IITA Ibadan weekend getaway recap

IITA Ibadan has been on my bucket list for years, so when I badly needed an escape from Lagos earlier this year, I decided it was time to tick it off.

I’m so glad I did because it was just what the doctor prescribed. It was serene, beautiful, and calming. If you’re thinking of going there, here’s a recap of the trip I took with my sister. 

Preparing for the trip to IITA Ibadan:

We booked ahead by emailing them. Although they have an option to reserve a room on their website, it’s best to contact them directly.

This is the email we used: iita-reservations@cgiar.org

And here’s a screenshot of their prices per night as of February 2022. 

Once booked, we got a receipt and confirmation.

Going to Ibadan

We went by train, and it was surprisingly efficient. We had to present our ID cards and paid with cash to get a ticket as they do not accept card payments. The train was clean and the ride was hassle-free. The journey was about 3 hours from the Yaba station to Moniya, Ibadan.

When I first took this trip I was eager to let everyone know that the train service was great. But following the news that a Kaduna-Abuja train was attacked by terrorists, I’m hesitant to recommend it.

En route IITA from the train station

We took a taxi ride to IITA that cost 4k. I felt that was a lot for the distance. A blogger said she took a bike for N600, but as it was our first time there, I didnt want to rough it. 

On reaching IITA, we had to show our international passport, booking confirmation, fill out a form and declare our electronics (laptop) before going in.

Sightseeing Ibadan

After checking in, we decided to do some touristy things by visiting Mapo hall, Bower’s tower, and Amala Sky (Ose Olorun). 

We got to Mapo hall amidst significant traffic. Our taxi driver advised us to be careful and put our devices away; I thought that was just great advice until we saw why. We only took a few steps before thugs approached us. 

We also couldn’t go into Mapo hall because there was a wedding there and the road and entrances were crowded. Perhaps, it would have been better to visit on a weekday. But the unpleasant experience stopped us from going to see Bowers tower and other places.

So our driver took us to Amala Sky on our way back to IITA. The food was great! I wasn’t wowed because I’ve had really good amala before, but I wasn’t disappointed.

Touring IITA

The following day, we had a lot planned. 

Our itinerary included breakfast, a bike ride to the lake, painting, swimming, and dinner in town. And I’m pleased to say we did them all.

The breakfast buffet was good. I was impressed and tossed my fit fam badge away to try all their bread haha.

Their bicycles were not functioning, so we decided to walk to the lake. The scenery was just perfect. If you are wondering where all the butterflies in Nigeria have gone, they are chilling in IITA.

We would later find that walking wasn’t a good idea because the lake is quite far from the accommodation block. But a Monsieur Mbella Martin of the French Institute of Research in Africa saw us and offered a drive to the lake.

He also took us to see more places like the greenhouse, processing plants, and other safe places in the conservatory.  He explained that the lake is both man-made and natural and the dam there powers the agricultural reservation. He explained a lot, most of which I could not wholly hear.

Thanks to him, we discovered a smaller lake with benches closer to the block of apartments. So we went there to get our painting on with the supplies we brought from Lagos.

We had the time of our lives trying to paint the lake in front of us, haha. We did our best, lol! 

Dinner at Tamberma 

To cap our trip, we went to Tamberma, which I first discovered when I read this IITA review.

The food was good and delivered on time. I wasn’t a fan of the dessert because it wasn’t fresh. However, they had a live band that made it hard not to dance along. 

Returning to Lagos

The train was to leave the station at 8 on Monday, but we got there late and missed it. So we took a car from the closest park and thankfully, it was a smooth ride.

I would give my experience a 3.8 rounded to 4/5!

Watch my visual recap in this 60-second reel! 

 

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