Nigeria 6 Day Itinerary

Before you book anything, know this: Nigeria replaced visa on arrival with a mandatory e-visa in May 2025, and showing up without pre-approval now means getting turned back at the gate rather than paying a fee in the arrivals hall. Apply through the official Nigeria Immigration Service e-visa portal, budget 24 to 48 hours for approval, and have your yellow fever certificate ready since it is checked on entry.

Day 1: Lagos, Arrival and First Impressions

Land at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, and plan for Lagos traffic to eat more of your day than any single attraction will. Check into your hotel, then head into Lagos Island’s commercial core, where Balogun Market sprawls across dozens of narrow lanes selling fabric, electronics, and pretty much everything else at prices that reward haggling hard. The National Museum in Onikan (not Yaba, a common mix-up in older guides) covers Nigerian history and holds a modest but genuine collection of Benin bronzes and Nok terracottas, worth an hour before the market crush. For dinner, go local over the international chain option: a proper plate of jollof rice and grilled suya from a reputable Lagos Island spot beats a Hard Rock Cafe burger on a trip built around Nigerian food and culture.

Day 2: Victoria Island, Lekki and the New Lagos

Spend the morning at Lekki’s beaches, Alpha Beach if you want more space and fewer touts, Elegushi if you want the livelier scene with music and food stalls right on the sand. Eko Atlantic City is worth a drive-by if only to see the scale of the reclaimed-land project rising out of the Atlantic, a genuinely unusual piece of urban engineering even if there is not much for a visitor to actually do there yet. Head into Victoria Island proper for the Civic Centre and Landmark Beach area, then finish the day with a fusion dinner reservation at one of VI’s upscale rooms; book ahead, since the good tables fill fast on weekends. My honest take: skip a second full beach day if your time is tight and instead use the afternoon to just walk Victoria Island’s commercial streets, since Lagos rewards aimless wandering more than checklist tourism.

Day 3: Abuja, the Federal Capital

Take an early domestic flight to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja, a deliberately planned capital that feels almost suburban compared to Lagos’s density. Drive past the Aso Rock Presidential Villa (viewing from the perimeter only, it is not open to the public) and see the National Mosque and the National Christian Centre, built within sight of each other as a symbol of the country’s religious split. Zuma Rock, the massive monolith on the road into the city, is worth a photo stop if your driver is heading that direction anyway. Shop for crafts and textiles at Jabi Lake Mall or the more traditional Garki Market, and eat Nigerian dishes at a proper local spot rather than a hotel restaurant, since Abuja’s food scene outside hotel dining is underrated and cheaper.

Day 4 and 5: Rethinking the Obudu Day Trip

Here is where the original plan for this trip breaks down badly: Obudu Mountain Resort is not a six-hour drive from Abuja, it is roughly 500 kilometers away and a genuine 7 to 10 hour drive depending on road conditions in Cross River State, longer if you factor in a rest stop. Treat it as a two-day commitment, not a single long day trip, or skip it entirely if your schedule is tight. If you do have the days to spare, the drive rewards you with a resort at altitude, cooler air than anywhere else in the itinerary, a cable car up the escarpment, and a canopy walkway through highland forest that is genuinely unlike anywhere else in West Africa. If six days total is all you have, I would drop Obudu from this itinerary and instead use days 4 and 5 for a slower, more thorough exploration of Abuja and a relaxed day trip to Gurara Falls, which is a genuine two to three hour drive from the capital and delivers a solid waterfall payoff without blowing your whole schedule on transit.

Day 6: Last-Minute Shopping and Departure

Use your final morning for souvenirs at Jabi Lake Mall or a smaller craft market, since airport shopping in Abuja is limited and overpriced by comparison. Head to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport with real buffer time built in, since domestic terminal security queues can run long during peak departure windows.

Things to Know

The e-visa system introduced in May 2025 covers travelers from 177 countries and is now the only route in for most tourists; 25 countries remain on a list requiring the older embassy application process, so check your specific nationality before assuming the online option applies to you. The currency is the naira, trading at roughly 1,500 to the US dollar through 2025 and into 2026, and cash is still king outside major hotels and malls, so carry naira for markets and street food. Power sockets are the British-style type G at 230 volts, so UK-style travelers need no adapter while most others do. English is the language of business and government, but Yoruba, Igbo, and Hausa dominate daily conversation depending on region, and picking up a greeting or two in the local language of wherever you are goes further than most guidebooks suggest.

Transportation

Domestic flights between Lagos and Abuja run frequently on Air Peace and Arik Air, and booking a week or more ahead keeps fares reasonable. In-city, use Uber or Bolt rather than hailing a taxi off the street, both for pricing transparency and because ride-hailing apps in Lagos and Abuja are genuinely reliable now. For longer overland trips like Obudu, a hired driver with a proper vehicle beats a public bus every time given road conditions outside the two big cities.