Welcome to Lagos, a city that holds more records than most people realize. Lagos isn’t just Nigeria’s commercial capital—it’s home to Africa’s longest canopy walkway, West Africa’s biggest water park, and the world’s longest swimming pool with built-in bars. These are verified records that put Lagos on the global map.
For residents who’ve never explored beyond their neighborhoods and tourists planning their first visit, understanding what makes these attractions record-breaking adds context to the experience.
This guide covers all the major record-breaking tourist attractions and places to visit in Lagos that will leave you in awe.
1. Hakuna Matata Theme Park
Location: Eko Atlantic, Victoria Island, Lagos
Hakuna Matata is West Africa’s biggest inflatable theme park, featuring massive inflatables, rides, slides, pools, and activities for all ages. The park divides its space by age groups, with safer zones for toddlers and more challenging inflatables for older children and adults.
The setup includes shaded rest areas where parents can sit while supervising their children. Food vendors operate on-site, and lockers are available for storing belongings. The park has become a popular venue for birthday celebrations and school outings.
2. Giwa Gardens
Location: Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Isheri, Lagos
Giwa Gardens is the largest water park in West Africa. The park covers significant ground with pools, slides, and water attractions. The wave pool simulates ocean conditions, while the lazy river allows for relaxed floating. They are high-speed slides for thrill-seekers, and separate shallow pools to accommodate young children.
Lifeguards monitor all major attractions. The park maintains changing rooms, lockers, and multiple food courts serving Nigerian and international cuisine. Private cabanas are available for rental.
3. Lekki Conservation Centre
Location: Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lekki, Lagos
Lekki Conservation Centre is home to the longest canopy walkway in Africa, stretching 401 meters and elevated up to 22.5 meters, providing breathtaking views of the 78-hectare nature reserve teeming with wildlife like monkeys, crocodiles, and numerous bird species.
Ground-level trails wind through the forest with informational signs about local flora and fauna. The center runs educational programs for schools and organizes guided nature walks. Photography is permitted, and the walkway provides excellent vantage points for wildlife observation.
4. Nike Art Gallery
Location: Elegushi Road, Lekki Phase 1, Lagos
Nike Art Gallery is one of the largest art galleries in West Africa, housing over 8,000 diverse artworks from Nigerian artists across five floors, and serving as a major hub for art education and exhibitions. Chief Nike Davies-Okundaye founded the gallery, which displays traditional and contemporary pieces including paintings, sculptures, textiles, and beadwork. Each floor focuses on different art forms and regions of Nigeria.
The gallery offers workshops in traditional dyeing techniques, beadwork, and painting. Visitors can watch artisans work and purchase pieces directly. The top floor contains Chief Nike’s private collection and provides views of the surrounding area. The gallery operates as both a museum and a functional art school.
5. Third Mainland Bridge
Location: Connecting Lagos Island to Oworonshoki, Lagos Mainland
Third Mainland Bridge is the longest bridge in West Africa and the second longest in Africa at 11.8 kilometers, connecting Lagos Island to the mainland and serving as a vital infrastructure landmark with stunning lagoon views.
The bridge offers views of the lagoon, fishing communities, and the Lagos skyline.
6. La Campagne Tropicana
Location: Ibeju-Lekki, along Lekki-Epe Expressway, Lagos
La Campagne Tropicana has the longest swimming pool In the world with 6 inbuilt bars. The beachfront resort sits on the Atlantic coast and combines eco-tourism with cultural experiences.
Activities include horseback riding, quad biking, beach volleyball, and water sports. The resort hosts cultural performances featuring traditional music and dance. Accommodation ranges from standard rooms to traditional huts. The restaurant serves local and continental dishes. The resort accepts day visitors and overnight guests.
7. Hi-Impact Amusement Park
Location: Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Lagos
Hi-Impact Amusement Park is Nigeria’s largest theme park and amusement resort. The facility includes roller coasters, bumper cars, a Ferris wheel, water slides, pools, arcade games, a bowling alley, laser tag, and go-kart tracks. The park is divided into sections for different activities.
Food vendors sell Nigerian dishes and international fast food. The park hosts corporate events, birthday parties, and school trips. Safety staff monitor rides and attractions. Ticket options include individual ride tickets and all-day passes. The park enforces height and age restrictions on certain attractions.
8. New Afrika Shrine
Location: Ikeja, Lagos (near the Maryland area)
New Afrika Shrine is an iconic venue where Femi Kuti set the Guinness World Record for the longest single note on a saxophone (46 minutes and 38 seconds), and a global hub for Afrobeat music, performances, and Fela Kuti’s legacy.
The open-air venue features murals depicting African liberation themes. Femi Kuti and his band perform regularly, mixing music with social commentary.
9. Freedom Park
Location: Old Prison Ground, Broad Street, Lagos Island, Lagos, Nigeria.
Freedom Park, built in 1872, is the only major site transformed from a colonial-era prison (Her Majesty’s Broad Street Prison) into a memorial and leisure park, preserving history.
The park hosts art exhibitions, concerts, theater performances, and film screenings. An amphitheater accommodates outdoor events.
