Nigeria in 7 Days on a Budget (Daily Costs)
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Before you book: Nigeria’s main visitor circuit, Lagos, Abuja, and Cross River/Calabar, is generally fine to visit with sensible precautions. Several other regions are currently under “do not travel” or “reconsider travel” guidance: the northeast (Borno, Yobe, Adamawa, an active Boko Haram/ISWAP insurgency), the northwest and north-central “Middle Belt” (Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna, Sokoto, Niger, kidnapping-for-ransom and banditry), the Niger Delta (militancy and kidnapping tied to the oil industry), and parts of the southeast (separatist unrest). Check your own government’s current advisory, the US State Department and UK FCDO are the usual references, before booking anything. This plan links its three cities by domestic flight rather than any overland drive through the regions above, because that’s the safer way to cover this much ground. Even in Lagos, Abuja, and Calabar, use trusted transport, skip walking after dark, and don’t flash cash or a phone in the open. Same-sex activity is criminalized in Nigeria, so this is not a safe trip for an openly LGBTQ+ traveler.
A week covers Lagos, Abuja, and Calabar by domestic flight
Seven days is enough for three bases without rushing: two days in Lagos, two in Abuja, three winding down in Calabar and Cross River state, with a domestic flight between each. Shorter trips stay to one base, see the 2-day , 3-day , and 4-day itineraries. Naira prices move fast, so everything below is budgeted in USD; the two domestic flights are the biggest single costs by far, everything else runs closer to $35 to $65 a day.
Book these before you go
- A Lagos city and Lekki day tour for Day 1 or Day 2
- A Lagos hotel for the first two nights, booked ahead; check the current official travel advisory before booking
- A Calabar hotel for the back half of the trip, book early if this overlaps December’s Calabar Carnival
- A Calabar or Obudu tour for Day 6
- Your yellow fever vaccination certificate (10+ days before you fly, it’s mandatory) and your e-visa through the official immigration portal
Day 1: Arrival in Lagos and the historic core
Arrive at Murtala Muhammed International Airport (LOS) and transfer to a hotel in Victoria Island or Ikoyi. Once settled, the National Museum Lagos in Onikan holds roughly 47,000 artifacts, Nok terracotta and Benin bronzes among them, a solid first stop (confirm current hours and entry fee). Freedom Park, the former colonial Broad Street Prison turned cultural venue, is a good lunch spot with occasional live events. Ease into the evening with dinner nearby rather than planning a big night on arrival day, jet lag and Lagos traffic both argue for it.
| Day 1 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Guesthouse / budget hotel | 20 | 45 |
| Airport transfer to hotel | 5 | 15 |
| Breakfast | 1 | 3 |
| National Museum Lagos entry | 1 | 3 |
| Lunch (Freedom Park or a local eatery) | 3 | 8 |
| Dinner | 8 | 25 |
| Local transport | 2 | 6 |
| Day 1 total | 40 | 105 |
Day 2: Lekki, nature, and the coast
The Lekki Conservation Centre threads Africa’s longest canopy walkway through a managed forest reserve with monkeys and birds, two to three hours door to door (confirm the current entry fee). The Nike Art Gallery, five stories and roughly 8,000 works founded by Nike Davies-Okundaye, is commonly cited as free and worth an hour on its own. In the afternoon, pick a beach, Elegushi is managed with an entry fee, Tarkwa Bay is a short boat ride from the Victoria Island jetties. Grilled fish or shrimp on the sand covers lunch, and this is the night to catch the Afrobeats and Nollywood scene if that’s part of the draw, since tomorrow you fly out.
| Day 2 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Guesthouse / budget hotel | 20 | 45 |
| Lekki Conservation Centre entry | 3 | 8 |
| Nike Art Gallery | 0 | 0 |
| Beach entry / boat to Tarkwa Bay | 3 | 8 |
| Seafood lunch on the beach | 5 | 12 |
| Local transport | 2 | 6 |
| Dinner + a night out | 8 | 20 |
| Day 2 total | 41 | 99 |
Day 3: Fly to Abuja, the planned capital
Take a domestic flight (Air Peace and Ibom Air both fly this route) from Lagos to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport (ABV) in Abuja, the federal capital since 1991, not Lagos, a common mix-up. Abuja reads calmer and more orderly than Lagos from the moment you land. In the afternoon, view Aso Rock, the roughly 400-meter monolith over the Presidential Complex, from a public vantage point (the complex itself isn’t a visitor site), then see the National Mosque and National Christian Centre, which face each other across Independence Avenue by design. The mosque welcomes non-Muslim visitors outside prayer times with modest dress.
