The 10 places to have fun in Abuja this Christmas

Are you planning to stay back in Abuja for Christmas? These tips will help make your holidays fun and memorable.

Abuja city is almost empty. More than 50 percent of its residents have travelled out of the city for the traditional end-of-year vacation and reunion with family members in villages and cities across the country.

The city can be boring and lonely.

For residents left in the city, don’t be desolate, here are 10 inexpensive ways you can enjoy the Christmas.

1. Wonderland Amusement Park: Go out with family and friends – or just yourself – to Wonderland amusement park. It has leisure gardens for relaxation, games and rides for all ages. It is a few minutes from the city centre, close to the National Stadium.

2. Millennium Park: This is the best place for you if you have friends that like picnic. Take your music and picnic box to Millennium Park at no fee and have fun in the nicely groomed natural park.

3. National Children’s Park and Zoo: The National Children’s Park and Zoo in Abuja has few animals and plenty of playgrounds and activities for children. The list of animals in the zoo vary but children will love it.

4. Jabi Lakeside: Jabi Lake is man made in the heart of the city. It offers the closest to beach experience within the city. By the Lakeside, you can also have picnic with friends, rent a boat cruise or ride on a horse.

5. Silverbird: If you love indoor fun and movies, Silverbird entertainment centre is the place to go. It has cinema, a game arcade, eateries and shops. It is a fun place to hang out with friends.

6. Gurara Falls: Gurara falls is one of the most beautiful waterfalls near Abuja. The fall has amazing scenes of rock formations together with beautiful flora of evergreen trees and bushes, rivers, ponds and waterfalls all around you. During this Christmas – and all dry seasons – the water is calm and you can swim the small ponds under the falls. There are the beach for picnic.

It is worth seeing this Christmas. It is located between Suleja, just on the edge of Abuja, and Minna, the Niger state capital.

The beautiful thing about this trip is that you can make a stopover at the famous Zuma Rock in Suleja. It is a double barreled fun trip.

7. Zimbabwe: If you want to get away from the civilisation of the city and enjoy the Christmas in the local taste, Zimbabwe is the place. It is a nice outdoor place about 35km from Abuja city. It’s got cheap food and drinks, barbecued beef, chicken, fish. Here, you get all sorts of local cuisines and all that spicy traditional domestic and bush meat delicacies.

Don’t miss the palm wine.

8. Aso Rock: Aso Rock is the largest and tallest rock in Abuja and measures about 936 meters above sea level. The rock overlooks residential quarters, an office building and a presidential villa. Nigeria’s presidential villa, Aso Rock Villa, derived its name from the rock. It is an ideal spot to get a bird’s eye view of the city and a great mountain climbing experience.

9. Pedam Lake: You may have lived in the city for decades without a hint this lake exists. But it is massive. It lies behind the presidential Villa, sprawling towards Nassarawa state, for those looking for extreme adventure for Christmas. It is not well developed for tourism but is accessible through the Abuja Park and Zoo or through some other less known routes from Udoma Street in Aso.

10. For Expats: Berger Life Camp, home to Berger Construction workers is the best spots for expatriates, especially Europeans and Europe lovers, to meet during Christmas in Abuja. They have amazing Christmas events with German food and beer, crafts, and spiced wine. You would also find a large collection of Filipinos at Berger Life Camp.

Caveat: If you are craving for fun and adventure, be mindful of the security situation. If asked not to access any route or site by security agents, stay away and look for alternatives.

If you visit any of these places, share you experiences with us. Send short review of your trip with photos to newsroom@premiumtimesng.com. The subject of the mail should be “My Abuja Christmas.”