I found the Kajuru Castle online while searching for a unique spot to shoot our pre-wedding pictures. I contacted them via email and we were booked for a visit in April, 2014 (this was a unique package for my husband and i as i worked hard to get us booked).
They do day tours and stay overs for a fee.It was absolutely breathtaking and i couldn't believe such a beauty was in Nigeria. I'm glad i did not settle for a studio photo-shoot. It has a serene atmosphere with beautiful views and landscape. We had the time of our lives, as brief as our visit was ('bout 4hours) and even our photographer thanked us for taking him there. Everyone was courteous and pleasant and we were sad to leave. Our pictures also turned out stunning!
Fast-forward to May 1st 2015, we went back!! We just had to one way or another,
DAY 1
We did a road trip from Abuja to Kaduna as a convoy very early in the morning and straight to the castle. We went fully loaded with games (Monopoly, Scrabble, Ludo, Couples game, Ayo, Cards), a Karaoke machine & 2 mics, a Shisha bong, lots of food and drinks.We got in around 10am and the 1st call of duty was a tour of the entire Castle by the lovely manager with a brief history lesson on its existence. Once everyone had settled their luggage in the rooms, 2nd call of duty was to hit that awesome pool hard!lol. Those that were not in the pool broke off into sections and picked their games of choice while we all chatted, took pictures and listened to the jams filling the castle. The landscape and serenity was surreal. After lunch and the arrival of our remaining friends (we were 12 in total), it was time to go hiking on one of the hills close to the castle. Back to the castle it was already dinner time, we all had dinner, took a second wade in the pool before retreating to the Cabana area to churn out some tunes from the karaoke machine. It was good fun with loads of laughter at off-key singing. After Karaoke, it was time for drinking games and 'Concentration' was eventually agreed on as the game of choice. I was out by the 2nd rotation.lol. plus i had no interest in drinking any alcohol. Three outdoor beds had been set-up by this time for those that were gonna sleep out. Those of that were outta the game had our jisting session by the pool beds before deciding to call it a night around past 1am. We still left some people playing games out.
The outdoor bed was bliss! It was a proper comfy bed on an iron stand and comes with a Duvet and tent like mosquito net covering to keep any bugs out, i got loads of breeze enjoying the view and got to catch the sunrise. The bed is typically for 1 but can still fit 2 people.
DAY 2
We were up bright and early, chatted and we the ladies got to making a big yummy breakfast (Waffles, sausages, scrambled eggs and baked beans with Hershey's strawberry and chocolate syrup). Next up was playing games, chilling, swimming competition by the guys, taking more pics and vids and jisting. Lunch time we all ate, packed up our luggages into the cars and took in the last bits of the castle awesomeness. We signed the Castle Guest Book with a quill pen and took group pics in front of the castle gates before heading outta the castle. By 3:30pm we were on our way back to Abuja as a convoy and got in around 7pm.
It felt like we had spent an entire weekend at the castle and it was a worthwhile experience. I have a feeling we will be going back again :D
Castle Info:
- Once you have been booked for a date to go there (whether as a couple or group of friends), no other bookings will be accepted for that same day, so you'll have the castle to yourself to tour and take pictures.
- There is a fee attached for visits and spending the night and an extra fee if they will cater to your feeding.
- You pay a 60% non-refundable fee before the scheduled date to confirm your booking
- The castle is secure and guarded by 2 dragons
- They have 1 Master Bedroom in the main house, the remaining are sizeable Dungeon rooms in the tower
- They have a standard kitchen with all the equipments you'll require
- Plan out your activities to have maximum fun
- Take sunscreen!! Sun be blazing out there
- Take along hiking shoes, swim wear and lightweight casual outfits
- Take a good camera along-You definitely wanna capture this, trust me
- Check out this sites for more info, pics, etc. of the castle and to contact them-
http://irenebecker.photoshelter.com/image/I0000UywbOQFJqQU
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kajuru-Castle/141965829210359
http://kajurucastle.com/
http://www.abujafacts.ng/the-amazing-kajuru-castle-of-kaduna/