| Day 3 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic flight, Lagos to Abuja | 70 | 140 |
| Guesthouse / budget hotel (Abuja) | 25 | 50 |
| Breakfast | 2 | 5 |
| Lunch | 3 | 8 |
| Aso Rock viewpoint (transport only) | 3 | 8 |
| National Mosque + National Christian Centre | 0 | 0 |
| Dinner | 8 | 20 |
| Local transport | 2 | 6 |
| Day 3 total | 113 | 237 |
Day 4: Millennium Park, Jabi Lake, and a Zuma Rock detour
Millennium Park and Jabi Lake cover a relaxed morning of gardens, fountains, and waterfront leisure. In the afternoon, a roughly 2 to 3 hour round trip northwest toward Suleja brings you to Zuma Rock, the 725-meter monolith on the ₦100 note and the informal “gateway to Abuja.” Treat it as a short viewing detour, not a longer excursion toward Kaduna, the road in that direction trends toward a flagged region, so keep the car turning back once you’ve had your look and your photos.
| Day 4 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Guesthouse / budget hotel (Abuja) | 25 | 50 |
| Breakfast | 2 | 5 |
| Millennium Park + Jabi Lake | 2 | 6 |
| Round-trip transport to Zuma Rock | 15 | 30 |
| Lunch | 4 | 10 |
| Dinner | 8 | 20 |
| Local transport | 2 | 6 |
| Day 4 total | 58 | 127 |
Day 5: Fly to Calabar, a former slave-trade port
Fly from Abuja to Margaret Ekpo International Airport (CBQ) in Calabar, a former Atlantic slave-trade port often called “the tourism capital of Nigeria.” Pair the Slave History Museum with the National Museum in the Old Residency, an 1884 prefabricated building shipped from Britain, both fit into an afternoon. Calabar’s own markets and colonial-era streets are worth a slow evening walk before dinner.
| Day 5 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic flight, Abuja to Calabar | 80 | 150 |
| Guesthouse / budget hotel (Calabar) | 20 | 40 |
| Breakfast | 2 | 5 |
| Slave History Museum + Old Residency | 3 | 8 |
| Lunch | 4 | 10 |
| Dinner | 8 | 20 |
| Local transport | 2 | 6 |
| Day 5 total | 119 | 239 |
Day 6: Obudu Mountain Resort and the cable car
Obudu Mountain Resort sits up on a highland plateau a few hours from Calabar, noticeably cooler than the lowland heat, a genuine change of pace. The cable car is the headline activity, with hiking trails around the plateau for anyone staying longer than a day (confirm current pricing and resort status before you go). Round trip from Calabar in a single day is doable but long, an overnight at the resort is the more comfortable option if your schedule allows shifting a day from Abuja instead.
| Day 6 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Guesthouse / budget hotel (Calabar) | 20 | 40 |
| Round-trip transport to Obudu | 15 | 35 |
| Obudu day-use + cable car | 15 | 35 |
| Lunch at Obudu | 5 | 12 |
| Dinner back in Calabar | 8 | 20 |
| Day 6 total | 63 | 142 |
Day 7: Departure from Calabar
A light morning, a last walk through Calabar’s markets or a return to the Old Residency if you skipped anything, before heading to Margaret Ekpo International Airport (CBQ) for departure or a connecting domestic flight home through Lagos or Abuja.
| Day 7 cost (USD, per person) | Low | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| Breakfast | 2 | 5 |
| Airport transfer | 5 | 15 |
| Light lunch before the flight | 3 | 8 |
| Day 7 total | 10 | 28 |
Is Nigeria safe to visit right now?
It depends heavily on where. Lagos, Abuja, and Cross River state are generally fine for a precaution-first visit: trusted transport, no walking at night, nothing flashy. The northeast, the northwest/Middle Belt, the Niger Delta, and parts of the southeast carry active do-not-travel or reconsider-travel guidance, and this itinerary never routes through any of them. Check your own government’s current advisory before you book.
Which of Nigeria’s UNESCO sites can I actually visit?
Nigeria has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, and only one is currently practical to visit. Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, a Yoruba sacred forest inscribed in 2005, sits in the southwest and pairs well with a Lagos-based trip rather than this Lagos-Abuja-Calabar route. Sukur Cultural Landscape, inscribed in 1999, is real, but it’s in Adamawa state in the insecure northeast. See the UNESCO listing for Nigeria for both.
How much should I budget for the two domestic flights?
Air Peace and Ibom Air both connect Lagos, Abuja, and Calabar; expect somewhere around $70 to $150 per one-way domestic ticket, though fares shift with the naira and with how far ahead you book. Together the two flights on this route (Lagos to Abuja, Abuja to Calabar) are likely to cost more than any other single item in the whole trip, budget for that upfront rather than being surprised at checkout.
Getting around on 7 days: what needs booking ahead
Book both domestic flights and, if traveling in December, Calabar accommodation well ahead, Calabar Carnival fills the city. Inside each city, Bolt and Uber cover Lagos and Abuja; danfo buses and keke tricycles work in a pinch if you’re comfortable with some chaos. Calabar and the Obudu run rely on a hired car with a driver rather than self-driving, potholes and checkpoints make that the easier call. Keep your yellow fever certificate and passport copies on you the whole trip, not just at the airport.