The old town is the experience of Ibo: a few hundred metres of dusty streets lined by long, low colonial mansions, most with shuttered windows and palm trees pushing through the courtyards. A few have been carefully restored as lodges and houses; most stand somewhere between elegant decay and complete ruin, and walking the streets at dawn or dusk is the central pleasure of a stay here.
The main square has the old administrative building, a church, and a still-functioning market. Children will offer to guide you to the silversmiths, the forts, or the mangrove jetty; a small tip is appropriate and the conversations are usually worth it.