Your flight to Lagos (named after the Portuguese word for “lagoon”) brings you to Nigeria’s seaside, commercial capital, famous for its fine Atlantic-Ocean beaches and an appetite for life which matches its status as the second-biggest city in Africa after Cairo.
Step back in time at the National Museum, where the Benin bronzes and carvings in ivory are on display. Soak up the living culture of Lagos at Jankara Market on Lagos Island and bargain for hand-woven cloth, herbs and leather goods. Mix with the locals at Lagos’ most famous nightclub – Shrine – founded by the Afro-beat maestro Fela Kuti and now run by his son, Femi.
Away from the crowds, enjoy peacocks and other West African birdlife at the Lekki Conservation Centre (an hour from central Lagos) or soak up the sun on Coconut Beach in Badagry, west of Lagos.
Lagos’ locals love their home-cooked specialities, such as yam soup, fufu (fermented cassava) and even snails! Try them and more at the Museum Kitchen, the restaurant attached to the National Museum in Lagos. |