Lagos City Guide - overview

It is hard to believe that Lagos, Nigeria's biggest, busiest city with a population of roughly 14 million and counting, had its origins as a small Yoruba settlement. Spread over several large islands on a vast lagoon (hence its name) and the mainland near the Gulf of Guinea, Lagos is Nigeria's principal port and its commercial and cultural centre.

The former capital grew to prominence when it was 'discovered' by the Portuguese in the late 1400s and became a central trading post for the area, also serving as a major hub of the slave trade. When the British annexed the city in 1861, they effectively put a stop to the slave trade, but took control of the trade and industry of the area. Once Nigeria gained independence in 1960, Lagos experienced a boom, which swelled the city's population and today, Lagos is one of the world's fastest growing cities with a full and complex tapestry of religious and ethnic groups.

The sprawling city is chaotic, crowded and lacks any major tourism infrastructure. Most visitors come here for business and there are few sights in the tourist sense. Streets are congested, drivers are maniacal and blackouts are common. However, the convoluted history of the city, and Nigeria as a whole, contributes to its exotic flavour. Lagos has an interesting National Museum, National Theatre, several markets and some decent beaches to explore.

Getting around: Getting around Lagos can be a thrilling and unpredictable experience. Walking is not advised unless you can convincingly blend in with the local populace and are trained in karate. Your best bet is to hire a private car and driver, and negotiate a fee of around N4,000 for four hours and N700 hourly thereafter. Drivers are available outside most hotels; ask the concierge to recommend one. Taxis, painted yellow with blue stripes, are reasonably safe and reliable; journeys cost from N200. A charismatic option for getting around Lagos is to use one of the plentiful yellow VW buses. These ancient hulks are irregularly maintained, to say the least, but still used by millions of locals everyday. The fastest and most unpredictable mode of transport are the motorbikes (okadas) which charge around N50 for a ride. Drivers are almost exclusively unlicensed. The city's main transport hub is Ojota Motor Park, 8 miles (13km) north of Lagos Island. Buses and taxis leave from here to destinations all over Africa.