Makoko Floating Tour: Guided Canoe Experience in Lagos's Largest Stilt House Community

26 Ratings

Lagos

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Embark on a guided canoe tour through Makoko, Lagos’s largest stilt house community. Explore the floating village, learn about its history, and experience the daily lives of its residents.

Duration: 4 hours

Cancellation: 24 hours

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Highlights

Makoko - Explore the Makoko community in Lagos, the world’s largest floating village which lives principally on stilt houses on water.\nYour tour begins with a visit to the Baale’s (Head of the community) house and the primary school, pointing out the way of life of the community. You will then hop on your private canoe to wade through the fishing…

What's Included

Private transportation
Bottled water
On-board WiFi
Guided Tour
In-vehicle air conditioning
All fees and/or taxes

Additional Information

Explore the Makoko community in Lagos, the world’s largest floating village which lives principally on stilt houses on water. Discover Lagos’s own Venice on this guided canoe ride through the watery fishing neighborhood, built on stilts overtop canals.
The area is home to at least 850,000 people, although some estimates indicate closer to 1,000,000…

Location

Makoko

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings

5.0

(26 Ratings)

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Kiyanap

Sep 11, 2024

Great opportunity to learn - I loved the experience. I’m so glad we did this. They took care of everything for us and it was safe! A must do! Book this asap

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Taka75bar

Aug 23, 2024

Extraordinary experiences - It's a place you can't visit every day, but with the wonderful support of the Guide, it was a very meaningful tour to learn about the current state of Makoko. I think it's the cost of safety, but it's a two-hour tour, so it would be nice if it was a bit cheaper.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Alejandrasl4187kn

Aug 16, 2024

Makoko - Interesting place. The guide was nice and the experience was very enriching. Have in mind that you are entering the private space of the community.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Kathleen_k

Jul 28, 2024

Excellent but pricey tour - This tour was one of the highlights of my trip to Nigeria and the best one I attended. The person giving the tour was the son of a community leader in the town and did an excellent job showing me around, explaining about their community and hopes for the future. I went on a Sunday so got to hear the vibrant church services but not see the kids at school. If you want that latter experience, I’d recommend choosing a weekday. The price was expensive (about 200 US dollars for about 90 minutes in the community) and I hope that was due to a large portion of that is going back to the community to help with their efforts to improve children’s education rather than most going to the tour agency. My one disappointment is I wish I had been invited into their church especially after tipping the church leader after being asked to do so. I suppose I could have asked but as hospitality wasn’t extended in that part, it felt rude to force the issue.

Review provided by Viator

Jsryco

Jul 22, 2024

100% advisable , learning experience - Good, flexible organisation by Samap. Worth visiting but it's also a hard visit. 100% advisable , learning experience

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Merv

May 25, 2024

A Symphony of Faith and Despair: A Sunday Visit to Makoko's Slum - On a somber Sunday in Makoko, I wandered through the labyrinth of shanties and makeshift homes. In Makoko, the air is thick with the scent of survival and despair. Amidst the pervasive poverty, I stumbled upon a small church, where the melodies of hymns floated through the air. The congregation, dressed in their best despite the dire circumstances, sang with a fervent hope that seemed almost defiant. Children sat attentively, their eyes reflecting both innocence and a harsh reality. The juxtaposition of faith and despair was heartbreaking. In the face of relentless hardship, their collective prayers felt like a poignant cry for a better tomorrow, echoing through the fragile walls of their sanctuary.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Dreamer03082127146

May 24, 2024

Hugely Interesting - Our trip to Makoko through Samap Travels was an incredibly interesting and enlightening experience. Communication with Samap was excellent throughout, all instructions given were very clear and easy. We were picked up and dropped off at our hotel by the team. They drove us to Makoko, and also accompanied us throughout the visit. Makoko itself was a different world from the 5* hotels of Victoria Island. It was an authentic look at the real Nigeria. The whole day felt very safe. The guys at Makoko do incredible work for their community. The trip was very intense, and not for the faint of heart, but I would hugely recommend to anyone who wants to see a more authentic side to Lagos.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Fail2024

Feb 25, 2024

Unforgettable afternoon - A great experience that gives one some unique insights into Makoko, Ben from the community and Joy from the tour company did a great job making sure that everything goes smoothly, highly recommend anyone interested in the Makoko community going with Samap on this tour

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Brendan

Dec 29, 2023

The Samap tour of Makoko was outstanding. Joy, the guide, and the local guide were both excellent. I learnt so much. - The Samap tour of Makoko was outstanding. Joy, the guide, and the local guide were both excellent. I learnt so much and strongly recommend it.

Review provided by Tripadvisor

Mehmet_c

Dec 28, 2023

Once in a lifetime experience - One of the best experience I have ever had. You feel like in a documentary. Kids at the school were fantastic and full of smile. You feel super peaceful among them. I should have spend more time there.. Boat trip was another level of experience, kinda once in a lifetime. Only negative thing I can say, it was a bit short trip. It might be like an hour longer..

Review provided by Viator

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up to 15 guests

1 Adult