Tennis anyone? Perhaps horseriding or hiking? Try the Obudu Cattle Ranch just east of Ogoja. This resort-ranch, built in the 1950s by enterprising and expatriate Scottish ranchers, offers a range of outdoor activities and although it has gradually fallen into disrepair you can still stay at one of the chalets or pitch a tent. The cooler climate, at 1890m (6200ft), makes it an attractive place for walking, hiking or any other activity that means working up a sweat.Obudu Cattle Ranch is about 650km (400mi) east of Lagos. To get there you'll need to take bush taxis to Obudu and then hitchhike the remaining 44km (27mi) to the front gate. Alternatively, it's a straightforward 110km (68mi)drive from Ogoja.

Onitsha, directly east of Lagos, is the most densely populated area in Africa after the Nile Valley. Built on the banks of the Niger River, Onitsha was battered and bruised by the Biafran War but has since regained its vitality. Its chief attraction is the new market, one of the most vibrant in Nigeria, which specialises in books.According to Chinua Achebe, Onitsha has always attracted the 'exceptional, the colourful, the bizarre'. As if to prove a point the Onitsha Market has paperbacks with wild and wacky titles like Husbands and Wives Who Hate Themselves or My Seven Young Daughters Are After Young Boys. They also come with incisive critical appraisals that double up as practical reading tips like, 'This book entertains more than two bottles of beer.' Onitsha lies some 400km (248mi) east of Lagos and is easily reached by bush taxi or minibus.

Oshogbo is the cradle of Yoruba art and has produced more art in the last 30 years than anywhere else in Africa. The best time to see Oshogbo is during the Oshun Festival (last week in August) when dancing and sacrificial rites are performed. Be sure to catch the Oja Oba Market for the latest in juju material.Oshogbo is famous for its Sacred Forest, an area that holds massive sculptures and monumental shrine complexes dedicated to different Yoruba gods. Many of these shrines are falling into disrepair and being reclaimed by the forest but since the 1950s the Austrian sculptor, Suzanne Wenger, has been working to bring the shrines back to life.The city of Oshogbo is 200km (142mi) north of Lagos and can be reached by bush taxis or share taxis.