10. Terra Kulture
Location: Tiamiyu Savage Street, Victoria Island, Lagos
Terra Kulture is Nigeria’s leading cultural centre, having organized over 300 art exhibitions, 140 plays, and 70 book readings, and hosting Guinness World Record attempts like the longest trumpet marathon, promoting African arts and heritage.
The 200-seat theater presents plays ranging from literary adaptations to contemporary works. The bookshop stocks Nigerian literature, and the ground-floor restaurant serves traditional Nigerian cuisine.
11. John Randle Centre for Yoruba Culture and History
Location: Onikan, Lagos Island, Lagos
The John Randle Centre is the first contemporary heritage centre dedicated to Yoruba culture. Located in Dr. John Randle’s restored historic home, the centre uses interactive technology including touchscreens and projection mapping to present Yoruba history and traditions.
Exhibitions cover Yoruba civilization, political structures, religious practices, and cultural influence across the diaspora. The centre offers workshops in drumming, storytelling, and traditional crafts. Regular performances and academic conferences maintain active engagement with Yoruba culture. The building itself represents Brazilian-influenced Lagos architecture from the early 20th century.
12. Eko Atlantic City
Location: Victoria Island (on reclaimed land along the Atlantic Ocean), Lagos
Eko Atlantic City hosts the world’s largest painting ever created by a single artist, part of an ambitious 10-million-square-meter reclaimed land project dubbed the “Dubai of Africa,” transforming Lagos’ coastline.
The project includes residential towers, offices, hotels, and shopping centres designed to international standards. The Great Wall of Lagos protects the development from ocean erosion.
13. National Theatre (Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts)
Location: Iganmu, Surulere, Lagos
National Theatre is the site of the Guinness World Record for the longest marathon theatre performance (over five days), and Nigeria’s largest multi-purpose cultural venue, renovated and renamed the Wole Soyinka Centre for Culture and the Creative Arts.
Built in 1977, the complex houses multiple performance halls and exhibition spaces. The main auditorium accommodates thousands and hosts theatrical productions, concerts, and film screenings. Smaller halls serve experimental theatre and specialized performances.
14. Lufasi Nature Park
Location: Lekki-Epe Expressway (shortly before Eleko), Lagos
Lufasi Nature Park is Lagos’ premier urban forest and conservation park, featuring rare plant species, an arboretum, and eco-activities, standing out as the city’s largest dedicated space for biodiversity and nature immersion.
Trails pass through wetlands and forest areas, each supporting different ecosystems. Visitors can birdwatch, picnic in designated areas, or walk the nature trails. The park charges an entrance fee.
15. Omu Resort
Location: Lekki-Epe Expressway, Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos
Omu Resort is home to West Africa’s largest go-kart track and a comprehensive zoo with the region’s most diverse animal collection, combining amusement, wildlife, and adventure in a single destination.
Additional facilities include hiking trails, a fishing lake, kayaking, swimming pools, and picnic areas. Accommodation allows overnight stays.
16. First Storey Building in Nigeria, Badagry
Location: Badagry, Lagos State (approximately 60km west of Lagos)
Built between 1842 and 1845 by Reverend Henry Townsend, this structure is Nigeria’s first storey building. The British Methodist missionary designed it as a mission house and school. The architecture combines European design with adaptations for tropical climate, including thick walls and strategic window placement.
Now a museum, the building displays period furniture, photographs, and documents related to early missionary activity. Yoruba-language Bibles and personal items from the Townsend family are exhibited.
17. Makoko Floating Community
Location: Makoko, along the Lagos Lagoon (off the Third Mainland Bridge), Lagos
Makoko is recognized as the world’s largest floating slum, with thousands of residents living in stilt houses over the Lagos Lagoon. Houses, schools, churches, shops, and sawmills stand on wooden stilts. Canoes provide primary transportation, with residents navigating waterways as others use streets.
The community operates with its own governance and economic systems. Some residents offer guided boat tours. The Makoko Floating School, designed by architect Kunlé Adeyemi, demonstrated innovative design for water-based communities before collapsing.
18. Velekete Slave Market, Badagry
Location: Badagry, Lagos State (approximately 60km west of Lagos)
Velekete Slave Market is one of the oldest slave markets in West Africa. Established in 1502, this site is one of the oldest slave markets along the notorious West African coast, serving as a primary point of trade for enslaved people before the transatlantic journey.
The nearby “Point of No Return” marks where enslaved people last touched African soil before boarding ships.
Planning Your Visit
Lagos traffic significantly affects travel time between attractions. Many venues are less crowded on weekdays. The New Afrika Shrine and beach destinations are weekend-oriented. You should wear comfortable clothing and plan for Lagos’ heat.
Transportation options include ride-hailing services, taxis, and private vehicles. Some locations like Badagry require longer travel times. Entrance fees vary by venue. Operating hours differ, with some attractions closing at sunset and others running late into the night.
We hope you have a humdinger of an experience, as you make plans to tour these amazing places to visit in Lagos.
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Lagos is blessed with great history and rich places to leave lasting memories.
I hope to visit soon for Detty December…