Awka travel guide

Awka, Nigeria

By the Travel Wiki editorial team

Awka

Introduction

Awka is the capital of Anambra State, in the Igbo heartland of south-east Nigeria. It became the state capital in 1991, when the old Anambra State was split and Enugu stayed with the new Enugu State. The city sits in the centre of a densely populated region, roughly 199 kilometres directly north of Port Harcourt by road.

Awka is made up of two local government areas, Awka South and Awka North, and together they form the urban area you'll be travelling through. As a state capital in the Igbo heartland, it serves as an administrative centre for the surrounding region.

Before you go

Awka is one of the oldest settlements in Igboland, established at the centre of the Nri civilisation, which produced the earliest documented bronze works in Sub-Saharan Africa and was the cradle of Igbo civilisation. It was declared capital of Anambra State in 1991 and hosts two primary universities, Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Paul University. The city sits about 40 km east of the Niger from Onitsha and about 200 km by road directly north of Port Harcourt, with a network of roads connecting it to Onitsha, Enugu and Ihiala; it lies midway between Onitsha and Enugu.

Like most towns in Nigeria, Awka lies in the rain forest region and has two seasons: a dry season with a short spell of harmattan from December to April, and a rainy season from May to November. The land is fertile, and cassava, yam, grains, fruits and vegetables are harvested locally. For medical care, Amaku Teaching Hospital in Amaku provides 24-hour services including emergency and trauma care, internal medicine, surgery, paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, a dental clinic and diagnostic laboratories, while New Generation Hospital and Maternity on Zik Avenue offers healthcare and consultation for expectant and nursing mothers.

Getting there

To reach Awka by air, fly into Chinua Achebe International Cargo Airport at Umueri in Ayamelu Local Government Area (IATA: ABB). The airport handles domestic services linking the city to Nigeria's major metropolitan centres, and the road journey from the airport to Awka takes around 36 minutes.

By road, many transport companies run daily services into Awka from major cities and states across the country, as well as from international destinations in West Africa. Operators with offices along the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway include GUO Transport at St. Michael Shopping Plaza by Unizik Junction, God Is Good Motors at Elite Shopping Complex opposite Crunchies Fries, ABC Transport and Libra Motors at Standard Plaza, Peace Mass Transit on Arthur Eze Avenue opposite Sinai-Oil, and Okeyson Investment Services beside a fuelling station by Unizik Junction. ABC and Libra both offer Cargo Express and City Transit Inn services, with lounges in cities such as Lagos, Aba, Owerri, Port-Harcourt, Abuja, Enugu, Onitsha, Umuahia, Jos, Mbaise and Bolade, plus international routes to Accra in Ghana, Togo and the Benin Republic.

Getting around

Awka has no metro, tram or light-rail network, so every local journey is made by road. Tricycles, known locally as keke, are the easiest option for point-to-point trips, while motorcycle taxis (okadas) are the quickest way to cut through congestion. Public buses cover longer distances within the city and to nearby towns, and taxis are readily available and affordable for short hops if you prefer a private, door-to-door ride. Car rentals are possible if you want to self-drive, though expect local driving conditions to differ from what you are used to. As a general safety practice, use reputable transport services, avoid walking alone at night, secure your valuables, and stay cautious in crowded areas. Walking is not the primary way to get around Awka; limit it to short, local errands during the day, with extra caution after dark.

Several of Awka's main visitor destinations are reachable by tricycle or bus from anywhere in the city:

If you arrive by air, Chinua Achebe International Cargo Airport at Umueri in Ayamelu Local Government Area handles domestic services; some travel sources instead point to Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu, roughly an hour's drive away. Either way, the final leg into Awka is by road, typically by taxi or bus. Intercity buses arrive from major cities and states around the country, as well as international destinations in West Africa, with most operators clustered around the Unizik Junction area along the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway — ask to be dropped there. Train services run to nearby stations, after which you complete the journey by a short bus or taxi ride. Awka is well connected by road: the West–East Federal highway links Lagos, Benin City, Asaba, Onitsha and Enugu to the city, and local roads connect it to towns such as Oko, Ekwulobia, Agulu, Enugwu-Ukwu, Abagana and Nnewi. Sitting midway between Onitsha and Enugu, both are feasible as day trips. The dry season is the best time for travelling around Awka; the rainy season brings heavy downpours that can disrupt travel, so build extra time into your plans if you visit then.

Where to stay

Awka's hotels cluster around a few key areas, and your choice of neighbourhood will shape your stay. Near Nnamdi Azikiwe University in Ifite, Pearl Suites sits behind the seat of the Anambra State Government and next to the university, offering a serene base for rest or an eventful visit. Also in Ifite, a few minutes' drive past the Unizik school gate, Wintess Garden Hotel and Suites provides an outdoor pool, a children's pool, a fitness centre, a business centre and meeting rooms, with Deluxe, Executive and Presidential rooms and daily complimentary continental breakfast. Along Unizik Road, Grove Park Hotels & Suites offers comfortable accommodation in a quiet atmosphere off Udoka Housing Estate.

Elsewhere in the city, Marble Arch Hotels Limited on Marble Arch Drive off Oby Okoli Avenue is a well-known option with elegant, warmly furnished rooms, a spacious and serene setting, and a swimming pool. De GeoGold Hotel & Suites, off the Enugu–Onitsha Expressway, and Cosmila Suites & Hotels, off Old INEC Road, both promise comfortable, well-appointed rooms in calm surroundings. Finotel Classique Hotel on Nnamdi Azikiwe Avenue in Agu adds restaurants and bars, while Bon Hotel Smith City Awka in Amawbia, off the A232 road, is an unpretentious choice with understated rooms and suites, two bars, a restaurant, a conference hall, meeting space, an exercise room and an outdoor pool, plus breakfast, parking and Wi-Fi.

