Nigeria is one of the countries in Africa with lots of untapped tourist attractions. Nigeria is a country rich in cultural diversity, delicious local cousin, romantic beaches, beautiful landscape and much more. From the sacred grooves to the northern ancient cities, from the wildlife reserved in Yankari to the natural landscape in Obudu.
The best time to visit and experience Nigeria has been a major question many travelers especially foreigners keep asking. Sagetravels.com your travel partner will try to explain and advise you on the best time to visit.
The best time to visit and experience Nigeria depends on the state you want to visit. I will try to group the states according to their geographical zones.
North Central: (Also known as the Middle Belt): Benue, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Plateau and Federal Capital Territory.
From July – December is the best time to visit the north central. Then, the rain would have reduced and No much scorching sun. There are so many tourist attractions you can visit in this Zone. Example Aso Rock in Abuja, confluence beach in Kogi, Zuma rock in Niger etc.
July – November is off season so the cost of accommodation and transportation is usually cheap.
Obudu Mountain Range, Cross River State
South-South: Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Edo.
All the states in the South-South region are part of Niger Delta. Between December and January is the best time to visit Port Harcourt and Calabar. These zones record high amount of rainfall, that is why December – January is the best time to visit because the rain would have subsided.
During this period, there are lots of activities and things to do in the south-south. In Calabar, the Calabar Carnival holds from the first day of December till the end of the month. The carnival attracts tourist from both local and international. Apart from the carnival, Calabar is certainly the home of tourism in Nigeria. Tinapa, Marina resorts and Obudu is waiting for you.
Port Harcourt also known as the garden city is a bubbling city. The nightlife is unmatchable. There are lots of tourist attraction in Port Harcourt and other states in the south-south zone like the Ibeno Beach in Akwa Ibom.
South East: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo
Okposi Salt Lake, Ebonyi State, Nigeria
The best time to visit this zone is from August – January. During this period, the rain would have reduced and there are lots of things to do and see in the zone. The new yam festival also takes place during this period. The attractions in this zone include Ogbunike cave in Anambra, The blue river in Abia, the Golden sand beach in Unwana, Ebonyi and Awhum waterfall in Enugu.
South West: Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo
This is the same with South – East. Lagos is the most happening city among the states in the zone. I would advise you avoid Lagos during raining season. The traffic is usually heavy during festive periods like December. Lagos state is a tourist friendly state. The vibes in Lagos is unexplainable and incredible. Ekiti house the famous cold and warm spring called Ikogosi stream, Osun Oshogbo groove in Osun state, Olumo rock etc.
Agodi Gardens, Ibadan Nigeria
North West: Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto and Zamfara
You can visit this zone anytime except May – September because that is the raining season. The North West States is usually hot, so when visiting bring your sunglass.
Wikki Warm Spring, Bauchi State
North East: Adamawa, Bauchi, Borno, Gombe, Taraba and Yobe
This zone is the same with North West. Bauchi is the home of one of the best national park in Nigeria (Yankari game reserve). Apart from Bauchi and Taraba, I would advise you avoid other states (Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa) in the zone because of terrorism.
Welcome to Nigeria. Nigeria is a place to visit.
