5 Exciting Nigerian Tourist Attractions That Will Please Visitors

In our opening piece on delightful tourist attractions to visit in Nigeria, we explored Olumo Rock, Obudu Mountain Resort, Igun Street, Osun Grove, and Sukur Cultural Landscape. But Nigeria is packed with even more attractions that will suit the varied tastes and moods of tourists. From a treasure trove for art lovers to nature’s best delights, and then to the home of one of Africa’s most popular musical genres, Nigeria is set to enthrall the willing tourist. Here are five more tourist attractions to check out when you visit Nigeria.

Check out 5 more fulfilling tourist attractions to check out when you come to Nigeria…

#1. Nike Art Gallery

Art aficionados will be enthralled to visit Nike Art Gallery in Lagos. It was established in 2007 by the eminent Nigerian artist Nike Okundaye to provide a home for the display of artworks created by students of her Foundation, the Nike Art Foundation. But the Gallery has turned out to become the largest privately-owned gallery in Africa; it now has the following four branches in Nigeria: Lagos, Abuja, Osogbo, and Ogidi-Ijumu.

An art treasure trove, the Nike Art Gallery in Lagos is packed with splendid artworks on all four floors of its building, including batik, adire fabrics, embroidery, appliqué, beadworks, pen and ink drawings on paper and on canvas, aluminum and copper sculptures, wooden sculptures, and sculptures in other media. It is a delightful place telling a million stories of the creative and cultural life of the Nigerian people and a must-visit for art lovers and lovers of culture.

#2. Lekki Conservation Center

Located on Lekki Peninsula, close to both the Lekki Lagoon and the Lagos Lagoon, the Lekki Conservation Center sprawls over 78 hectares of reserve space. It was established in 1990 by the Nigerian Conservation Foundation to conserve biodiversity and to serve as an environmental education center. Special features of the center include a boulevard of coconut trees, a visitors’ park, huge tracts of wetlands, raised walkways for the viewing of wildlife, a trail boardwalk for the viewing of the nature reserve, and a canopy walkway that offers a panoramic view of the forest canopy at a height of 22.5 feet above the ground.

Stretching to 401 meters, this canopy walkway is the longest canopy walkway in Africa. The Lekki Conservation Center also has a wide array of wildlife such as mona monkeys, bushbucks, crocodiles, monitor lizards, duikers, hogs, mongooses, chameleons, squirrels, and so forth.

#3. Ogbunike Caves

Located in a valley with a lush tropical rain forest in Anambra State, the Ogbunike Caves is a massive structure with a large open chamber and a long entrance. This long entrance, composed of numerous steps, leads into an open reception space where visitors are required to remove their shoes as a matter of tradition. The main chamber has 10 tunnels that run in different directions. Do not be startled, as the caves are usually populated by bats. You will find streams, waterfalls, and other bodies of water in various places at the Caves. What an enthralling sight it is to behold the lush tropical forest surrounding the Ogbuike Caves: a perfect home for antelopes, porcupines, alligators, fish, and birds.

#4. Yankari Game Reserve

Yankari Game Reserve, a large wildlife park in Bauchi State, is one of Nigeria’s best-kept secrets. Covering an area of about 866 square miles, the Reserve is endowed with savannah grassland and well-developed patches of woodland; majestic hills, of which the 640-meter-tall Kariyo Hill is the highest; and a rich biodiversity that is sure to intrigue every visitor. Wildlife to be spotted at the Reserve include such iconic animals as African buffalo, African bush elephant, hippopotamus, olive baboon, Tantalus monkey, patas monkey, and western hartebeest.

Yankari Game Reserve is reputed to have one of the largest elephant populations in West Africa. To fascinate bird lovers, there are over 350 bird species in the reserve including the saddle-billed stork, grey hornbill, guinea fowl, and white-rumped vulture. Bird lovers and bird watchers will be thrilled to see these. Another big attraction at the reserve is the Wikki Camp, named after the Wikki warm spring that is open for swimming for 24 hours. This camp is a refreshing resort for tourists, furnished with luxury lodgings and a museum full of a variety of animal skins, elephant tusks, bones, and mounted stuffed games from the reserve.

#5. The New Afrika Shrine

Afrobeats king and founder, Fela Anikulapo Kuti (popularly known as Fela), opened his Afrika Shrine in 1972 as a salon for his musical performances, progressively minded activities, and also a community hub for the poor and downtrodden in society. The Afrika Shrine fell into disrepair after the Afrobeats icon’s death in 1997. But the New Afrika Shrine, which opened in 2000, was built at a different location by Fela’s children, Yeni and Femi, to preserve their father’s and the Afrika Shrine’s contribution to its local community and Africa at large. It is now a popular go-to place for lovers of Afrobeats and rich, enlivening music.

Femi’s band, The Positive Force, can be heard on Sundays and Thursdays while Seun Kuti’s Egypt 80 Band performs on the last Saturday of every month. Fridays are for popular disco nights. The New Afrika Shrine has attracted high-profile personalities and celebrities from across the world such as Bono, Lauryn Hill, Anthony Joshua, Naomi Campbell, and President Emmanuel Macron. An evening at the New Afrika Shrine will definitely be worth your while.

Featured image: @nikeartgallery/Instagram

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