Jos is popularly known for its sweet unique temperate weather. Apart from its beautiful natural scenery, temperate weather has been a reason why people go to Jos for tourism. Foreigners from Europe and America who come to Nigeria find Jos irresistible for its unique weather. However, there is another place with beautiful weather just like Jos; yet people don’t even notice it. The Mambilla plateau in Taraba state of Nigeria is another beautiful place unique for its temperate climate.
As a destination for tourism, Mambilla plateau has one of the best weather conditions in the country because of its coolness and its accommodating capacity all year round. Daytime temperatures hardly exceeds 25°C on Mambilla; and Just as the weather is accommodating, so also are the people of the Mambilla Plateau, welcoming and very hospitable.
Located in the highland region of Taraba State of Nigeria, the Mambilla Plateau is inhabited by five major ethnic groups with different cultural heritage. These ethnic groups are Mambilla, Kaka, Fulani, Panso and Kambu. Mambilla offers attractive settings well worth a visit. Located in the highland region of the state, Mambilla plateau houses Chappal Waddi Mountain considered the highest point in Nigeria and probably in West Africa. Temperature ranges from about 30degrees Celsius (at the foot of the mountain) to about 18degrees Celsius or less towards the peak. Climbing to the very top is any tourist’s delight. At the top you would be welcomed by fresh chilly breeze from across the Mambilla Plateau.
Mabilla Plateau boasts of other attractions besides it beautiful temperate weather, which one cannot ignore. There are mountain chains, a magnificent waterfall, and the famous Mbamnga Ndumyaji cave. The Mambilla plateau is richly blessed with fertile land and it is also known to have one of the best tea plantations in the world. About seven communities on the Mambilla have been identified as having great potentials in tea cultivation. Many places on the Mambilla Plateau are productive in tea farming.
The Mambilla plateau forms the watershed from which the major drainage systems in Taraba State take their source. River Benue, Donga and Taraba (from which the state drives its name) are the dominant drainage systems which flow across the Muri plains to drain the entire state.
Mambila plateau offers attractive settings, well worth a visit. It has cattle ranches and grassy hills. It is home to some rare species of birds and animals, especially at the Gashaka-Gumti National Park. Mambilla promises to be a preferred tourists’ destination when well developed and opened up to the world. But Nigerians must lead the way in popularizing their own tourists’ attractions instead of running off to other nations in search of what we have here in
