Things to do in Lagos

Nature · Lekki Peninsula

A patch of protected coastal savannah and swamp forest with a 401-metre canopy walkway through the treetops.

Local tip: Go on a weekday morning — at weekends the canopy walkway queue is long. The monkeys near the entrance will take food out of your hand and your bag; keep both closed.

Culture · Lekki Phase 1

Five floors and thousands of works assembled by Nike Davies-Okundaye, one of Nigeria's best-known artists and textile makers.

Local tip: Entry is free and Nike herself is often there. Prices are negotiable and the adire indigo textiles on the upper floors are made in her own workshops rather than bought in.

Culture · Lagos Island, Broad Street

A colonial-era prison converted into an open-air cultural park with live music, a food court and a small museum.

Local tip: Friday and Saturday evenings have live highlife and jazz. It is one of the few genuinely walkable, relaxed public spaces on Lagos Island and a good first stop for understanding the old city.

Nature · Reachable by boat from Victoria Island

A sheltered beach on an island in the harbour, accessible only by water, with calm swimming and a surf community.

Local tip: Boats leave from Five Cowrie Creek and Tarzan Jetty. Agree the return trip and the price with the boatman before you get in, and take cash — there is nothing to pay with on the island.

Food · Lagos Island

An enormous, dense textile and general market — the wholesale heart of West African fabric trading.

Local tip: Go with someone who knows it and go early. Carry nothing you would mind losing, keep your phone away, and expect to negotiate hard. This is where aso-ebi fabric for owambe parties actually gets bought.

Neighborhood · Under the Third Mainland Bridge

A stilt community built over the lagoon, home to tens of thousands of people, with canoes instead of streets.

Local tip: This is somewhere people live, not an attraction, and turning up with a camera is not welcome. If you want to see it, go with one of the community-run boat guides who arrange visits with local consent — the Makoko Floating School project made those connections and several still operate.