Abuja to Calabar by road is a long journey...Lol. The calculated time for this journey is officially between (11 - 13) hours. However, the reality is that the journey might stretch into 15-16 hours depending on the prevailing conditions on the road. Interestingly, there are about 3 dedicated routes to complete this journey.
The fastest and shortest of these three is the Keffi-Afikpo route which is a 609 km route that takes approximately 11 hours on paper. The next route closely following the Keffi-Afikpo route in terms of length is the 705 km Lokoja-Nsukka road that takes about 12 hours to reach Calabar. The last and the longest of the three routes is the famous Akwanga-Makurdi-Ikom route which is an 802 km route that takes about 13 hours to complete.
>>> Read also: Traveling from Lagos to Calabar by road: price list 2021, terminals & travel tips
So if you favour any of these routes, you may have to contact the different road transport companies plying these routes (which we will mention later), and find out which of them is plying your favoured route. Remember, some companies pick certain routes based on their experience while plying these. For instance, the Akwanga-Makurdi-Ikom route has some sections which are really bad, irrespective of the fact that it is more like a straight road, So some transport firms may completely avoid it due to those bad spots.
See the map below for the three routes.....
Now that we know how long it takes to travel from Abuja to Calabar by road. Next is to find how much is Abuja to Calabar by road trip as well as the various road transport companies that ply the Abuja to Calabar route.
Transport Companies Plying the Abuja to Calabar Route
The Abuja to Calabar route is one of the busiest and most frequented routes in the country as there are several hundred if not thousands of persons making the Abuja to Calabar trip daily. Since this seems to be an always busy route, several transport companies seem to put more buses on that route. The following are our top picks of trusted transport companies that ply the Abuja to Calabar route.
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AKTC - (Akwa Ibom Transport Company)
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Peace Mass Transit
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ABC Transport
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Others
1. AKTC
AKTC has been around in the road transport business way back before it was even incorporated in 2003 and took the name AKTC (Akwa Ibom Transport Company). The early days of the company were not those that delivered any kind of good reviews for the transport company, as their drivers were generally unprofessional and lacked the patience to handle their customers.
But a rebranding of the company in 2006 brought a renewed drive towards excellence. The result was immediately obvious as the company was voted by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) RS6 Zonal Command as the Best Transport Organization in the Zone for 2006. In that same year, the Niger Delta Media Coliseum also voted the company as the Best Transport Company in the Niger Delta Region of the country. Other awards have also followed as listed below,
- Nigerian Army College of Logistics Award of Excellence - 2010
- Kaduna City Business Crystal Catalogue Award of Excellence - 2010
Interestingly, AKTC runs two terminals in Abuja that offer the Abuja to Calabar service route, one in Jabi and the other in the Nyanya area. But their main terminal is the Jabi terminal and most travellers prefer to use this terminal. So if you want to leave Abuja on time using the Akwa Ibom Transport Company service, then we would advise that you patronize their Jabi terminal. Below are complete details of their terminals in Abuja and the transport fares the company charges for the trip.
| AKTC Terminals in Abuja | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal Location | Contact Information | Departure Time | Price | Terminal in Calabar | |
| Jabi Terminal |
Address: Plot 925/926, Ishaya Audu close, Jabi, Abuja Phone: +2347016842160, +2348091202374 |
Offers the Abuja to Calabar Service route | 6:00 AM |
A/C Buses - ₦11,000 Non A/C Buses - ₦9,500 |
34 Etagbor road, Calabar, Cross-River State. Phone: 08164500554 |
| Nyanya Terminal |
Address: Shop 16, Powa shopping complex, Nyanya, Abuja Phone: +2347016842161 |
Offers the Abuja to Calabar Service route | |||
AKTC Jabi Terminal
>>> You might also be interested in: Traveling from Lagos to Abuja by road: price list 2020, terminals & travel tips
2. Peace Mass Transit
Like AKTC, Peace Mass is one of the few trusted road transport companies that ply the Abuja to Calabar Route. The company is one of the few transport firms to install speed limiters on their vehicles, drastically reducing the rate of road crashes the company's buses have been involved in. For travellers who prefer completing their trips with Peace Mass Transit, we are excited to inform you that your wishes have come true as Peace Mass has the Abuja to Calabar route on its daily roasters of destinations.
