Lekki Conservation Center

My baby cousin (I refer to every one younger than me as baby- so baby brother, baby cousin etc etc), said cousin is actually a medical doctor and over 25 so really not a baby .

Not my baby cousin

Anyway, my baby cousin, came into Lagos for the week as a vacation from work as she lives in Abuja.

In as much as I love Lagos, it is stressful.

But people can come here on vacation and still have a swell time.
I curated an itinerary for my baby cousin and she had such a wonderful time. ( if you want a run down, hit me up)

Baby Cousin

Lagos as a vacation spot? 
I dig it. Totally
Might as well put out a series of vacation touristy things to do in Lagos. 

Of all the things we did for the week she was here, I’d say LCC was the most fun and informative. 

The Lekki Conservation Center was opened in 1990 by the Nigerian conservation foundation (NCF). It is a seventy something hectare of natural reserve spanning from the lekki express ( where the entrance is) towards the Atlantic.

Rumor has it that the master landscape architect that worked on it asked, begged pleaded with the NCF to extend it to the atlantic as there needed to be a natural outlet for an eco system to flourish. The same rumor has it that NCF said LOL, and cordoned off the conservative center, took the land facing the Atlantic and built a delicious water front estate.As a result there are not a lot of animals to see. I mean there is a turtle, a few peacocks and enough monkeys. And probably insects too.

Irrespective of the rumors if you are a tree hugger or not, the conservation center is an oasis from the Lagos madness. It also houses the longest canopy walk in Africa. Which was built by Oyibos so it’s pretty safe.

We arrived at 4pm on a Wednesday and bought tickets.
LCC is open from 9am-5pm.

Entry into the center costs N1,000.
Access to the canopy walk N1,000 and
access to the family area N1,000.
Total N3,000.

You pay at the entrance and you are given three different bands that give access to the three attractions

I only have two, because I didn't think I'd want to go to the family area

 There is a tour guide every 30 minutes to walk you and your party along with the other visitors that arrive in the same time slot.
Now there are three main attractions of the conservation center. The actual walk way, built on stilts sitting over the swamp through the conservation that is overrun with monkeys. The main attraction here is the tree house. 

Walk way

Strike a pose

The second one is the canopy walk

Please read the warnings properly

Baby cousin

Sun set. At the highest point of the canopy walk

the third is the family area which has games and fish ponds and gazeebo’s for a picnic.

Directions

Chess game

 If you were observant enough to note that I had two bands but visited the three attractions, you are right. I decided last minute after the canopy walk to show my cousin the family area. There was no one checking our tickets so we just walked right in, played a game of chess and watched the sun set.

Entrance to the family area

A few things to note about LCC is that you walk everywhere. So you want to keep your personal possessions on you to a minimum. I.e. Leave your magic bag that has everything in it AT HOME. Or in your car, your hands will thank you.

Also you’d need the hands to hold the railings while you do the canopy walk.

As for food it might be difficult to lug two coolers of drinks through the conservatory to get to the family area where there are seats available.

But where there is a will, there is a way. – you can ask the LCC staff to get it to the family area and tip them.

I think If you plan to have a bohemian picnic LCC seems like just the spot.Or if you are like me and you just need to come somewhere quiet to watch the sun set and play candy crush on your phone then LCC is for you.

Ps: I also think it is perfect for a first date as a picnic with someone who you "actually like" and want to get to know, because all you have to do is talk and stare into each other's eyes.
Dear Lagos boys. Don't say I don't do anything for you.

Beach days are the best days.

First of all...

Happy new yearrrrrr!!!

I'm so excited about 2018 and I have the grandest plans for travel this year- as always.

We catching flights and finessing relationships with airline staff because those staff airline discounts be da bomb!

So as an aside I haven't put up Rwanda posts because Didi me in third person's laptop crashed.

And because Didi enjoys living dangerously on the edge she never backed up her laptop.  

Anyway she lost all her photos from all vacations this year.
Among and not limited to- other personal effects.

Say a prayer for me. I'm still stunned

Anyway.

Rang in the new year in Lagos doing absolutely nothing but drinking palm wine and eating pasta that I made for two of my friends that came to visit.

