Are you looking for a nice vacation spot for your summer holiday? Then this is a must-read list for you!
Nigerians undeniably love to travel to destinations across the globe, both for business and pleasure. We flock to bustling cities like London in our thousands, and can even be found in seemingly hidden corners of the Earth like Slovakia and Martinique. It’s not surprising, considering our love for life and adventure.
While going on trips is fun, standing in long visa queues is not. The task of waiting for weeks, and even months to hear back from the high commission/embassy can be a complete pain as well, only to get rejected in some cases. This is why visiting visa-free countries is certainly worthwhile, especially with the added benefit of no visa application fees.
Here’s a list of countries to visit this year including some ECOWAS states:
Cape Verde Islands
Located in the Atlantic Ocean, near Western Senegal, Cape Verde is a great destination for those in the mood for some good, fresh seafood. You can soak up some sunshine on its pristine beaches, and even go scuba diving.
Gambia
Also located near Senegal, the country is a great destination for nature lovers. Take a boat cruise down the River Gambia or play with monkeys at the country’s National Park. If you’re ever in the mood to learn about the country’s culture, try the Makasutut Culture Forest.
Kenya
Visit the East African country of Kenya to see the Rift Valley, the Masai Mara National Park –well known for its high concentration of lions and giraffes – the Nairobi National Park and Tavo East National Park.
Tanzania
Take a trip to the largest Eastern African country to see popular tourist attractions like Mount Kilimanjaro, the lake bed of Lake Tanganyika and a portion of Lake Victoria which is shared with Uganda and Kenya. If that’s not fun enough for you, go on a safari trip through the National Park.
Zanzibar
This semi-autonomous region of Tanzania is a nice place to visit if you’re interested in relaxing on sandy beaches that aren’t too crowded. The name Zanzibar actually comes from a combination of two Arabic words, ‘Zinj’ (black) and ‘barr’ for (land), which together mean “The Land of the Blacks”.
Mauritius
Mauritius is known for its beautiful beaches and the Black River Gorges National Park. Visitors also get to snorkel in the Indian Ocean and watch beautiful sea-life from a glass bottomed boat in the Blue Bay Maritime Park.
Barbados
Stop over at pop singer, Rihanna’s home country in the Caribbean. You can learn all about its colonial history in its capital city, Bridgetown, or relax on the pink sandy shores of Crane Beach. If you’re up for some adventure, you can also explore Carlisle Bay with its 200 shipwrecks.
Have fun sight-seeing!
Source: ThisDay Newspaper
About the Writer: Ify Halim is a writer and media enthusiast based in Lagos. She enjoys writing self-help/inspirational articles with published work in UYD Magazine, Edufrica, Our Stories Inc. and The Keele Concourse. She currently works at ConnectNigeria.com, Nigeria’s Information Portal. Follow her on Twitter @MissHalim or visit her online space at ifyhalim.wordpress.com
