National parks · 14 parks

National Parks in Nigeria

Q: How much of Nigeria is national park?

About 2.9% of the country — 26,350 km² of national parks out of 923,768 km² in total.

Q: What is the oldest national park in Nigeria?

Omo forest reserve, established in 1949, followed by Kainji National Park (1979), Gashaka Gumti National Park (1991) and Cross River National Park (1991).

Nigeria has 14 national parks covering about 26,350 km² in total. The largest is Gashaka Gumti National Park (6,402 km²); the oldest, Omo forest reserve, dates from 1949.

Gashaka Gumti National Park6,402 km² · since 1991

Kainji National Park5,340 km² · since 1979

Cross River National Park4,000 km² · since 1991 Old Oyo National Park2,512 km² · since 1999

Chad Basin National Park2,258 km²

Yankari National Park2,244 km² · since 1991 Omo forest reserve1,320 km² · since 1949

Kamuku National Park1,120 km² · since 1999 Oluwa Forest Reserve829 km² Okomu National Park181 km² · since 1999 Okeluse Forest Reserve144 km²

Gashaka-Gumti National Parksince 1991 Gashaka-Gumti National Parksince 1991 Rugu National ParkNational park

Data: Wikidata (CC0), English Wikipedia and Wikimedia Commons. Photos under their Commons licences — the author is credited on each park page.

National parks in Nigeria at a glance

Nigeria has 14 national parks covering about 26,350 km² — roughly 2.9% of the country's 923,768 km². The 3 largest parks together account for 60% of that area.

Largest national parks

Gashaka Gumti National Park — 6,402 km², since 1991
Kainji National Park — 5,340 km², since 1979
Cross River National Park — 4,000 km², since 1991
Old Oyo National Park — 2,512 km², since 1999
Chad Basin National Park — 2,258 km²

Oldest national parks

Omo forest reserve — established 1949
Kainji National Park — established 1979
Gashaka Gumti National Park — established 1991
Cross River National Park — established 1991
Yankari National Park — established 1991

Planning a trip? See the best time to visit Nigeria, the Nigeria travel guide and airports in Nigeria.

Frequently asked questions

How many national parks are there in Nigeria?

Nigeria has 14 national parks covering about 26,350 km² in total. The largest is Gashaka Gumti National Park (6,402 km²); the oldest, Omo forest reserve, dates from 1949.

What are the largest national parks in Nigeria?

Gashaka Gumti National Park (6,402 km²), Kainji National Park (5,340 km²), Cross River National Park (4,000 km²), Old Oyo National Park (2,512 km²) and Chad Basin National Park (2,258 km²).

How much of Nigeria is national park?

About 2.9% of the country — 26,350 km² of national parks out of 923,768 km² in total.

What is the oldest national park in Nigeria?

Omo forest reserve, established in 1949, followed by Kainji National Park (1979), Gashaka Gumti National Park (1991) and Cross River National Park (1991).