Kajuru Castle: Nigeria’s Unknown Hidden Gem

Sometimes last year, a colleague who happens to be a friend of mine, posted this beautiful picture of a castle on BBM and words can’t express how dazed I was when he told me that this is actually located in Nigeria. This led me into a foray of research and “googling” on this masterpiece of Architecture.

Kajuru Castle is not an ancient monument. It was built in 1978 by a controversial German expatriate living in Kaduna. The style is very European and clearly German, with a baronial hall complete with suits of armour. The views of the surrounding mountains and fascinating inselbergs are terrific, and were clearly behind the decision to build the castle here.

In the castle, there are bedrooms looking like dungeons and several towers with crenelated walls. Beware; there are also, the crocodiles in a pit protecting the huge castle like gates! The road up to the castle is not a journey for the faint heart, neither is it for vehicles without plenty of horsepower under the bonnet.

This exclusive villa includes a guest tower of 4 rooms (`dungeons`), a central building with an authentic knights` hall and a master suite (landlord`s residence`) as well as a dragon. In the center of the ward a stainless swimming pool makes the hot days more pleasant and the BBQ spot beside the pool offers a wide range of grilling, baking, roasting and barbecuing opportunities. During `frosty` African nights, the Finnish sauna ensures you a warming pleasure. Also included are well equipped kitchens (it is self-catering for those who can gain entry).

It is Private Property, and entry to this place is not so easy. You will need to have permission from a German lady (some say a dragon) who looks after the place. There are beliefs that the German expatriate who built the place was deported during the Ibrahim Babangida Administration.

By its nature the castle operates in exclusive basis, only the complete facility can be rented out! The capacity of the castle is up to 150 guests but only 12 can lodge in full comfort!

Booking this castle costs between 240,000.00 NGN to 350,000.00NGN per day (unconfirmed from source) and if you ask me that is good value for your money.

In my search, I also ran into comments and reviews of people who have been there. Below are some of them for your reading pleasure:

“I found this castle online while searching for a unique spot to shoot our pre-wedding pictures. I contacted them via email and we were booked for a visit (this was a unique package for my husband and i as i worked hard to get us booked).They do day tours and stay overs for a fee.It was absolutely breathtaking and i couldn’t believe such a beauty was in Nigeria. I’m glad i did not settle for a studio photo-shoot and will definitely be visiting there again for a getaway with friends! It a serene atmosphere with beautiful views and landscape. They have a pool, rooms and meals can be made on request. we had the time of our lives and even our photographer thanked us for taking him there. Everyone was courteous and pleasant and we were sad to leave. Our pictures also turned out stunning! Once you have been booked for a date to go there (whether as a couple or group of friends), no other bookings will be accepted for that same day, so you’ll have the castle to yourself to tour and take pictures. There is a fee attached for visits and spending the night. The pictures don’t do this castle enough justice”

• Jemimahnaa

“At last Kaduna has a proper Lounge / night club. Proper clubbing was only available in Abuja, Lagos or Port-Harcourt.

My first time at The Castle left me with the expression Wow. The service personnel are quite nice and eager to attend to you. The place is set-up in such a way that there are several sections such that you can feel free to mingle from section to section without getting bored.”

• Ferdinand E

 

At a time like this, when the nation is emphasizing the “Buy Naija to strengthen the Naira” movement, discovery of a location like this one cannot be timelier. Are you planning a family getaway, exclusive wedding party, or just a pleasure tour of your own with friends, please put Kajuru castle on your list of destinations. For the record, I have not been there but planning a photoshoot for the second quarter of the year and definitely, I will share the pictures from there with you.