Jos is a city of about 900,000 people (2006). It is the state capital of Plateau State at the centre of Northern Nigeria. Its cool climate, due to its breathtaking system of plateaux, and its colonial importance as the tin mining center of Nigeria made it a favourite tourist destination. However, communal and religious violence had put this on hold. Jos's religious and communal crisis has ended, and it is now slowly gaining its peace.

Understand

Jos is inhabited by various ethnic groups chief of whom are the indigenous Jarawa, Birom, Anarguta, Bugi, Mwagwavul, Angas, Tarok and many more from different other place's in Nigeria, Yoruba and Igbo, Hausa's and many southerners displaced from other northern cities in the aftermath of religious violence. The widely spoken language is Hausa , because of the high literacy rate in Jos almost everyone speaks English.

Jos is a very old city built as one of the most oldest cities in Nigeria during the colonial rule. Jos has always been the home of many cultures and it will always be. Because of its old structure Jos has been a very hard place for the government to renew. Although places like Ray-field and other new settlements have the feeling of living in a developed city, but its oldest sites and tourist locations most certainly are very outdated.

Get in

Jos is served by many bus lines, chiefly Cross Country that runs air-conditioned mini-van services from Lagos and Abuja. The state government owned Plateau Line runs station wagon services, but these are mostly uncomfortably crowded trips. Many other state governments operated transport services with terminus's in various Jos motor-parks from surrounding state capitals: Gombe, Lafia, Kaduna, Damaturu and even Yola. Other mini-bus or car services are private arrangements where you sit and wait for the vehicle to fill up, but are best avoided because the drivers tend to have dubious driving skills. you can also get into Jos by having a private driver on a private vehicle, because of terrorist acts; you may pass through a lot of security check points.

By plane

Arik air runs a once a day domestic flight from Lagos to Jos and back. The Jos airport is located some 30 km from the town so it is best to have some money for a taxi fare to town (generally about ₦2,500) if there will be nobody waiting for you.

By train

The old locomotive trains famed in Cyprian Ekwensi's The Passport of Mallam Ilia no longer bring the people in and the tin out.

By car

You can get into Jos by a private car or a rented vehicle.

By bus

Public buses take passengers from particular spots.

Get around

There are many taxi cabs, and other transport vehicles all over Jos, but they have to be shared with other passengers over defined routes. it is also possible to get a private taxi where you share with no one at all, but it is better to bear with the sharing than to be robed. Some mini-bus routes are also defined but these are difficult to understand. The taxis and buses almost always tend to be rickety. Motorcycle taxis, commonly known as 'achaba' are also a choice but these can be very dangerous as the road network is filled with a lot of potholes and there is a general lack of safe practices. The achaba rides also tend to be more expensive that the taxi or bus rides but are very flexible. but not to worry with the recent change in government (2017) the roads are more safer

See

There are many parks you can see in Jos, examples are the wild life park, the national museum etc

The old tin mines are all on the outskirts of Jos. They have developed into lakes which might have some environmental concerns. The areas are generally safe but it is best to go with a guide. The Jos wildlife park is not very interesting as there is hardly anything interesting to see. There are many waterfalls on the outskirts of Jos.

Do

There is nothing much to do in Jos. Jos is mostly a very serious place.

Learn

Jos has more than a thousand high schools most of which are private-owned, but the government also owns a large scale of the number, it is mostly better to learn at private schools.

The University of Jos has courses in most fields and has sufficient hostel accommodation.

The Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) has its television college also located in Jos where courses in film production and editing are on offer.

Many other private institutions also exist.

Buy

The central business district is located around Ahmadu Bello Way in the centre of Jos. you can buy virtually everything possible, ranging from mobile phones, sim cards, other devices and peripherals, and many other items including food stuffs snacks There are many banks in the area as well. General merchandise may be purchased around here. For leather products at very good prices, Ferin Gada on Bauchi Road is the best place to go.

Eat

There are many eateries and restaurants that offer a range of cuisines. Local delicacies are also very abundant. many modern restaurants serve International dishes in case you don't feel like eating the local dishes available.

Budget

You may need to budget a lot if you will need to buy much in Jos, but as a normal person who just wants to have a trip to jos, you may need about ₦50,000.

Mid-range

Always have a local citizen with you so to know what exactly you may need for a day.

Drink

Shemshak, opposite the University of Jos gates, is a local favourite where the price is reasonable. There are many other drink zones where local brewed drinks or international drinks are served.

Sleep

Budget

There are many hotels where you can lay low, and have a quite and interesting sleep. You may need a local citizen to suggest the best place of your description.

Stay safe

Nigeria has a toll-free single emergency number that you can call in case of any trouble, be it fire, or anything. but beware the response time may not be as fast as it is in your country; so you should try and be safe.

Cope

You can speak English and Hausa to virtually every Jos citizen and they understand but someone who doesn't understand English may just stare at you as you speak while others may try redirecting you to others who can, notice where they point to, they may be pointing at people with better knowledge of what you are asking for. Some may speak a mixture of English and other languages whilst no one will definitely speak the pidgin English mostly spoken among locals.

Go next