Exploring Akwa Ibom: My 3-Day Travel Itinerary

I took a spontaneous three-day trip to Akwa Ibom sometime in March. I had only one location in mind when I made a mental note of things to do. If I could have all the fun at that location, I would be truly satisfied, I had thought to myself.

I knew there was no way my wanderlust self would visit such a state brimming with beauty and history and shut her eyes to numerous other side attractions. I ended up ticking off half of the places on my Akwa Ibom to-visit list, and I couldn’t be happier.

In this post, I will be sharing my 3-day Akwa Ibom itinerary to give you a detailed account of how I spent my time in Akwa Ibom. Consider this post a valuable guide for when you will plan a 3-day trip to Akwa Ibom State. I have attached a free itinerary template at the end of this post for you to download and customize to your taste.

3-Day Akwa Ibom Itinerary — Day 1

Arrival

We traveled from Owerri to Uyo, and what was supposed to be a three-hour journey ended up taking the whole day. I wrote about this on the first post in my Akwa Ibom travel series. The journey wasn’t a straight one because we had to first travel to Aba, then take a second trip from Aba to Uyo, and a third one from Uyo to Eket. Finally, it took about 6 minutes to drive to our hotel from our final bus stop in Eket.

We lodged at Tevoli Hotel, a budget-friendly hotel located along Ibeno Road in Eket. I found the hotel online while searching for hotels that were in close proximity to Ibeno Beach. It had way more positive reviews than the other hotels I had seen, so I went for it. If you are planning your trip, you may want to keep in mind that there aren’t many hotel options around Ibeno Beach.

It was already dark when we settled in leaving us with nothing else to do but to go to bed.

3-Day Akwa Ibom itinerary — Day 2

A Day at Ibeno Beach

On the morning of the second day, it rained till 11 am. We didn’t let the gloomy weather dampen our moods or even stop us from going to the beach. 

We took a 12 minutes ride from our hotel to the beach. When we arrived, we noticed there weren’t too many people at the beach. There was actually just a couple (who would later become our tour buddies) and some locals going about their day. Personally, I was happy to see that we partly had the beach to ourselves. We chased the waves, had a picnic, and did things people do at the beach.

We stayed at the beach till 5 pm before leaving to grab dinner at Chicken Republic in town before heading back to the hotel.

3-Day Akwa Ibom Itinerary — Day 3

Exploring Ikot Abasi

On the third day, we reunited with the couple from the beach and made a detour to Ikot Abasi. Nothing had prepared me for the distance from Eket to Ikot Abasi. We arrived on a tricycle over an hour later. We had to ask around before we could locate the sites we wanted to explore in the town.

The Bridge of No Return

We spotted some of the attractions on our way but wanted to take them one at a time, which was why we drove to the end of the road where the bridge of no return was situated. There weren’t any tour guides in sight but there were some policemen who guarded the area. We looked around, took some pictures, and took a stroll back to the other sites along the same road.

Aba Women Mock Grave Site

Our second stop was the Aba Women Mock Grave Site, laid in memory of all the women who lost their lives during the Aba Women Riot of 1929. 

The Amalgamation House

The Amalgamation House was our next stop. There was nothing much to see there since there wasn’t any tour guide available at that time and the doors were all locked. It was quite disappointing to see how the building was falling apart and nothing was being done about it.

Women War Memorial

We made our way to Women War Memorial where we found an attendant who was more interested in taking our money than in doing his job. A minute after we paid for a tour, the guide disappeared and we never saw him again till we left.

Prior to that, an elderly woman, who claimed she was a tour guide, approached us and offered to take us on another round of tour for an outrageous fee. We were already running late, so we turned down the offer.

Leaving Ikot Abasi

As we left Ikot Abasi, my heart felt heavy with the weight of the stories that the town held. It was an emotional experience that evoked a profound sense of empathy and sorrow in me.

It was almost 2 pm and time to say goodbye to Akwa Ibom. We tagged along with our tour buddies for a journey to Port Harcourt where it would be easier to get a direct bus to Owerri instead of driving all the way back to Uyo. 

My visit to Akwa Ibom started on a bad note, I faced unexpected travel delays and logistics hiccups that threatened to put me in a bad mood. However, keeping an open mind and maintaining a positive attitude helped me embrace the beauty and charm that awaited me.

3-Day Akwa Ibom Free Itinerary Template

Download the template below for whenever you are ready to take that 3-day trip to Akwa Ibom. You can always edit it to your taste.

Things to Keep in Mind When Planning Your Akwa Ibom Trip

1. Most of the top tourist attractions in Akwa Ibom are quite far from each other. It may help to factor in the distances between them in your itinerary.
2. There are over 5 tourist attractions in Ikot Abasi. The town on its own is a solid travel destination if you are looking to learn more about the history of the state.
3. Akwa Ibom does not start and end in Uyo. Be sure to explore beyond the capital city for a more immersive experience.
4. I have written a travel guide for you if you are a first-time visitor. Read it here.

I hope you found this post helpful. Let me know in the comments if there are specific topics you would want me to write about.

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