A typical first trip here runs about $425 to $575 per person for 7 days at a mid-range style, before flights. Get your own number from the Budget Calculator.
- Jollof rice, tomato-stewed rice cooked in one pot; Nigeria's entry is at the center of the legendary West African Jollof rivalry with Ghana and Senegal
- Egusi soup, ground melon seed soup cooked with leafy vegetables, palm oil, and various proteins; served over pounded yam or fufu
- Suya, skewered, spiced beef or chicken grilled over an open flame by Hausa vendors; a ubiquitous street food nationwide
- Pounded yam and ofe onugbu, boiled yam pounded to a smooth elastic dough eaten with bitter-leaf soup; an Igbo staple
- Akara, deep-fried black-eyed pea fritters eaten at breakfast, often with ogi (fermented corn porridge)
- Osun-Osogbo Festival, annual two-week Yoruba festival at the Sacred Osun Grove (UNESCO World Heritage Site) honoring the goddess of the Osun River with music and offerings
- Argungu Fishing Festival, four-day competition in Kebbi State where thousands of fishermen enter the Matan Fada River using only hand nets and calabashes
- Eyo Festival (Lagos), Yoruba ancestral masquerade where Adamu Orisha masquerades in white robes parade through Lagos Island
- New Yam Festival (Iwa Ji), Igbo harvest celebration giving thanks for the yam crop before the first yam of the season may be eaten
- Calabar Carnival (December), billed as Africa's biggest street party; a month-long festival of dance, music, and elaborate costumes
English is the official language; over 500 indigenous languages are spoken, with Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo being the three largest. Nigerian Pidgin English is a widely understood lingua franca across all regions.
Key phrases in Yoruba: "E kaabo" (welcome), "E se" (thank you); in Hausa: "Sannu" (hello), "Na gode" (thank you); in Igbo: "Nnoo" (welcome). Nigerians are famously energetic and direct communicators, conversation is lively and humor is valued.
- Greet elders with a slight bow or curtsy, respect for age is a cornerstone of Nigerian social life across all ethnic groups
- Use the right hand to give and receive items, food, or money; the left hand is considered unclean in many Nigerian cultures
- Dress smartly when visiting homes or attending church or mosque, Nigerians take appearance and presentation seriously at social events
- Time is often fluid in social settings ("African time") but punctuality is increasingly expected in professional and business contexts
Latest for Nigeria
Updates for Nigeria will appear here as they are published. Every update cites official sources, so you can plan on it.