I feel like there are more people in Port Harcourt who have been to Ibeno beach in Akwa Ibom State that is almost 3 hours away than those that have been to any of the beaches in Rivers State. That is how popular I think Ibeno is. Although some people choose to call it Eket beach instead of Ibeno which makes our Ibeno editor angry so please don’t be like those people.
Several sources have the beach listed as the longest sand beach in West Africa. It is long. It is clearly the best beach I have been to. In my defense though I haven’t been to many.
Getting to Ibeno isn’t that difficult. It is difficult for me to give directions on how to get there though. I think the best way to get there is to get to Eket and ask for directions to Ibeno (there is a Mobil terminal right at the beach). The road is okay except a stretch of the road between Eket and Ibeno that is still under construction.
The main beach area has several open huts you can sit in for free. There is also power available for those interested in bringing their music along. There are several bars and restaurants so you don’t have to bring your own food or drinks.
Those with vehicles have to be careful as they can get stuck in sand while trying to park. Don’t fret if that happens though, there are “area” boys praying that your vehicle gets stuck so they can help you get it out for a fee. The “area” boys claim that they keep the beach clean and secure and might ask for a token from you. You can choose to see it as them “ragging” you or them “obtaining” you, whichever one you prefer.
The beach is really nice but it can get boring really quick. So we decided to go for what turned out to be a very very long walk. So long that we had to use okadas on our way back instead of walking back. We still could see parts of the beach faraway that we didn’t get to. We came across several fishermen coming back from work. One fisherman we met came from as far as Ondo State. And several boats were pointed out to us that had fishermen from Ghana. For those interested you can find fish and shrimps to buy at the jetty from the fishermen.
If you decide like us to go off the beaten path, note that like in several islands and beaches in the Niger Delta you might come across human faeces and humans letting out faeces. It is okay. No need to be alarmed. There might be a few broken bottles too so please be careful.
It was a fun experience and I will definitely be doing it again. As always, hope you enjoy the photos.
I wish I got to travel to often. Love the pictures
Thank you. I’m glad you like them.
Love the beach. Went there once. It, like other beaches in nigeria , could benefit from having activities like jet skis, and wind surfing. Maybe we are scared of the deep water
Yea more activities would be nice. I said the same thing to the guys I spoke to at the beach in Folu. I kind of like the setup at Tarkwa Bay and Elegushi. You also have to realise that we don’t have lifeguards at our beaches. You go into the deep and you’re on your won.