Hosted Lagos

Lagos is a year-round destination, but the weather does vary considerably through the year, althopugh the temperture is remarkably constant

The main rainy season runs roughly from April/May through to October, with the heaviest rain usually around June and July. Lagos doesn’t shut down when it rains — showers can be spectacular but often pass quickly — although very heavy rain can cause local flooding and make the city’s traffic even more unpredictable.

For the driest weather, November to February is generally the best time to visit. It’s warm and sunny, with less rain and lower humidity. December is particularly lively — the famous “Detty December” period — with concerts, parties and events across the city, although it is also one of the busiest times to visit.

August can actually be a surprisingly good time to visit, as Lagos often experiences a short break in the rains, with slightly cooler temperatures.

Our Hosted Lagos trips run throughout the year, so there really isn’t a “wrong” time to come. If you tell us what sort of experience you’re looking for — beaches and sunshine, nightlife and events, or a quieter Lagos — we can recommend the best dates.

Not very much! At Hosted Lagos, we provide most of what you'll need, and we recommend travelling with hand luggage only if you can.

Lagos is warm and informal, so for most of the trip shirts or T-shirts, shorts and flip-flops are perfectly adequate. We also recommend bringing a pair of trainers or comfortable walking sandals for excursions where we'll be doing a little more walking.

Towels, toiletries and other everyday essentials are provided, so there’s no need to fill your suitcase with things that will already be waiting for you.

And don't worry if you forget something. Lagos is a huge modern city with excellent supermarkets, shopping malls and pharmacies. Almost everything you can buy in the UK is available here too.

If there’s something specific you need, let us know before you travel and we can advise you. Once you're here, just ask one of the Hosted Lagos team and we'll help you find or source it.

Our advice? Pack light. Lagos has pretty much everything else covered.

No — you shouldn't need to bring cash. Most of your costs are already included in your Hosted Lagos trip, and your guides will handle day-to-day spending while you're with us.

Nigeria is increasingly cashless, and bank transfers are an extremely common way of paying for everything from restaurants to small purchases. In our experience, UK credit and debit cards are unreliable in Lagos, and you should not assume that your UK card will work in shops, restaurants or ATMs.

If you want to buy something that isn't included in your trip, don't worry. Your guide can usually make the payment locally and we can arrange for you to reimburse us.

If you'd like to make payments directly from your UK bank account, we have found LemFi to be one of the easiest and most reliable ways of transferring money to a Nigerian bank account.

So there is no need to arrive carrying large amounts of naira or foreign currency. Bring your regular bank cards as a backup, but don't rely on them — we'll handle everything else.

Lagos is a huge city of more than 20 million people, and like any major city it has areas and situations where you need to be careful. Nigeria also has genuine security challenges, and we would never pretend otherwise.

But there is an enormous difference between travelling around Nigeria independently and experiencing Lagos with people who live here and know the city.

That's one of the reasons Hosted Lagos exists.

From the moment you arrive, you'll be met at the airport and travel with our own driver and local guides. We organise your transport, know where we're going, know the places we visit and, importantly, know where not to go. You're not expected to navigate unfamiliar neighbourhoods, find taxis, use public transport or work everything out for yourself.

Most of our time is spent around Lekki, Victoria Island and other parts of Lagos that we know well, and we'll accompany you on our organised excursions. Our house in Lekki is on a secure estate with two sets of security gates - plus we have staff on site at all times.

There are sensible precautions we take. We don't recommend wandering around unfamiliar areas alone at night, displaying expensive jewellery or carrying large amounts of cash. If local circumstances change, we'll change our plans accordingly.

The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office advises travellers to be cautious in Lagos and specifically recommends taking security advice from your hosts. We strongly recommend that every guest reads the latest FCDO travel advice before booking and again before travelling.

We can't promise that any trip is completely risk-free. What we can promise is that you won't be navigating Lagos alone. You'll experience it with people who live here, understand how the city works and will be looking after you throughout your stay.

Perhaps surprisingly, mosquitoes aren't usually a major nuisance in Lagos. We certainly don't experience anything like the clouds of mosquitoes you might associate with some tropical destinations, and many visitors receive few, if any, bites.

However, malaria is present in Nigeria and it can be a very serious illness, so it shouldn't be taken lightly.

We recommend speaking to your doctor or a travel health clinic well before you travel about appropriate malaria prevention and any medication they recommend for you. It's also sensible to use mosquito repellent, particularly in the evenings.

We'll provide practical advice while you're here, but malaria prevention is one area where we strongly recommend following professional medical advice rather than simply copying what the locals do!

Nigeria's electricity supply can be unpredictable, and power cuts are a normal part of life in Lagos.

