Yankari is Nigeria's best-known wildlife reserve, covering around 2,250 square kilometres of Guinea savanna in Bauchi State in the northeast of the country. It is one of the largest and most intact savanna ecosystems in West Africa, and for wildlife watching in Nigeria there is nothing else in the same league. Elephants are the star attraction — a healthy population roams the reserve, most reliably spotted near water during the dry season. Buffalo, hippo, kob, waterbuck, roan antelope, baboons, and various monkey species fill out the cast, along with lions and crocodiles, though large predators are harder to see.
The reserve's social centre is Wikki Camp, 42 kilometres inside the main entrance, built around the Wikki Warm Springs — a clear, constant 31°C river fed by underground springs where you can swim among fish, with cormorants and herons working the shallows. It is one of the most pleasant spots in all of Nigeria. The camp has hotel rooms, simple cottages, a restaurant, and a bar; it is the only place to stay inside the reserve. Game drives depart twice daily. History-minded visitors should seek out the Dukkey Wells, 139 interconnected ancient wells used for water storage centuries ago, and the Marshall Caves, where sandstone chambers are decorated with line drawings left by prehistoric inhabitants.
The best time to visit is November through May, during the dry season, when vegetation dies back and animals concentrate around water sources. Getting here is an adventure: fly to Bauchi or Abuja, then travel by road. The reserve is well signposted from Bauchi town, about 80 kilometres away.