Flights to Nigeria from €595*

* The displayed prices are applicable for one adult. All amounts are in EUR including taxes and surcharges, except where taxes are collected locally at the airport. A booking fee is not applicable, but a payment surcharge may apply. Prices and availability are subject to change without notice, see Air France Price Display for more information.

Air France flights from Ireland to Nigeria

Nigeria is sometimes called ‘the Giant of Africa’, a reference to its large population but also its status as a major regional power. It’s populated by no fewer than 250 ethnic groups speaking more than 500 languages. English is widely spoken in cities, but less so in rural areas. The whole of the country belongs to a single time zone that puts it one hour ahead of Ireland. The climate ranges from tropical monsoon in the south to arid in the far north. The large majority of the population lives in a middle belt characterized by a marked wet season and a short dry season (December to March), with temperatures usually staying above 18°C. The local currency is the Nigerian Naira (NGN) and the flight to Nigeria from Dublin (in this case, to Lagos) lasts from 11 hours, including a transfer in Paris or Amsterdam. More information on connections in Paris can be found here . Irish visitors will need a tourist visa to stay in the country.

Visit one of the world’s fastest-growing cities, Nigeria’s capital, Abuja

One of the continent’s very few major modern planned cities, Abuja officially replaced Lagos as the country’s capital in 1991. It’s the administrative and political hub of Nigeria, containing key buildings like the Presidential Complex, the National Church and National Mosque and the National Stadium. The exclusive Maitama district contains the beautiful Millennium Park, which is not far from the National Assembly. Just outside the city lies Zuma Rock, an astonishing rock formation called a monolith. Uluru, the most famous monolith, stands 348 metres high, but Zuma Rock is more than twice this height. Just a little north-west of Zuma Rock you’ll find another of Nigeria’s natural gems, the Gurara Waterfalls. At 200 metres wide and with a drop of thirty metres, these make for an impressive sight. Substantially further away is one of the country’s favourite national parks – the Yankari National Park. It’s well-known for its warm springs, as well as its rich wildlife which includes a large population of elephants, not to mention waterbuck, western hartebeest, buffalo and hippopotamus.

Southeast Nigeria: history, culture and nature

Lagos is well-known for its lively nightlife and music scene, but if you head southeast, towards Benin City, Calabar and Cross River State, you’ll glimpse a fascinating insight into this region’s past. Benin City is the heart of the old Kingdom of Benin, once one of the most powerful states in Africa. The Benin National Museum offers a window onto this civilization, best-known in the West for its bronze statues. This tradition lives on in Igun Street, Benin City, where you can see craftsmen at work and purchase their finished products.

Head east towards the border with Cameroon to see some more Nigeria’s top wildlife sights. The Cross River National Park extends across a large area in the far southeast. Divided into two main sections, habitats encompass lowland rainforest, savannah and mountainous areas up to 1700 metres above sea level. No fewer than 16 different primates can be seen here, including chimpanzees, drills and Cross River Gorilla. Forest elephants and African buffalo can be added to over 350 species of bird and well over 600 species of butterfly. The Obudu mountains in the north of the park are a popular tourist destination, boasting a resort with its own cable-car. Calabar, a small city to the south of the National Park, was a port which once played a major part in the Atlantic slave trade. A slave history museum recounts this tragic era in the region’s past.

Don’t forget to check out the special offer section of the website for great-priced flights to this amazing country!

Explore Nigeria the smart way with help from these websites:

• nigerianembassydublin.org/
• whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/NG
• nigeriahc.org.uk/culture-tourism