At Hosted Lagos, however, you probably won't notice most of them.

Our house has several backup power systems, including solar panels, lithium battery storage and a generator, so when the mains electricity goes off we can normally continue operating without interruption.

There may occasionally be a brief interruption while power switches between systems, but you'll still be able to charge your devices, use the Wi-Fi and, importantly in the Lagos heat, keep the fans and air conditioning running.

Power cuts are part of Lagos life — sitting in the dark doesn't have to be.

Hosted Lagos is a seven-night, privately hosted experience of Lagos for people who want to discover the city with the reassurance, access and local knowledge that comes from actually knowing people here.

You'll stay for five nights in a private home in Lekki and two nights at a four-star beach resort. You'll have your own driver, two local guides, meals, transport and experiences included.

It's deliberately small, personal and flexible — not a conventional group tour.

Hosted Lagos is designed around just one guest at a time, giving you a genuinely personal experience rather than a conventional group tour.

We warmly welcome couples or two friends travelling together, and occasionally there may be one other guest staying at the same time as you. We never host more than two guests on a Hosted Lagos experience.

Even when there are two guests, the experience remains highly flexible. You aren't expected to spend every day together and we'll do our best to accommodate different interests.

If you would prefer your Hosted Lagos experience to be completely exclusive, with no other guest staying during your visit, simply let us know when you book and we can arrange this for you.

Hosted Lagos is designed primarily for independent adult travellers who are curious about Nigeria but might not otherwise feel confident visiting Lagos on their own.

It's particularly welcoming to gay men and LGBT+ travellers, although you don't have to be gay to join us.

We assume our guests are interested in meeting people and experiencing the real Lagos rather than simply ticking tourist attractions off a list.

Absolutely.

In fact, Hosted Lagos is particularly suited to solo travellers.

You arrive on your own, but from your first evening you'll meet your host, guides and the wider local team. The experience gives you company when you want it while still giving you your own private room and plenty of independence.

Of course.

Hosted Lagos works particularly well for friends or couples travelling together. We'll explain the accommodation and pricing options when you enquire.

For your first five nights you'll stay in Lekki, in a large air-conditioned double bedroom with your own private en-suite bathroom.

You'll then spend two nights at your choice of one of our selected four-star beach resorts, currently JARA Beach Resort or La Campagne Tropicana.

No — and that's one of the most important differences between Hosted Lagos and a conventional tour.

We provide a suggested itinerary centred on culture and heritage, art, nature, beaches, and nightlife, but it's your holiday.

You choose the experiences you want to do and which of our guides you'd like to accompany you.

Plans can change over breakfast if you want them to.

Yes.

Although Hosted Lagos is deliberately social, your room is your own private space.

You decide how involved you want to be. If you fancy an afternoon by yourself, an early night or simply want to sit by the pool with a book, that's completely fine.

While you're staying in Lekki, you'll have a private chef preparing your meals.

We want food to be part of the experience, so you'll have opportunities to try Nigerian dishes alongside more familiar options.

We'll discuss allergies, dietary requirements and preferences with you before you arrive.

What if I don't like Nigerian food?

That's fine. You're not going to be forced to eat jollof rice three times a day!

Your chef can prepare a mixture of Nigerian and international food, and we'll discuss what you like before you arrive.

Can you cater for dietary requirements?

In most cases, yes.

Please tell us about allergies or dietary requirements before booking so that we can confirm we can accommodate them safely.

Some evenings are deliberately relaxed, with dinner, drinks or a pool party at the house.

If you'd like to explore Lagos nightlife, your guides can introduce you to rooftop bars, clubs and places you would be extremely unlikely to discover by yourself — including our gay karaoke night.

Nothing is compulsory.

Because Lagos is an extraordinary city — but it isn't always an easy city to discover as an outsider.

You could book a hotel, hire a driver and visit some of the major attractions yourself.

What is much harder to buy is access: knowing where to go, knowing who to trust, meeting local people, discovering places you won't find in a guidebook and feeling comfortable enough to experience Lagos rather than simply observe it.

That's what Hosted Lagos is about.

Come to Lagos as our guest. Leave as our friend.

Nigeria is a socially conservative country and homosexuality is illegal, so this is something LGBT+ visitors need to take seriously. Public attitudes towards homosexuality are also generally much more conservative than in the UK, Europe or North America.

But that isn't the whole story.

Lagos has a large and surprisingly vibrant LGBT+ community. There are gay parties, social events and venues, and you'll meet LGBT+ Lagosians who live, work, date and socialise here. Much of this community is simply less visible than you might be accustomed to at home - knowing where to go and who to go with makes an enormous difference.

That's also an important part of Hosted Lagos. We know the local community and the places we take you have been chosen accordingly. You won't be expected to find your way into a community that can be very difficult for an outsider to discover.

There are some sensible precautions. We recommend being discreet about public displays of affection and respecting the fact that attitudes and laws here are different from those at home. Your hosts will always advise you about what is appropriate in a particular place or situation.

We don't want to pretend that Nigeria doesn't have homophobia - it does. But nor does that mean LGBT+ people don't have lives, friendships, relationships and a community here.

Hosted Lagos gives you an opportunity to experience a side of LGBT+ Lagos that most international visitors would never know existed — safely, discreetly and in the company of people who are already part of it.

Gay dating apps are available and widely used in Lagos. However, we strongly recommend that Hosted Lagos guests do not use dating apps to arrange meetings while they are in Nigeria.

Dating apps carry risks everywhere in the world, but there are additional considerations for LGBT+ visitors to Nigeria. Criminals can use dating and social apps to arrange meetings that lead to robbery, blackmail or extortion, and there have been documented cases in Nigeria of gay and bisexual men being deliberately targeted through online dating.

One of the advantages of Hosted Lagos is that you don't need an app to meet people.

If you'd like to socialise or meet other gay men while you're here, talk to your guides. We can introduce you to people through our own social networks and take you to bars, clubs, karaoke nights and private parties that we know.

Our advice is simple: meet people through people and places we know, rather than arranging to meet strangers from an app.

Ultimately, what you do in your private time is your decision, but if you're considering meeting someone you don't know, please talk to your host or guides first. We'd much rather help you have a great night out than have you take an unnecessary risk.

Same-sex sexual activity is illegal in Nigeria and LGBT+ people do not have the legal protections they have in countries such as the UK.

We will be completely open with you about this before you travel.

One of the reasons Hosted Lagos exists is that local knowledge makes an enormous difference. We know where we can go, how we behave and the people and places where our guests will be welcome.

Guests are expected to follow the advice of their host and guides while in Nigeria.

Most international visitors, including British passport holders, need a visa to visit Nigeria.

Don't worry — we'll guide you through the process. Once your Hosted Lagos booking is confirmed, we'll explain what you need, provide the relevant information about your stay and help you through the application process.

Your passport will need to meet Nigeria's current entry requirements, so please check its validity before booking.

You should fly to Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) in Lagos.

We'll meet you at the airport and take you directly to your accommodation. Your airport transfer at the beginning and end of your Hosted Lagos stay is included.

From London, we recommend flying direct to Lagos.

British Airways and Air Peace operate direct services between London and Lagos. Flight schedules change, so we'll recommend the most convenient flights for your particular dates.

Flights are not included in the Hosted Lagos price and you'll book and pay for these directly with the airline.

Please don't book your flight until we have confirmed your Hosted Lagos dates.

Your booking confirmation will give you your arrival date and we'll help you choose a suitable flight.

If you're travelling from London, we recommend the British Airways flight from Heathrow or the Air Peace flight from Gatwick, as their arrival and departure times work particularly well with the Hosted Lagos itinerary.

However, you're completely free to choose whichever flights work best for you. Whatever flight you choose, we'll collect you from the airport when you arrive and take you back for your return flight, so you don't need to worry about arranging transport in Lagos.

Yes. Comprehensive travel insurance is a condition of booking.

Your insurance should cover Nigeria and include medical treatment, emergency repatriation, cancellation and curtailment, your belongings and the activities you plan to undertake.

We strongly recommend buying your insurance as soon as you book your trip.

You should check the latest professional travel-health advice well before departure.

Depending on where you are travelling from and your individual circumstances, vaccinations or certificates may be recommended or required.

Nigeria is also a malaria-risk country, so you should discuss malaria prevention with a doctor, pharmacist or travel clinic.

We can tell you what we do ourselves and point you towards current official guidance, but medical decisions should be made with an appropriate healthcare professional.

Absolutely. You won't arrive in Lagos and be left to work things out for yourself.

We'll confirm your flight details before you travel and arrange for you to be met at the airport. Your private transfer will take you directly to your accommodation.

We'll also arrange your return transfer at the end of your stay.

Private transport is included as part of your Hosted Lagos experience.

You'll have access to our vehicle, private driver and guides for the activities included in your itinerary. We're not expecting you to negotiate Lagos public transport or work out how to get from one side of the city to another.

Lagos traffic is legendary, though, so itineraries sometimes need to remain flexible!

Nigeria uses Type D and Type G electrical sockets. Type G is the same three-pin plug used in the UK, although you may encounter other socket types.

Electricity is 230V/50Hz, so most UK and European chargers will work normally, although European visitors should bring an appropriate plug adaptor.