Nigeria is a city trip before it is anything else. Lagos is the centre of African music, film and fashion, and most people who come are here for that, for family, or for business. Nature and wildlife are the secondary reason, and the parks are thin by regional standards.
December is the season. Over roughly three weeks the diaspora returns and Lagos runs concerts, festivals, gallery openings and parties at a scale no other city in the region matches, with Calabar's month-long carnival running in parallel in the southeast. Flights from London, Atlanta, Houston and Johannesburg fill up by September and hotel rates in Victoria Island and Ikoyi rise sharply. This is a genuine commercial season, not a novelty, and it needs to be booked like one.
Be straight with travellers about two things. Nigeria's visa process is the most demanding in the region and the rules changed recently. And travel advice varies enormously by state: the northeast, much of the northwest and parts of the middle belt are widely advised against, while Lagos, Abuja and Calabar are visited routinely. Any itinerary should be checked against current advisories before deposits are taken.
When to go
| Months | What it is like |
|---|---|
| Nov-Mar | Dry across the country. Yankari's animals concentrate at water. Harmattan from December to February brings Saharan dust, cooler nights in the north, and haze that has delayed flights at northern airports. |
| Dec | Detty December. Lagos runs concerts, festivals and club nights through the month, Calabar runs its carnival with the main parades in the last week, and everything is full. Traffic is worse than the already difficult baseline. Book flights and hotels by September. |
| Apr-Jul | Rains in the south, heaviest in June and July. Lagos floods in parts, and a bad storm can take hours off a day. The north stays drier until later. |
| Aug-Oct | A short dry break in August in the south, then rain again into October. The Osun-Osogbo festival runs for two weeks in August and ends with the Arugba procession. |
Before you go
- Visa: Nigeria's visa process is the most demanding in the region. Most visitors need one in advance, usually with a letter of invitation and proof of accommodation. The system was overhauled recently, so check the current process with the Nigeria Immigration Service or your nearest mission well before travel, and allow weeks rather than days.
- Health: yellow fever vaccination is required for entry and certificates are checked on arrival. Malaria is present countrywide and year-round; take prophylaxis. Requirements change, so confirm close to departure.
- Security: travel advice is state by state, not country-wide. The northeast, much of the northwest and stretches of the middle belt are advised against by most governments. Lagos, Abuja and Calabar are visited routinely. Read your own government's advisory before booking and again before flying, and use pre-arranged airport transfers rather than hailing a ride on arrival.
- Money and movement: the naira (NGN), with an exchange rate that has moved a long way in recent years. Cards work widely in Lagos and Abuja; carry cash elsewhere. Lagos traffic determines everything, so cluster each day on one side of the lagoon, and use domestic flights rather than long road legs between regions.
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