A day at Lekki Conservation Centre

Most Nigerians do not know this; at 401 meters long, we have the longest canopy walkway in Africa here in Lagos, Lekki Conservation Center (LCC) and the second largest in the world. Not quite sure what a canopy walkway is? Here is an image of one:

In the past couple of years, Lekki Conservation Center (LCC) has since become a major tourist destination for those exploring Nigeria for the first time, and even for locals seeking something different beyond their norms.

Pretty much 95% of tour packages sold for Lagos explorations now include a visit to LCC and its amazing beauty also does help with capturing Instagram-worthy images to show off to friends.

A canopy walkway or a treetop walkway are linked up platforms/bridges that provide access to upper regions of forests and allow for amazing views of forest from the suspended platforms.

Fact: Prior to its launch by Lagos State, Ghana`s Kakum National Park used to hold the title as the longest canopy walkway in Africa, but as Nigerians do not like to carry last, we took over that spot since 2015.

Tip 1: Once you get on the bridge towards the park, you will have to trek back the same way to get to the main entrance.

There is a separate parking lot outside the picnic area, so if you aren’t driving yourself, you can direct your ride here. Besides getting Instagram worthy pictures on the canopy walkway, LCC also has spaces for family and friends to play games and to picnic.

Tip 2: Pack a backpack worth of bites and drinks for the visit, there are no food vendors after crossing over to the picnic and games section of the park.

A few months ago, I finally got to explore this Eco Tourism Park during Nigeria Travel Week in Lagos and I was pretty impressed by the amazing views from the top. With so many clusters of concrete jungles in Lagos, it is so easy to forget that we have such an amazing patch of nature within our bustling city.

In a day, I got to forget about the noise pollution, air pollution, and the way too many buildings in small areas. I got to simply be present and experience what nature in Lagos had to offer.

While the center itself looks to already be falling into visible disrepair, the bridge felt pretty sturdy to walk on – well, as sturdy as a swinging bridge can feel at least.

The center also made sure to have control staff at key points in order to control the number of people going on the bridge at the same time. The bridge has a maximum allowance of six people at a time, and they were thankfully strict with sticking to that maximum number.

Tip 3: Take a selfie stick with you! I regret not taking one with me for some amazing pictures to take home with.

It was a bit depressing to see that in less than three years since its official opening, the park is already in a state of disrepair.

Last week, I found out that the fishes in the koi pond are now dead. If you watch my ZeeGoes youtube travel video of my time there, you will note the peeling surface of the draught game area.

I tried not to focus so much on its state of disrepair, but the list of visible issues extend beyond just the ones listed and for a location noted as one of the top ten places to visit in Lagos, we need to do better about the gems we have in our city.

Tip 4: Make sure to go with family and friends. A day of picnic and games is definitely a must. Also take some fun games along for the experience; there are usually a good number of people spending time there and the games available are too limited in number for a large group of people to share.

Tip 5: Hold cash with you! The last time I went, they accepted cash only. Entry fee for the picnic area access is N1, 000 and an additional N1, 000 to get on the Canopy Walkway, which is pretty affordable for the amazing views it has to offer.

Note: There are some animals roaming the area, and do not feed them. The monkeys there can be very familiar and a bit savage the minute you offer them some nibbles.

I can be a bit skittish about animals, and that was a major reason for not visiting the centre before now. I steered very clear of the animals and luckily, they steered clear of me too.

Final Tip: Watch my LCC video experience below: