Timing, geography and money mistakes
One: booking a 9am meeting on Victoria Island from a Lekki hotel. The Lekki-Ikoyi bridge and Falomo route both jam solid 7-10am. Move it to 11am or sleep on VI the night before. Two: assuming Lekki is small. Lekki Phase 1 to Ajah is 40 minutes with no traffic and 2 hours with. Three: booking a hotel in Sangotedo because it looked cheap on the map, then spending ₦20,000 a day on Bolts to reach anything.
Four: bringing only dollars, or bringing torn/small dollars. Five: relying on one card. Six: not downloading Bolt AND inDrive before arrival — you need both for surge redundancy. Seven: exchanging money at Murtala Muhammed airport arrivals, where rates are notoriously bad. Do a small exchange for the taxi and change the rest through your hotel.
Cultural and practical mistakes
Eight: dressing for a generic tropical beach holiday. Lekki is a working city with dress-code restaurants and churches next to the beach. Bring one smart outfit for dinner at Nok or a night at Quilox. Nine: underestimating December. Detty December means Lekki hotel rates triple, restaurants require reservations two weeks ahead, and traffic is worse than usual. If you can’t shift dates, book everything by early November.
Bonus mistakes: drinking tap water (bottled only, and check the seal), skipping mosquito prevention (Lagos is malarial — take prophylaxis, use repellent at dusk), and photographing the Lekki toll gate or any military installation. Also, don’t try to visit Nike Art Gallery, Lekki Conservation Centre and a beach in the same day unless you enjoy being in a car for 5 hours.
Bon à savoir
What's the single biggest mistake?+
Ignoring traffic when planning your day. Everything else can be recovered from; a day lost in gridlock cannot. Cluster your activities by geography — one Lekki day, one VI/Ikoyi day, one beach day.
Should I book tours in advance or on arrival?+
Book Lekki Conservation Centre canopy walk and any boat cruise in advance during December and Easter. Off-peak, walk-ins are fine everywhere except New Afrika Shrine nights and Terra Kulture theatre matinees.