Skip to content
Home
Explore
States and ZonesExperiences
Plan
VisaFlightsStayTransportCurrency
Know
SafetyHealthEmbassiesCultureDetty December '26

Atlas · North Central · Plateau State

Jos, North Central

Plateau State

Capital · Jos Zone · North Central High risk

The Plateau State sits on Nigeria's Middle Belt at an average elevation of 1,200 metres above sea level - giving it Nigeria's most temperate climate. Known as the 'Home of Peace and Tourism,' it is famous for cool highland air, dramatic rock formations, tin mining heritage, and extraordinary ethnic and cultural diversity with over 40 distinct groups.

👥
Population
4.2M (2023 est.)
📐
Area
26899 km²
🏛️
Capital
Jos
📅
Created
1976
🗺️
Zone
North Central
🗣️
Languages
English, Hausa, Berom
What to see

Top things to do in Plateau State.

🐘

Jos Wildlife Park

Jos South LGA, Plateau State

The Jos Wildlife Park is the most visited tourism attraction in Plateau State and one of Nigeria's better-maintained wildlife parks. Located within Jos city, the park covers approximately 840 hectares of undulating savannah, rocky outcrops, and gallery forest - typical of the Jos Plateau landscape.

₦1,500 adults, ₦500 childrenBest: November to March
📍

Shere Hills

Shere, Jos South LGA

The Shere Hills massif south of Jos is the most dramatic highland landscape in Nigeria's Middle Belt - a wild confusion of granite inselbergs, boulders, and forested gorges rising above the Plateau.

Free / small guide feeBest: November to February
🏛️

Jos Museum and National Museum

Museum Road, Jos

The National Museum in Jos is one of the most important museums in Nigeria for anyone interested in ancient African civilisations. The museum's principal collection centres on the Nok Culture - a pre-Iron Age civilisation that flourished on the Jos Plateau between approximately 1000 BC and 300 AD.

₦500Best: Year-round
When to go

Climate, month by month.

Pack right

What to wear, by season.

Stay safe and well

Safety and health in Plateau State.

🛡️ Safety

High risk

Common concerns

Communal Conflict, Terrorism, Banditry, Civil Unrest

Exercise caution

  • Barkin Ladi LGA (ongoing herder-farmer conflict)
  • Riyom
  • Bassa (northern outskirts)
  • Jos-Bauchi road at night

Smart-traveller checklist

  • Register with your home country embassy before travel to Plateau State
  • Jos city centre is relatively accessible; outskirts carry significantly higher risk
  • Avoid Barkin Ladi and Riyom LGAs - recent communal violence history
  • Travel with a trusted local guide who knows community dynamics
  • Monitor NCDC and embassy security alerts daily during stay
  • Avoid being on the road after dark in any part of Plateau State

Emergency numbers

Police112
Fire073-460-000
Ambulance199
Stateemergency073-462-2000

Full safety guide →

💉 Health

Malaria · Moderate

Required vaccination

Yellow Fever

Recommended

Meningococcal, Typhoid, Hepatitis A

Local disease notes

  • Meningococcal Meningitis (elevated risk; Plateau is on the meningitis belt)

Nearest referral hospital

Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH), Jos

Full health guide →

Keep exploring

More of Nigeria.

On the map. See Plateau State in context on the interactive atlas. Open Plateau State on the map →

Plan the trip: Visa · Flights · Where to stay · Money

Get the December playbook first.

Booking deadlines, new guides, and the Pre-Departure Pack drops. One email a month, no noise.

You're in. ✓