Salt Hills, Whispering Sands, and Floating Villages in Nigeria

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For many, Nigeria conjures images of bustling cities, vibrant music, and oil wealth. Yet beyond the megacities lie surprises few outsiders know. This article tells the story of nine of Nigeria’s best-kept sites, including three salt formations, three whispering sands, and three floating villages, all verified by eyewitnesses or researchers. It dispels the idea that Nigeria’s marvels are limited to its well-known parks and beaches. 

Salt Hills in Nigeria

• Bendi Salt Hills (Cross River State)

Among Cross River State’s hills in the southeast, one range stands out: the Bendi Salt Hills of Obanliku. These are natural mounds of salt that shine brilliantly under the sun. Locals have harvested the salt here for centuries, pounding out grains for cooking and trade. According to one travel account, the Bendi Salt Hills are naturally occurring salt formations that locals have used for centuries. The sheer whiteness of the hills amid the green forest gives them an almost supernatural feel; indeed, folklore says spirits guard the mountain from outsiders. 

• Uburu and Okposi Salt Lakes (Ebonyi State)

In southeastern Nigeria, the “Salt of the Nation” flows in broad, shallow lakes. Uburu and Okposi lakes contain highly saline water from ancient underground springs. For generations, villagers have evaporated this briny water to harvest salt crystals, a practice that has been recorded for centuries. The lakes lie in green valleys surrounded by rocky hills, and they continue to supply table salt locally today, even as their unusual chemistry makes the water itself an emerald-green curiosity.

• Nasarawa Salt Lake (Keana Salt Lake, Nasarawa State)

In north-central Nigeria, near Keana town, lies another salt wonder. This lake is naturally saltwater despite being far from the sea. Scientists are still puzzled by how it stays salty, since it has no inflow or outflow. It is also said to have constant water levels throughout the year. Villagers revere it for alleged healing powers and hold rituals on its shores, and artisanal miners skim salt from its edges.

Whispering Sands in Nigeria

• Tulo Tulo Desert (Yobe State)

In stark contrast to the jungles of the south, Nigeria’s far north features desert dunes more usually associated with the Sahara. In Yobe State’s Yusufari area (the Tulo Tulo Desert), vast golden dunes stretch to the horizon. One desert guide notes that an oasis is almost nowhere to be seen as the sand gradually encroaches on the land. 

The sand there usually is silent, but winds and shifting grains can produce eerie sounds. Worldwide, scientists refer to this as the singing sand phenomenon. As grains cascade down a dune slope, they can emit a deep, humming roar. Nigerian travellers have dubbed the result the “Whispering Sands”. 

Locals say that on windy nights, these dunes seem to whisper or groan in the dark, as if carrying the voices of the past. In reality, it is the physics of the sand that researchers explain: when similarly sized grains move together in an avalanche, their collisions create a sustained hum. The fun thing is that the Yusufari dunes can sing when the conditions are right, a natural music of the desert that is both rare and unforgettable.

• Kuri-Wakko Dunnes (Nguru, Yobe State) 

Further west in Yobe, the town of Nguru sits next to another stretch of desert dunes. The Nguru dunes, sometimes referred to as Kuri-Wakko, form a semi-desert zone dotted with acacia shrubs. These dunes are lower than Yusufari’s but still stretch over the horizon, and local herders often say the wind through them sounds like distant whispers. They are far off the tourist map, so only the brave adventurers who venture into rural Yobe ever witness these rust-colored sands shifting underfoot.

• Bulatura Sand Sea (Chad Basin, Borno State)

 In the far northeast, around Lake Chad, lie endless plains of sand. The UNESCO-backed Lake Chad Cultural Landscape notes that amid this region are the Bulatura oases, verdant patches embedded amidst the dunes. In other words, stretches of desert here are ringed by lake-like pools and marshes. 

These dunes are part of the shrinking Chad Basin, but when they are dry, they, too, can whisper; wind passing over the dunes creates low hums, much like ocean waves—a classic singing-sand effect. The Bulatura area is protected (as part of Chad Basin National Park) precisely because of this unique contrast of dunes and water, where fish and migratory birds find sanctuary. For intrepid travellers, the Bulatura sector represents another whispering desert, especially as the breeze carries faint rustling sounds through the dry sand.

 

Floating Villages in Nigeria

• Ayetoro (Ondo State) 

Once nicknamed “Happy City”, Ayetoro was founded in 1947 as a coastal Christian fishing settlement. For decades, its houses stood on wooden stilts right over the shore, rising above the lagoon waters. In recent years, the ocean has relentlessly encroached, and many homes have partially collapsed due to sea-level rise. Vintage photos show Ayetoro’s waterfront lined with stilt houses. Today, even as erosion swallows land, fishermen still live on high stilts or small boats out to sea. Ayetoro is absolute proof that in some communities, life goes on with feet dangling over water.

 

• Oyorokoto (Rivers State) 

Just on Andoni Island in the Niger Delta, Oyorokoto is often called West Africa’s largest fishing village. It sits right by the Atlantic coast, some cottages are built on stilts along the marsh, and the whole place gives a floating village impression during high tide. Home to tens of thousands of fishers, Oyorokoto has markets and camps that essentially rise above the water’s edge. As the Wikipedia entry notes, it spans over a broad area of creeks and mangroves on stilts. Visitors to Oyorokoto navigate its labyrinth of canals by canoe and learn how the river provides everything, from food and building materials, for these waterborne homes.

 

• Nembe Kingdom (Bayelsa State) 

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The ancient Nembe community in Bayelsa spans two riverine LGAs (Nembe and Brass). It has often been compared to Venice. Today, towns like Town-Brass and its surrounding islands still comprise dense waterways lined with stilt houses and mangroves. Festivals like boat regattas remind us that life here has always been centred on the water. Nembe demonstrates that southern Nigeria also has its centuries-old floating city, a unique feature of the Niger Delta culture.

READ: Experience Nembe Festival

 

FAQs

What and where are the Salt Hills?

The most famous salt hills in Nigeria are the Bendi Salt Hills in Obanliku LGA of Cross River State. These geological formations are mounds of salt that have been built up over time. They gleam white like sugar when the sun hits them.

Do the whispering sands in Nigeria make sounds?

Yes, in the right conditions. The term “whispering sands” refers to a phenomenon where very dry, well-sorted sand grains slide noisily over each other under wind or footsteps. Researchers explain that the particular size and shape of the grains, combined with low moisture, allow them to vibrate and emit a squeak. In Nigeria’s deserts, people report eerie howls when the wind barrels down the dunes.

How do Nigerian villagers live in floating houses?

These are simply stilt villages adapted to wetlands. In places like Ayetoro (Ondo) or Oyorokoto (Rivers), houses are built on wooden stilts above tidal flats or lagoons. The people are typically fishermen or traders, and their canoes tie up right under the houses. This way of life allows settlement in swampy or flood-prone zones where dry land is scarce.