developed by a Scot- M. McCaughley – who first explored the mountain ranches in 1949.
The resort is found on the Obudu Plateau, close to the Cameroon border in the northeastern part of Cross River State, approximately 110 kilometres (68 mi) east of the town of Ogojaand 65 kilometres (40 mi) from the town of Obudu in ObanlikuLocal Government Area of Cross River State.
Tourists or visitors to the site can use about 30 minutes to drive from Obudu town, which is about 332 kilometres (206 mi) from Calabar, the Cross River State capital.
An historian and indigene of Obudu Local Government Area, Professor Eyamba Ntui, has this to say, “The Obudu Mountain Resort, initially called Obudu Cattle Ranch, was developed in 1951 by M. McCaughley, a Scot who first explored the mountain ranches in 1949.
He camped on the mountain top of the Oshie Ridge on the Sankwala Mountains for a month before returning with Mr. Hugh Jones, a fellow rancher, in 1951. Together with Dr Crawfeild, they developed the Obudu Cattle Ranch.
“The resort is found on the Obudu Plateau, close to the Cameroon border in the northeastern part of Cross River State, approximately 110 kilometres (68 mi) east of the town of Ogojaand 65 kilometres (40 mi) from the town of Obudu in ObanlikuLocal Government Area of Cross River State.
“It is about 30 minutes drive from Obudu town and is about a 332 kilometres (206 mi) from Calabar, the State capital”.
Research findings show that since 2005, a cable car climbing 870 metres (2,850 ft) from the base to the top of the plateau gives visitors a scenic view while bypassing the extremely winding road to the top.
Charter air service was usually available to the Bebi Airport which lies between Obudu village and the resort until the air strip became no longer functional and the cable car grounded for a while now.
A tourist and constant visitor to the resort, Gabriel Lalong, has this to say, “Initially, there used to be a charter air service available to the Bebi Airport which lies between the village of Obudu and the resort. However, the air strip is no longer functional and the cable car has been grounded for a while now.”
The climate of the Obudu Cattle Ranch is semi-temperatemountain climate, which is the general weather condition experienced on the Obudu Plateau due to its 1,600 metres(5,200 ft) elevation.
The ranch has in recent times seen an influx of both Nigerian and international tourists because of the development of tourist facilities by Cross River State government, which has turned the ranch into a well known holiday and tourist resort centre in Nigeria. It has a serene climate compared to other regions in Nigeria.
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