Location Calabar, Nigeria → Ekok, Cameroon (border region)

Summary

Christmas Day 2025 turned into a long but memorable travel day. I started out well prepared, carrying plenty of cash exchanged into naira, which meant dealing with a literal stack of small bills. Fuel was the next concern, but despite the holiday, most stations were open, and I filled both tanks with diesel before setting off. From there, the road dictated the day—unfinished sections, potholes, and constant truck traffic, even on Christmas.

Navigation took me the long way around, but it ended up being the correct route to reach Ekok, which I knew was necessary to join the convoy into Cameroon. Along the way, there were multiple police checkpoints, passport registrations, and even an unexpected exit stamp before I truly felt like I was at the border. Thanks to working Wi-Fi, I managed the required online exit process from Nigeria without too much delay.

The Cameroon border was almost deserted for Christmas. It was so quiet that officials had to send someone on a scooter to track down the right person to sign my Carnet de Passage. Although my passport wasn’t stamped that day, helpful locals and police guided me step by step—on mopeds, through town, and finally to the local police station in Ekok, where I learned I’d need to return Saturday morning for the convoy. I was welcomed warmly, invited to share food, offered a beer, and even helped with a currency exchange so I could pay for a hotel.

It was a long day filled with uncertainty, rough roads, and bureaucracy, but also generosity and calm problem-solving. Not a bad way to spend Christmas on the road. Merry Christmas.