By Fatima Adegbindin

If you saw this picture online without the location, chances are you wouldn’t guess it’s a place in Nigeria. Kajuru Castle is an enchanting architectural masterpiece with an elegant setting and a breathtaking view.

Built between 1981 and 1989 by German expatriate, Gerhard Huebner, the Kajuru castle is located at Kajuru (Ajure) village in southern Kaduna. It is 45 km from the capital, a major commercial hub in the northern part of Nigeria, and is one unique tourist location in the country.

The castle was built using an European-style stone castle with a metre thick granite stone in a mediaeval-inspired Romanesque style, adorned with turrets, an armoury and a dungeon. It is often described as an African “Bavarian Castle”  in a very grand 19th-century Romanesque revival style. 

The castle has 5 rooms spread across its 3 floors, designed to give a mediaeval feel with different themes attached to them as well as a central building with an authentic knights’ hall and a dragon tower well guarded by stone dragons. The master bedroom has over the years been improved and fitted with modern furniture and appliances such as air conditioners, and televisions. 

Kajuru Castle is also a tourist destination spot, if you are looking for a unique experience or a luxurious getaway in Kaduna, then the private atmosphere of Kajuru Castle might be a great idea.

If you are going to the castle from anywhere in the world you would probably have to take a couple of connecting flights before reaching Kaduna from where you would then hire a cab or bus to get to the tourist destination spot. The road to the castle is a bit windy and dusty so you might want to take some precautions.

You could book a tour by contacting the castle via calls or emails at info@kajurucastle.com which costs 2,000 Naira per person.

Day tours allow you to experience the fine architecture and serene environment of the castle. A couple of other things you may enjoy as an adventurer on the tour are:

• Hiking the mountain trails around the castle.
• Visit the crocodiles guarding the castle gates.
• Tour the castle and hear the amazing history behind it.
• Take a swim in the pool or enjoy the sauna.
• Take pictures.

The castle offers an option to spend a couple of nights which ranges from 300,000 Naira – 500,000 Naira and can only accommodate a maximum of 12 individuals or 5 couples at a time. But there are also affordable hotels around the area.

Tourists may bring their food, ask the castle management to help contact food vendors, which would cost extra or use the castle’s well-equipped kitchen to prepare their meals. And if you are in a barbecue kind of mood, a barbecue grill set beside the castle pool allows for a wide range of grilling, roasting, and barbecuing.

The castle has a lot of relaxing pleasures for tourists. From their Finnish sauna to the lovely garden, pool and open courtyard, you may choose to host friends and have a party in this picturesque setting.

Nigeria has a lot of amazing tourist destinations to explore and Kajuru castle is indeed a beautiful and interesting place to experience.