Dipo Olowookere
By Nkem Ndem
Crammed full of visitors, Lagos is a city in Africa that attracts tourists from all over the world. From National Arts Theatre to Lekki Conservation Centre, there’s a lot to see and do.
Tourists can often be seen paroling overrated tourist sites, eating at boring fast food joints and failing miserably at trying to jump on a ‘Molue’. These are just a few of the mistakes that most tourists make in the city.
We at Jumia Travel, Africa’s No.1 online hotel booking site, love Lagos City and thus, we never pass up any opportunity we get to share the love. In that regard, we have put together some of the mistakes tourists visiting the city tend to make with hopes that readers who intend to visit for the first time will note them and avoid them, so as to have a smoother travel experience.
Visiting popular spots on the weekend
Of course, the first thing you want to do when you visit a new city is exploring the famous landmarks and sites. While that is not such a bad thing to do while visiting Lagos city, it is important that you inquire to know which days and time are best for visiting. Most tourists tend to visit during the weekends, but that is not very advisable as you will most likely encounter a crowd and it would be difficult to enjoy your exploration. There also will be the risk of losing personal belonging to petty thieves.
Staying at airport hotels
Airport hotels like Ibis Lagos Airport or Lagos airport Hotel are awesome to lodge in when visiting Lagos, especially if you are on a short trip and need to be in close proximity to the airport. Airport hotels, however, may not be the best option if you intend to explore the city and soak in its essence as they are not exactly centrally located. There are thousands of other things to see and do outside Ikeja. Try staying at a hotel not so close to the airport, for not only a much better price but a much more authentic Lagos experience.
Acquiring unnecessary souvenirs
It is Lagos, you want to take a bit of the place home with you, but then you have to be careful and ensure you do not end up with a lot of crap you do not need. A souvenir or two should suffice. Forget the hand beads at Elegushi beach or the sculptures along some streets on the island. If possible, just restrict yourself to taking pictures and making videos which you always go back to when you need to rekindle the memory of your visit.
Underestimating local food
Most visitors tend to overlook the local eateries and canteens and instead opt for classy restaurants that serve intercontinental dishes and other foreign foods which they are used to or they figure are classy. The truth, however, is that some of the local foods in Lagos are super tasty and can compete with any cuisine from around the world. Some of the local bakeries, bars and restaurants are also wow-worthy.
Forgetting to haggle at the markets
This is a common mistake that tourists make. They pay whatever price vendors give them for commodities without as much as banter. Usually, when they convert the cost from Naira to dollars or pounds and it seems like so little, but in reality, they are being ripped off. Most sellers in Lagos local markets will first give a price that is 3 times the original price, so it’s important for tourists to haggle, no matter how cheap the first price seems.
Nkem Ndem is a PR Associate at Jumia Travel.
