Zuma Rock, located near the main road going north from Abuja to Kaduna in Nigeria, is also referred to as the "Gateway to Abuja." The monolith is also reported to constitute the exact geographical center of Nigeria Zuma Rock is a large monolith located in Niger State, Nigeria. It is just north of Nigeria's capital Abuja, along the main road from Abuja to Kaduna, and is sometimes referred to as "Gateway to Abuja." It is most recognized because of the face of a person on the monolith, and is depicted on the 100 naira bill.
It has been called Nigeria's answer to Australia's Uluru (Ayers Rock). Although only one-third as wide as Uluru, Zuma Rock is more than twice as high from its base, rising 725 meters above its surroundings Zuma Rock is a large monolith located in Niger State, just north of Abuja, along the main road from Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, to Kaduna. It is sometimes referred to as "Gateway to Abuja." The rock is depicted on the ₦100 bill. Zuma Rock is located just off the main road from Abuja to Kaduna. This means you can see it either as a daytrip from Abuja, or on your way up north. The rock is pretty impressive and people are starting to put up some touristic infrastructure around it, but there is a long way to go. Zuma Rock is a large monolith located in Niger State, just north of Abuja, along the main road from Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, to Kaduna. It is sometimes referred to as "Gateway to Abuja". Zuma Rock. The white part at the center of the rock was the human face. I'm not sure if I recognized the right part, because outline was not very clear. [Photo: Wei Xiangnan]
Southern Nigeria and northern Nigeria have contrasting scenery, although most of the country lies between the northern hemisphere and the equator, and the four seasons are not so distinctive. In the south, it is typically tropical with coconut trees growing vehemently everywhere. A warm, wet breeze blows in from the Atlantic Ocean. But in the north, big mountains reach high into the sky, and the weather is mostly hot and dry. On a recent visit to the Nigerian capital, Abuja, I had the opportunity to see some tourist sights in the north of the country, most notably the Gurara Waterfalls and the Zuma Rock. The Zuma Rock is the symbol of Abuja, or even Nigeria. The big rock is depicted on the country's 100 naira bill. However, it is not located in Abuja. It is actually found in the state of Niger north of Abuja, along the highway from Abuja to Kanuda. At 725 meters tall and around 3.1 km in circumference, the monolith looks more like a small mountain. Keen observers say they can recognize a person's face on the rock, and locals believe that due to the human face, the rock has mysterious powers. It is said that a couple of years ago, the tourism authorities in Niger state invited foreign investors to develop this area into a tourist attraction. They built a fine hotel near the rock, but unfortunately the business didn't perform as well as they had hoped. After rumors circulated that there killings occurred in the hotel, the hotel was finally closed. Local people say it was the negative influence of the rock that doomed the hotel.
After one-hour's drive from the Zuma, we arrived at the Gurara Waterfalls. Gurara, what a cute name! I asked many Nigerian people what Gurara means, but disappointingly and surprisingly, some people didn't even know it existed. Those who told me they knew the beautiful natural waterfall, didn't know what its name meant, or simply told me it originated from local village called Gurara, or that it's named after a river called Gurara. I kept asking around, and finally a friend from the North informed me it means something like 'water pouring from somewhere'. I found the answer was satisfactory as it implies it has something to do with 'water' and 'pouring'. I went a step further and assumed Gurara could even mean the sound of the water flowing, just hearing the word "Gu-ra-ra", it sounds like the flowing water, right? On my way to the waterfalls, I wasn't certain if I could really hear the beautiful sound of nature. Simply because it is dry season in Nigeria, and the north is particularly dry around this time, yielding not a single a drop of rainfall. I wondered, was I going to see any water or just the rugged rock outline? To my relieved surprise, there was water. Very strong water! Although, I was told, not as strong as in the rainy season. The waterfall was simply amazing! Small streams diverted from the main Gurara River running softly around rocks on top of the cliff, converging from scores tributaries in the narrow rugged pass and dashing out from the cliff with almighty power. Finally, the water, shining under the sun, as beautiful as fireworks, fell into a pond some 20 meters below. Before returning to tranquility. There were two main streams of waterfalls, but in the rainy season, the whole cliff would be covered with a curtain of waterfalls. To get close to the waterfalls, you need to make a daring walk. As the facilities in tourist sight were not well equipped, or, more accurately, there was no facilities at all. There wasn't even a road to the waterfall, so I had to trek along a rocky road down to the waterside. If you are nature lover, the hard work is worthwhile. Local people say they had plans to build the waterfall area into a tourism resort and there were already investors showing interest in the project. The building of a seven-star hotel is on the agenda.
