Welcome to Warri & A Visit to the Falcorp Mangrove Park

Hey guys! If this is your first time on my blog, I’m Oluwalanu.

I am an amateur content creator, traveling around Africa (mostly Nigeria for now) to tell the cultural stories of African ethnic groups.

Today, I’m in Warri to explore Itsekiri culture.

I’m always excited to explore a new ethnic group but the Itsekiri is one that I have been fascinated by since I started researching Nigerian ethnic groups in 2020. I love how rich the culture is and how much love and respect they have for their Olu. So for me, coming to Warri was a must!

I’ve heard so many stories of kidnappings in the South-South of Nigeria so if I’m being honest, I was very scared about this trip. However, I took all the safety precautions I could think of, like finding a local to stay with and moving around the town as inconspicuously as I could. Luckily, the trip was a success and I really enjoyed the experience. So without further ado, let’s get into it!

Warri is a relatively small city in Delta state. It is not the capital. That is Asaba but Warri is seen as the commercial capital of Delta, much like Lagos is for Nigeria. Delta state has five major ethnic groups in the area. Firstly, you have Urhobo, with their founding town, Sapelle to the north of Warri. Second and third, the Igbos and Isokos to the east of Warri. Then the Itsekiri and Ijaw to the south. However, I believe the main ethnic groups who live in Warri are the Itsekiri, Urhobo, and Isoko.

Warri has a population of about 1 million people. The city gave me small-town vibes with a lot of hustle and bustle. One of the safety precautions I took was moving around in a trusted Keke, the entire time I was there so I was able to really see the city and the locals.

I’ve heard so much about Warri, from their unique pidgin English to banga and starch, oil production, and of course, the fact that you don’t mess with people from warri if you don’t want problems. However, one of the things that I really wanted to see was something really simple. And that is the mangrove trees that are in the waters all around this area of the south-south. For people from this area, you might be thinking, what? Mangrove trees ke? But when you're like me, from Lagos and lived in Lagos your whole life, simple things you have never seen before become quite fascinating. The mangrove trees are a distinct part of the land for the ethnic groups who live in this area. So, the first thing I did in Warri was visit the Falcorp Mangrove Park, which I found on google.

Getting to the park was funny because the Keke driver had no idea the park existed so he was skeptical, the whole way there. He kept asking people and I kept telling him, I would direct him using google maps. Lol, but you know the kekes and okadas are the real google maps in Nigeria so if they don’t know somewhere, it probably doesn’t exist (as far as they are concerned).

After about 30 minutes, we finally arrived at the park. The fare was N500 per person so I paid for both the Keke driver and I. I didn’t want to go alone with the stranger and he also asked to come along, so win-win. The first thing I noticed about the park was that it was a little run-down so I asked the guide if it was private or government owned. He said it was private.

In the first part of the tour, we saw a few of the animals, they still had in the park. There was only one crocodile and a few monkeys. To be honest, this part was quite boring because I see animals all the time. So, I was ready to move on after a few minutes. After about 10 minutes, we moved on to the mangrove walk! When I tell you, we have things in Nigeria! This walk was such a beautiful (lowkey-scary) experience.

If you’ve never seen a mangrove tree before, they grow in the water intertwined (as you will see in the pictures). The park has created a 20-min walk through the trees and it was honestly really beautiful. These trees are a distinct feature of this part of Nigeria. Most of the path for the walk was made with wooden planks, nailed together. Some were loose and we had to be very careful so we didn’t fall in the water. At some point, the guide and Keke driver were trying to help me record and then tripped into the water. It was really shallow so only their feet got wet but I laughed at them small. There were also parts of the walk where you walk across the water on a net. That was the scariest part but since I knew the water was shallow, I wasn’t too scared. Another part of the walk, I really liked was the beautiful clay walkway they constructed. The mangrove park is truly a hidden gem in Warri. If you ever come to Warri, you should definitely pay them a visit.

During the walk, the guide told me they also had boat rides in the water around the mangrove. I was so determined to come back and do that but he said the boat driver only came on specific days and would only take four people. I still tried to run it but it didn’t work out. Just imagine how beautiful that would have been. I also need to find money to buy a drone!

Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed today’s post! More post on Warri and Itsekiri culture coming tomorrow!

Oluwalanu…xx