Food & drink

Awka has plenty of one-stop restaurants where you can settle in for a full meal. Five Star Food and Restaurant, along the Onitsha–Enugu Onitsha Expressway, serves African and continental dishes, assorted meat and fish, pastries, cake, bread, ice cream, drinks, natural juice and shawarma, with dine-in, takeaway, food tray services and no-contact delivery. Fastchow Africana & Continental, on the same expressway within the Stanel Group premises, offers African and continental dishes, while Stanel Bakery nearby supplies fresh bread and pastry to walk-in customers and delivers around Awka and its environs. For something quicker, Diamond Pizza on Ifite Road does pizza, snacks and chicken shawarma, and Fro Resto on Geneva Hotel Road serves Western food. Other options include Okwitex Restaurant and Kitchen on Okey Chiwoka Street, Bamboo Garden on Adum Street, Supreme Taste Fries and Restaurant, and Madam Best Restaurant on Amikwo Street — most offer dine-in, takeaway or delivery.

For drinks, you can choose between lounges, bars and palm wine spots. Gaga Wine Bar and Lounge and Lounge 360 sit on Abakiliki Street, the latter near the UNIZIK temporary site. New World Lounge, also known as Empire Nightclub, is on De Geo Gold Road, while Cofi Premium Lounge is off Okpuno road near the former INEC office, and Mars Sci-Fi Lounge occupies the H2O Building on Abakiliki Street. Bejoy Entertainment Center is at Aroma Junction, and Ofiaku Bar on Zik's Avenue offers dine-in, takeaway and delivery. If you want something more traditional, Nwoke Udi Palm Wine Bar in the Club zone by Abakaliki Street and Ibiza next to it both have outdoor seating, serve cocktails and host live music.

What to see and do

Awka's most striking natural sight is the Ogbunike caves, reached from the village of Ogbunike. The caves form a connected system of chambers and tunnels: a large open entrance chamber leads to ten tunnels branching in different directions, with further chambers and passages of varying lengths, some interconnected, inside. A large colony of bats lives within, and streams and pools of water appear in various places. One stream flows out of a tunnel into the fast-moving River Nkissa, and where they meet you can feel the warm cave water alongside the cold river water. Beside this stretch of river is a small tableland used as a relaxation spot. The caves sit in thick tropical rainforest vegetation, and the surrounding site is kept as a protected boundary against encroachment. In the city itself, the Professor Kenneth Dike State Central E-Library, run with the Nigeria Book Foundation and located beside the Anambra Broadcasting Corporation off Aroma Junction along the Onitsha–Enugu Expressway, offers educational books, computer-based training, online courses, academic journals, research databases and open encyclopedias to the public.

Awka's festival calendar is set by the moon, so each native month brings its own celebrations, and the festivals are a unifying force that binds the people together as well as an occasion for rest and merriment. The Uzo-iyi Festival is an annual Igbo cultural show with the distinct character of Umuoji, held to thank God for the previous year's harvest and to ask blessing for the farming season ahead; its masquerades are mainly animal masquerades drawn from the villages that make up Awka, and it draws crowds from across the states. Ika Agba Festival, celebrated between May and June, sees Awka indigenes walk in procession to Umuokpu village. Imo Awka Festival, the most popular and important of them, marks the start of the planting season, runs for 28 days around May, and fills the streets with youths and their colourful masquerades, ending with a convergence at the Nkwo Imo Awka shrine where the high priest performs rituals and prays for favourable weather and good health. Otite Festival, also known as Onwa Asa, marks the end of the year and calls every Awka man abroad to come home for feasting, with each capable man killing a fowl or a goat for his father. Kwu Na Ije is an ancient festival marking the end and beginning of the blacksmithing year, when blacksmiths give thanks for guidance through the year in foreign lands and ask for help in the year to come.

When to go

Awka has two main seasons: a dry season and a rainy season, set in a fertile rainforest landscape. The dry season runs from December to April and includes a short harmattan spell, when conditions turn dry and dusty with little rain. If you prefer dependable dry weather for getting around, this is the stretch to aim for.

The rainy season brings frequent rain to this rainforest region, so expect wet days and muddy roads if you visit between May and November. The trade-off is the countryside: the farmland around the city is at its most lush during these months.

Three days in Awka

Day one: Start in Awka itself, the capital of Anambra State in Igboland. Get your bearings in the city centre around Zik Avenue, then visit Nnamdi Azikiwe University and Paul University to see the student side of town. For medical history rather than nightlife, Amaku Teaching Hospital and Amaku sit within reach, along with New Generation Hospital and its maternity wing. Awka South and Awka North make up the wider city, so use them to orient yourself as you move between districts.

Day two: Look outward into Anambra State. Onitsha and Ihiala are the other main urban anchors, and Nri carries the deep Igbo history of the region. If you want the wider Nigerian context, remember that Awka sits within Igboland, part of Sub Saharan Africa, and that Enugu in Enugu State and Port Harcourt are the neighbouring cities you may hear compared with it. The dry months from November through April, with December and the New Year period among them, are the easier stretch for moving around; May and the rains that follow make the roads heavier.

Day three: Give the day to the airport side of things. Chinua Achebe International Cargo Airport at Umueri, in Ayamelu Local Government Area, carries the IATA code ABB and serves the state's air links. From there you can loop back through Awka South and Awka North before returning to the city. If you are continuing your trip, Enugu and Port Harcourt are the obvious next stops by road, and the December to April window remains the most comfortable time to travel.

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