February is Black History month and what better place to explore and share with you than my trip to Badagry. My trip to visit Badagry was a bit unplanned but nevertheless fulfilling because I had a chance not only to hear about history but to get a thorough walk-though of the slave trade in Nigeria. Badagry is notably known for the slave trade to foreigners. I had the pleasure of having knowledgble tour guides walk me through the four key sights in the area over the course of 2 to 3 hours: The first storey building in Nigeria, The Chief Mobee Royal Family Original Slave Relic Museum, Seriki Faremi Williams Slave Museum and the Badagary Slave Route.
The history of the slave trade told of how 40 slaves were sold in exchange for an umbrella to how slaves were kept in inhumane conditions some for months before they were sold and shipped away. I had a pleasure to see history in a way I have never done before and this was indeed due to the impressive tour guides.
Rather than bore you further with a history lesson, I will leave you with visuals of my trip. Please also see here for a short vlog of my trip.
THE FIRST STOREY BUILDING IN NIGERIA
Standing in front of the first storey building
Tour guide at the First Storey Building talking about the quality of the materials then went into the building of the house
Being shown the safe that was located in the first storey building along with currencies that were used then by the British
Being shown the safe that was located in the first storey building along with currencies that were used then by the British
This well is the only drinkable well in Badagry (located in the compound of the first storey building)…of course, I had a taste and have to admit that it tasted pretty good.
SERIKI FAREMI WILLIAMS ABASS SLAVE MUSEUM
The entrance of the museum
Baracoons are enclosures in which black slaves were confined for a limited period
Our tour guide sharing history with us
Some of the instruments of torture
CHIEF MOBEE FAMILY SLAVES RELICS MUSEUM
Certainly not the biggest museum in the world but holds history nevertheless
The Museum
The original drinking bowl from which slaves drank from
Depictions of slave treatment
ORIGINAL SLAVE ROUTE (THE POINT OF NO RETURN)
Our transportation from badagry to the island of “the point of no return” (approx. a 10 min journey)
On the slave route on the island
The only official store on the island (where I purchased the cutest coconut bag)
Arriving at the point of no return (It took approx. a 25-30 min walk to get from where the bought disembarked to reach this point by the atlantic)
What I loved: The tour guides who were very thorough and the closeness of all the sites visited which made it easy to walk and see most things.
What I hated: Not much but bear in mind that the trip to Badagry can be a long one (65KM from the mainland Lagos) if you do not make way at the right time (i.e. traffic-prone times)
Would I go back: Certainly! Especially to showcase to others who haven’t been. It is certainly one of the best tour sites I have visited in Nigeria.
Costs:
– Boat from Badagry to the island of the point of no return was N5000 for three of us (considering no one else was on the boat with us. Apparently its normally N1000 each if it was busy. N5000 included a tour guide that guided us through out the whole island.
– Each site cost approximately N200 – N500
Travel Tips: (1) Make sure to bring drinks with you to keep hydrated (there were options for drinks but I believe limited)
(2) Costs for all tour sites are negotiable and as such, make sure to bargain according to what you believe you can afford
(3) If you have an issue with walking 25 mins, please avoid going to the point of no return. There were no other means of transporting for tourist on arrival on the island so either you walk or just wait. (My 60 year old aunt came with along with me and was sooo mad lol)
I hope you enjoyed the write-up. Let me know if you haven questions about my trip. As always, I hope that I have inspired you to visit this gem is history.
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Hello!
My name is Salmon Hawau Ajibola. I am a travel consultant. Am planning an excursion to badagry for multitudes. I want to know if it’s until get here that I will pay?
Hello and good day. My friends and I are planning an excursion to Badagry. I’ll like to find out if there is an office for us to call more details on the payment. Thank you
Hello Promise! Unfortunately there isn’t a official office in Badagry but you can either go to badagry yourself and pay on arrival (which I do) or find a local tour company to visit with. Let me know if you have any questions.
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Hello Funke, what an exciting experience that was for you . I would like to visit badagry with my school pupils, How much is the entrance ticket?
How do I get there from mile 2 or Iyaoba?
Thank you
Hello Bolanle, It was a great place to visit. The guides are great and knowledgeable. It depends on what you are doing, each attraction has a different price and tbh it isn’t fixed. Use google map https://www.google.com/maps to get directions. I hope that helps.
please I would love to take my pupils there too. how many attractions does one have to pay for?
Depends on what you want to see. Prices are negotiable
How is to get there from mile 2?
Enter a bus from mile 2 to okoko. From okoko get a bus to Agbara. Then at agbara, you get cars going to Badagry roundabout.
Thanks a lot for this information. I’m planning to visit soon.
how do you get to Badagry from Lagos?
Hello Kesi,
Best bet would be to hire a driver for the day to drive you there. Perhaps negotiate with a uber driver on a day rate as you would need the whole day to explore. Hope that helps.
hello funke,
do they have good hotels for family sleep overs? which do you recommend
I would check out Whispering Palms https://www.whisperingpalmslagos.com/en/index.html
This is a place I’d totally love to visit. I heard somewhere that I’d need a valid international passport to get into some places in badagry from lagos. Is that true?
If you are in Nigeria, you don’t need an international passport to visit Badagry BUT because Badagry is close to the Seme border, the road is filled with immigration officers who may ask for your passport (as they assume you may be crossing the border out of Nigeria).
I need a number to make inquiry about it
Hello Funke thanks alot for this information and i felt i was there already reading through..please how much can you saay one should budget for the trip startig from badagry.hoping to go next week..
Hello Funke,
Please am planning to go to badagry around late July for my honeymoon. But I have a question:
1. Please is there a particular time of the year one can go to badagry? or its open all year round.
2. Say am lodged at the whispering palms hotel, how do I locate a tour guide to take me to those places.
Hello, sorry for the late response.
It is open all year round. I would advise you call the hotel as they can make provisions for a tour guide to take you around. Hope that helps!
Very helpful thank you.
You can visit Badagry almost at any period of time. The Sycamore hotel is a good place to lodge and is closer than Whispering Palms, of course it still depends on what you like. And certainly there are other good and closer places to lodge. You don’t need so much money too. Per pupil shouldn’t be more than N100, the fees vary for adults and people from other countries. You can get Badagry vehicle straight from Mile 2. A load of tips to give actually. I lived in Badagry for years and I know all those places in and out. Cheers!
You can visit Badagry almost at any period of time. The Sycamore hotel is a good place to lodge and is closer than Whispering Palms, of course it still depends on what you like. And certainly there are other good and closer places to lodge. You don’t need a large amount of money too. Per pupil shouldn’t be more than N100, the fees vary for adults and people from other countries. You can get Badagry vehicle straight from Mile 2. A load of tips to give actually. I lived in Badagry for years and I know all those places in and out. Cheers!
Good evening. I would love yo visit this Saturday with a friend and we are coming from LUTH. We don’t have our passports here, hope it will not be a major problem. And once we get to badagry roundabouts, what next? Thank you
Gloria, you dont need a passport to visit badagry
A trip to badagary excursion, please i need someone to contact ASAP.
Hello, thank you for this. I am planning a trip with my colleagues. Please how much was the entry fee to the museum and you said each site cost abt 200 . About how many site should we prepare for. Thank you