The company runs five terminals in Abuja, one in Kubwa, Maraba, Nyanya and Zuba and the other in Utako. For passengers who are in Abuja and prefer to go with Peace Mass Transit, there is unfortunately only one terminal that plies the Abuja to Calabar route and that is the Utako terminal. Below are details of the Utako Peace Mass Transit terminal in Abuja and the fare for the Abuja to Calabar route.
| Peace Mass Terminals in Abuja | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal Location | Contact Information | Departure Time - Expected Arrival Time | Price | Terminals in Calabar | |
| Zuba Terminal |
Address: Near Fruit Market, Zuba, Abuja Phone: +2348055091831 |
Does not offer the Abuja to Calabar Service route |
Address: 277 Ettagbor, beside UNICAL small gate Calabar
Address: No.56 Bedwell Street, Behind WATT Market, Calabar Phone: 08055091834 |
||
| Kubwa Terminal |
Address: Opposite Kubwa Market, Bwari, Abuja Phone: +2348055091830 |
Does not offer the Abuja to Calabar Service route | |||
| Utako Terminal |
Address: No.39, Ajose Adeogun Street, Utako, Abuja Phone: ....... |
Offers the Abuja to Calabar Service route | 6:00 AM |
₦11,000
|
|
If you would like a step by step guide on how to do your online booking on the Peace Mass Transit website, then the following video is for you.
How to make an online booking for Peace Mass Transit tickets
3. ABC Transport
ABC is undoubtedly one of the best transport companies in Nigeria. The company services about 35 major travel routes within the country and across the West Africa region. With her over 500 bus fleets, ABC does an average of 1200 trips daily. Interestingly, ABC Transport is the only mainstream road transport service company in the country to be listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange (20th December 2006).
ABC has only two terminals in Abuja and one of those terminals offers the Abuja to Calabar Service route
| ABC Transport Terminals in Abuja | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal Location | Contact Information | Departure Time - Expected Arrival Time | Price | Terminal in Calabar | |
| Kubwa Terminal |
Address: inside Kukwuaba general Park, close to NYSC orientation camp Kubwa., Kubwa, Abuja Phone: +2349030894540 |
Address: 75, IBB Way, Phone: +234814006694 |
|||
| Utako Terminal |
Address: Berger Junction, No. 36 A.E. Ekukinam St, Utako, Abuja |
Offers the Abuja to Calabar Service route | 6:00 AM - 5:35 PM |
₦12,950
|
|
4. Others
Some of the other road transport companies plying the Abuja to Calabar route which may not be our first choices are listed below,
- New Nyanya Mass Transit
- Calculux
- Goshen Transport
- Delking Express
Things to Consider
If you make a trip from Abuja to Calabar, please be informed that there is a curfew in place in Calabar (10 pm to 6 am) and we do not know whether it will be called off anytime soon. So make sure to choose a transport company and terminal that will begin the journey early and arrive at Calabar in good time.
More than this, please make sure to be careful of what you eat during your trip. This means you should avoid some kind of food that might upset your system. Rather, stick with dry fruits and less oily food.
If you experience motion sickness, we advise that you take your medications before you leave home. If you don't have the medication or forgot it, then you should consider taking very small sips of bitter-tasting alcohol (Spirit or gin) whenever you feel like throwing up. It has been proven to be very helpful in managing nausea that accompanies motion sickness.
But please avoid drinking heavy (alcohol) before the trip as this has been fingered as a major cause of vomiting while travelling
No one enjoys the embarrassing motion sickness experience
Final notes
If you arrive early at the bus terminal, it would be nice to get a seat by the window. That way, you enjoy your journey from Lagos to Calabar by road to the full. Do keep your carry bags close by and keep an eye on them. Enjoy your trip and have a safe journey!!!
>>> Don't forget to come back to Naijauto.com for more information for safe transportation in Nigeria!
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