Africa

Best Things to Do in Nigeria

Nigeria is Africa's most populous country and largest economy, a federal republic of 220 million with extraordinary cultural diversity (over 250 ethnic groups), the continent's biggest entertainment industry (Nollywood), and West Africa's most vibrant music and arts scene centered in Lagos. Its natural attractions include Yankari National Park (hippos, elephants, warm springs) and the ancient Benin Kingdom bronzes.

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The unmissable in Nigeria

These are the staple sights — don't leave Nigeria without seeing them.

1
Badagry Heritage Museum
#1 must-see

Badagry Heritage Museum

📍 Lander Road, Marina 103101, Badagry, Lagos
🕐 Mon–Sat 9:00 AM-5:00 PM · Sun Closed
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2
Kalakuta Museum
#2 must-see

Kalakuta Museum

📍 7 Gbemisola St., Allen 100281, Ikeja, Lagos
🕐 Mon–Sun 7:00 AM-1:00 AM
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Badagry Heritage Museum 1
#1 must-see

Badagry Heritage Museum

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📍 Lander Road, Marina 103101, Badagry, Lagos

Badagry Heritage Museum in Badagry, Lagos State, stands as one of Nigeria's most sobering and historically significant cultural institutions, dedicated to documenting the Trans-Atlantic slave trade that made this coastal town one of West Africa's most active slave-export ports between the 16th and 19th centuries. The museum occupies a colonial-era building near Badagry's historic waterfront and houses a collection of original slave-trade artefacts — iron shackles, neck collars, branding irons, and transaction ledgers — that confront visitors with the brutal material reality of one of history's most destructive commercial enterprises. Interpretive exhibits trace the town's role as a departure point for enslaved Africans transported across the Atlantic, with particular focus on the experience of those held in Badagry's notorious slave barracoons while awaiting embarkation. The museum complex includes access to the Point of No Return — the actual shoreline from which enslaved people were loaded onto ships — a site of profound emotional weight for visitors of African descent tracing ancestral histories. Knowledgeable guides contextualise the exhibits with genealogical and historical depth, making this more than a conventional museum experience. Badagry also preserves Brazil House, the first storey-building in Nigeria, and the first church established in the country, creating a rich historical district around the museum. A visit here is an act of remembrance as much as education.

Kalakuta Museum 2
#2 must-see

Kalakuta Museum

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📍 7 Gbemisola St., Allen 100281, Ikeja, Lagos

Kalakuta Museum in the Ikeja district of Lagos preserves the legendary compound that once served as the home, recording studio, and communal household of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti — Nigeria's most internationally celebrated musician, political activist, and the creator of Afrobeat, the genre that fused jazz, funk, and West African highlife into one of the 20th century's most globally influential musical forms. The original Kalakuta Republic, as Fela called his compound, was famously declared an independent state outside Nigerian government jurisdiction in the 1970s, a provocative act of political theatre that brought intense state repression including a devastating military raid in 1977. The current museum, established by Fela's son Seun Kuti, occupies the rebuilt compound and displays personal memorabilia, costumes, instruments, and photographs that document Fela's extraordinary life as an artist and dissident. Original recording equipment, album artwork, and stage costumes communicate the visual exuberance and sonic ambition of his performances at the legendary Afrika Shrine venue. Guided tours led by staff with personal connections to the Kuti family add irreplaceable human dimension to the exhibits. The museum also functions as a living cultural space hosting music events and educational programmes that continue Fela's legacy of artistic resistance. Kalakuta Museum is essential for music lovers and anyone interested in the intersection of art, politics, and African identity.

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Nigeria sits on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa, a country of extraordinary contrasts: the commercial megacity of Lagos (over 20 million in the metropolitan area), the ancient mud palace of the Emir of Kano in the north, the Nok terracotta figurines (2,500 years old) in the Jos Plateau Museum, and the historic Benin Bronzes (looted to the British Museum in 1897, some returned in 2022) in the Benin City National Museum. The things to do in Nigeria are anchored by Lagos, the country’s commercial and cultural capital: Lekki Conservation Centre (a canopy walk over a mangrove ecosystem), the Nike Art Gallery (one of the largest private art collections in Africa, 9 floors of traditional and contemporary Nigerian art), the Lekki beach strip, and the music venues and nightclubs that make Lagos one of Africa’s most exciting cities for Afrobeats culture (Burna Boy, Wizkid, Tiwa Savage and the other Afrobeats stars who have put Nigerian music on the global stage originated here). Abuja, the planned capital (functional since 1991), has the Aso Rock Abuja (a 400m monolith forming a natural city backdrop) and the Nigerian National Mosque. Yankari National Park (Bauchi State) has savannah wildlife including hippos, baboons, and small elephant populations, plus the Warner Springs warm water springs that attract visitors year-round.

Best time to visit

November through February is the dry season in the south (Lagos, Benin City, Port Harcourt) and the best time for most tourist activities. The north (Kano, Jos, Maiduguri) is more extreme: the dry season (October-April) is very dry and harmattan dust reduces visibility; the wet season (May-September) is more moderate in temperature. The wet season in Lagos (April-October) is warm and rainy but doesn’t prevent most activities.

Getting around

Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja are the main international gateways. Within Lagos, the BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) serves major corridors; Uber is available in Lagos and Abuja. Traffic in Lagos is notorious; the Lekki-Epe Expressway and Victoria Island area can take 2-3 hours to cross at peak times; water taxis across the Lagos Lagoon are faster for some crossings. For intercity travel, Dana Air, Air Peace, and Ibom Air serve domestic routes; long-distance buses are available.

What to eat

Nigerian cuisine is West Africa’s most diverse and exciting. Jollof rice (the contested claim with Ghana and Senegal; Nigerian jollof has a distinct smoky flavor from cooking in a dry pot) is the celebratory dish at every event. Suya (spicy grilled beef skewers with a peanut-spice rub) from street vendors is the Lagos evening staple. Egusi soup (made from melon seeds, leafy vegetables, and fish or meat), pounded yam, and banga (palm nut soup) are the south’s traditional dishes. Pepper soup (a thin, fiery broth with meat or fish, served at Nigerian bars) is the universal comfort food. In Lagos, Yellow Chilli restaurant and Nok by Alara represent the upscale traditional cooking scene.