FINDING LAGOS’ RHYTHM
Lagos rarely seems interested in slowing down. Nigeria’ s largest city has helped propel the country’ s music, film, fashion, and visual art around the world, creating a cultural energy that extends well beyond its borders. Afrobeats stars fill international arenas, Nollywood films reach audiences across continents, and a new generation of artists keeps experimenting with traditional and contemporary forms. With nonstop flights between Washington Dulles and Lagos on United Airlines, visiting Lagos is easier than ever.
Visitors can trace part of that story at the J. Randle Centre for Yorùbá Culture and History or step into the former home of musician and activist Fela Kuti at the Kalakuta Republic Museum. But locals recommend looking at what Lagos artists are creating today. Across the city’ s galleries, young artists are experimenting with painting, carving, and mixed media, often drawing on traditional forms while pushing Nigerian art in new directions.
ESCAPE TO TARKWA BAY
Getting to Tarkwa Bay is part of the experience. Accessible only by boat or water taxi, the beach requires visitors to leave Lagos’ famously congested streets behind and head out on the water. Tarkwa Bay is a popular escape for locals and visitors alike, with calm waters and a laidback atmosphere. Spend the day swimming or kayaking, join a game of beach volleyball, or simply find a spot on the sand. Vendors sell food and handmade goods, while horseback rides and other activities keep the shoreline lively.
THE LAGOS SOCIAL SCENE
Another side of Lagos leisure comes into view at the Lagos Motor Boat Club. Rather than heading to the beach, make friends at the waterfront club and imbibe in day drinking while watching a soccer match or Formula 1 race. It offers a glimpse of a more polished side of Lagos, where spending time with friends matters as much as getting out on the water. Private venues such as MÌLÍKÌ and The House are gathering places that offer another window into how Lagosians unwind.
Zuma Rock
Credit: Fela Sanu
GETTING THERE
United Airlines offers nonstop flights from Washington Dulles International Airport( IAD) to Lagos, Nigeria’ s Murtala Muhammed International Airport( LOS) four times a week.
Tarkwa Bay
Credit: Mujib Waziri Photography
Lagos’ impressive hotels reveal yet another side of the city. Check out longtime properties such as the Federal Palace Hotel and Eko Hotel, both on Victoria Island. Hotels, restaurants, lounges and clubs are woven into a nightlife scene that can stretch into the early hours. That energy reaches another level during“ Detty December,” when the holiday season brings a surge of parties, concerts, and late-night celebrations to the city.
GO BEYOND: ABUJA
For a dramatic change of pace, fly inland to Abuja, Nigeria’ s purposebuilt capital. The city is quieter than Lagos, but its surroundings are punctuated by massive natural landmarks. Zuma Rock rises dramatically from the landscape outside the capital, its sheer granite face making it one of the region’ s most recognizable formations. Continue farther afield to Gurara Falls, where water cascades across a broad rocky escarpment amid greenery.
After the crowds, galleries, music, and waterfront energy of Lagos, the landscape around Abuja offers another perspective on Nigeria— one measured less by the city’ s rhythm than by the land’ s scale.
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