On the 2nd I decided to do one of my favorite things in Lagos. Go to the beach.

Settled for Light House beach.

A little back story on Tarkwa and Light House beach. Tarkwa is the beach on atlas cove in Lagos.
It's supposed to be a little den of iniquity *IF* the articles from the internet are to be believed.

However every time I've been, It has been pretty tame.

If Light house beach and Tarkwa were siblings.
Tarkwa is the older child of a middle class Nigerian family who lived in surulere and birthed Tarkwa at LUTH. Tarkwa went to school in Lagos and is popular around town.

Light house beach will be the second child of the same parents who had come into wealth moved to Ikoyi and could afford to have the child in America. Light House Beach is super refined. Clean. Quiet.

Everything Tarkwa is not.

Their similarities start and end at the banana boats that take you to them and the water that they share.

Google maps live image. The highlighted coast line is Light house beach.

It's so new it doesn't even have a google tag yet. Ah well.

How did I get there?

Banana boat*.
The beach is on an island so there is no way to get there without utilizing our very lovely water ways.
Either you own a boat or you know someone who owns a boat or you go and get in a banana boat taxi.
*A banana boat is a canoe with an engine ( which is powered by fuel and engine oil)


Where did I get the banana boat from?

The Jetty (using that word loosely here), at the American embassy car park opposite bonny camp in VI.

How much?

Parking NGN500, you get a ticket and the car is really safe.

Boat trip: N2000.
Trip to Tarkwa is N1500

Queuing to get on the boat at the "Jetty"

At Tarkwa bay you have to berth close to shore and wade to the beach because the person manning the boat isn't interested in having his boat pushed to shore and soliciting hands to assist him to push him said boat back into the water.

Light house beach has a "Jetty". So you don't have to worry about wobbling out of the boat ungraciously. And or dropping your phone in the water while you waddle to the shore.

Light house beach Jetty.

Now Light house beach is quiet. It is serene. It is what I want when I come to the beach which is really escape from the madness* that is Lagos.

* if you have never been to Lagos, this madness is in context.

That's my tent and chairs and tables

Because I am a girls scout and I'm always prepared, I had called before hand and asked that two chairs a table and tent be set up for my arrival. As always my beach guys came thorough.

Cost: N3000 and two cans of Heineken

Again this set up might have been cheaper at Tarkwa but you can't put a pricetag on  the quiet and peace of mind I enjoyed that day.


Settled in and went for a swim in the water. Listened to some music. Did some reading. Walked the shore. Contemplated helping some fisher women draw in their catch. Changed my mind.

Also this beach is significantly cleaner than Tarkwa bay.

 However if you are trying to have a party and meet people and mingle and play beach soccer  or basically interact with other human beings you do not know?  Please go to Tarkwa bay. It's so much more suited for those activities.


My party was pretty much the only one at the beach and I loved it.

Walking into 2018 like....

It bears mentioning that you need to bring ALL your food and cutlery and plates drinks and cups and ice to the beach because there is literally nothing on the beach.

You see how large that "all" in the previous paragraph is?

No seriously nothing can dampen a beach movement more than food with no plates and you having to morph into one of the 5 foolish virgins moving from tent to tent begging for disposable plates and forks.

However if you like food hot/freshly cooked  there are grills so you can pre marinate your chicken/fish/burger patty to come and cook and assemble at the beach.

If you are anything like me- 12 baskets small chops** stays hot in their new insulation bags.
Dominoes Pizza travels well if the idea of cold pizza doesn't upset you so much

** An assorted range of snacks deep fried usually including but not limited to Springrolls, samosa, Puff puff, mosa, gizzard. grilled chicken, snail and fish.

Obviously goes without saying that you will need a insulated cooler bag for your drinks because whats the point of coming all the way to Light house beach to drink hot beer?

FYI: unlike Tarkwa where you need to wear your swimsuit from land since there are no changing room facilites, Light house has a changing room with a door that can be locked from inside.

So you can come have a full 20 outfit range photo shoot at the beach and not about changing room facilities. if that is up your alley.

What are your travel plans for 2018?
If you aren't like me - perhaps now is the time to write them down. make it plain and run with the vision.

I wish you all the very best in the new year.