Nigeria travel guide

Nigeria’s culture is dominated by storytelling and fable, so it seems appropriate, if unfortunate, that it has ended up being overshadowed by its own myth. Nigeria is the Africa of chaotic cities and email scams. It is brutal civil war and Boko Haram. It is a landscape scarred by oil, and the greed of those who control it. But consider, too, that, with 186m inhabitants, Nigeria is Africa’s most populous country, with around one sixth of the continent’s population, and its largest economy. Consider Nigeria’s many celebrated writers, poets and musicians, including the first African Nobel Laureate in Literature. Its Benin Bronzes were considered so impressive, Europeans at first refused to believe they had been created by “primitive” Africans.

Our Nigeria travel guide takes into account the complex history and recent events, of course – but only by looking beyond these, by reading stories written by Nigerians themselves, by visiting the country and meeting its citizens can we really get to understand Nigeria beyond the stereotypes.

Nigeria is huge and it is impossible to avoid long days on the road – but a well planned itinerary can keep these to a minimum, as well as factoring in interesting stop off points along the way. A typical western route takes in the more urban regions of the southwestern coast before heading inland to remote Kamberi lands and the tranquil Idanre Hills. A number of UNESCO-listed sites are clustered here, too. If you venture east you’ll pass through Benin City and the forested Okumu National Park, before reaching Calabar and the cool Obudu plateau, both near the Cameroon border. Another option is to fly into Lagos and out of Abuja. Guided, small group tours keep things simple as you’ll be driven in a private vehicle, and visit local communities, restaurants and bars without causing too much disruption.