Anambra State · Nigeria
Onitsha travel guide
Onitsha is a city in Anambra State, Nigeria, home to about 1,483,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- ABB16 km · Asaba International Airport
- Currency
- NGNnaira
- Time zone
- Africa/Lagos
- Language
- English
About
About Onitsha
Onitsha (Igbo: Ọ̀nị̀chà Mmílí or simply Ọ̀nị̀chà) is a city on the eastern bank of the Niger River, in Anambra State, Nigeria. Onitsha along with various cities and towns in southern Anambra State, northern Imo State and neighboring Delta State on the western bank of the Niger River, form a continuous metropolitan area.
The city has had a somewhat tumultuous past. From the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries, it was developed as a centre of trade and dissemination of Christian mission work by the British. Following Nigerian independence though, Onitsha fared front and centre and lay decimated by collateral damage during the Nigerian-Biafran war of 1967-1971. Since then, oil ventures have brought in a stream of revenue but along with it swaths of people seeking a piece of that prize, resulting in overcrowding, lawlessness, and zoning unsightliness.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Onitsha
See
- Basilica of the Most Holy Trinity Cathedral
- Nelson Mandela Gardens
- Onitsha Bridge
- Igbo-Ukwu Museum
- Zik Mausoleum and Conference Centre
- All Saints' Cathedral Onitsha
- Nnamdi Azikiwe Statue
- Five Elephant Tusk Sculptures
- Ime Obi Ọnịcha
Do
- Onitsha Market
- Onitsha River Beach
- Iyke Christian Brother Trading Enterprise
- Ofala Festival
- Aja Chi
- Umatu
- Owuwa Ji
- Ofala
- Osisi Ite
- Ifejioku
- Golibe Festival
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Onitsha
Onitsha has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; September is the wettest, with about 321 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Onitsha: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Asaba International Airport (ABB), about 16 km from the city centre in a straight line; Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport (QOW, 91 km) and Akanu Ibiam International Airport (ENU, 93 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
It is fairly directly connected to Lagos by road, some 450 km away. There is also some limited regional transit by air available through Asaba International Airport ABB nearby.
Getting around
There are tricycles and cabs everywhere which one can easily board to move to anywhere within the city.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
ABB · Asaba International Airport
QOW · Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport
ENU · Akanu Ibiam International Airport
Questions
Onitsha: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Onitsha?
Onitsha has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. February is the warmest month, with average highs of 35 °C; September is the wettest, with about 321 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Onitsha?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Asaba International Airport (ABB), about 16 km from the city centre in a straight line; Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport (QOW, 91 km) and Akanu Ibiam International Airport (ENU, 93 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Onitsha?
naira (NGN).
Nearby
Destinations near Onitsha
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.