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Our Family Holiday To Nigeria, Africa

I feel so incredibly lucky that I have the opportunity in this life to see the world. The feeling of freedom, of exploration and relaxation that I get from travelling is like nothing I could even put into words. The fact that I am now able to share my passion with my family is just something else. In her 19 months of life I have taken Baby Girl across 4 continents. I will never take that for granted and I feel nothing but blessed.


Africa is somewhere that I hadn't ticked off my travel list up until 2 weeks ago. My father in law has been insisting that I visit Nigeria in the whole 6 years I have known his son, and I'm now scratching my head wondering what took us so long to get there.

It really was a family affair. There was 14 of us under one roof. Nanny, my parents in law, My husband J, his 3 other siblings and their partners and children. 4 generations. In the littlest generation there are 4 under 5. It was so nice to be able to have a full week with all of us together and to see Baby Girl spend so much time with her cousins, they are just so adorable together.


The weather was fabulous. It was 30 degrees + each day. The heat was dense. Not quite tropical, not dry like the UK but it could get uncomfortable at times, especially when there wasn't much wind. Handheld fans were a must have. It's in my blood to love warmer weather so I was super happy. It's actually wet season at the moment. I didn't see one bit of rain during the day but there were some wicked storms over some nights when luckily we were tucked up in bed. The down pour of rain pounded the roof so hard it would wake us all up (which is saying something because we are heavy sleepers). There was thunder that had Baby Girl in hysterics. On our last night I was genuinely worried that there was a hurricane that was trying to take the house away, luckily there wasn't. This kind of weather is like heaven for mosquitos and there is malaria in Africa so we made sure we were always topped up with repellant and we all slept under a net.


Whilst my in laws live in London, they have a house in Victoria Island, Lagos because they go there so regularly. The estate they live in would rival some parts of Beverley Hills. All of the houses are mansions, particularly when you're used to the house sizes in the UK. They're also all locked away behind huge gates and walls lined with wire. Many of the houses have gate men monitoring visitors coming in and out. It really feels like another world.



It's the norm to have a driver take you wherever you want to go. There was so many of us so we had 2 big cars with drivers for the time that we were there. I'm so thankful that we had locals to drive us around because the road side etiquette is crazy. The cars are on the opposite side of the road and I couldn't make sense of the road rules. There was lots of beeping and lots of what I felt was just winging it. The traffic in Lagos is REAL! Although most of the streets are big there were cars everywhere. There was many times when it should have taken us 5 minutes to get somewhere but it actually took us 10 x that. Luckily we were on holiday and didn't need to be anywhere too quickly.


Our daily outings mainly consisted around food and shopping. I've written a separate post on where we ate in Lagos so check that out if you're interested or just want to drool over some food pics. The shopping was incredible. The ability to shop is made super easy for you. It's everywhere, to the point where there are so many makeshift stalls on the side of the road. There's even people that walk through the traffic selling anything from drinks, to DVD's, to wall decals and pool toys. Everything!







There are many markets around. We visited the Lekki market and it was a cultural experience. There's rows of market stalls outside. It's dusty and basic but the stalls are filled with so many amazing handmade pieces, incredible art and the most beautiful, coloured printed fabrics I have ever seen. There is quite a buzz - the norm is to haggle. As a group we did end up purchasing quite a bit from the market and it became a bit of a game to get the best price possible.







I've fallen in love with the fashion in Nigeria. Everything a statement. Everything is bright and bold. There's so many beautifully designed pieces that are structured. I've always loved structured clothing designs. The best bit is that many of the outfits are made for your measurements so you can have whatever design you want in whatever print you want and it's perfectly tailored to your body. We had an awesome girl's shopping trip where we had an appointment with a shop. The designer had some clothes out on the racks, fabric filled the walls and even some parts of the floor and she spoke with each of us about what we'd like. I chose a gorgeous skirt and top combo. Together it almost looks like a dress or they can be worn separately. I can't wait for a summer event where I can rock it.





Hands down the best bit about the trip was the family time that we got to spend together. The reason why we all decided to go over at the same time was as a gift for my father in laws 70th birthday. He is so proud of his country and his family and to be able to enjoy both of those things at the same time is the greatest gift we could have ever given him.


I know I've only just scratched the surface in Lagos and I'm already planning in my head when would be the best time to go back. Next time it will definitely be for longer than 7 days, that's for sure!

I always like to have a holiday in advance planned but after so much recent travel we're not sure when our next chance will be - hopefully not too far away.

Obligatory airport selfie, a place where it's cool to look like a hobo

Have you got any holidays planned?

Kat x

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3 comments

  1. Awwwww, thanks for this post Kat. Sounds like you had an amazing time. 7 days is definitely not long enough. Beautiful pictures too. xXx

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    Replies
    1. Not long enough at all. We're going to try and get back next year if we can. It would be lovely to go as a group again. A good majority of these photos were taken from a moving car, I'm glad you like them :) xx

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  2. Our family holiday to Nigeria, Africa was a vibrant tapestry of culture, from bustling markets to serene landscapes. Exploring historic sites like Benin City and experiencing warm hospitality left indelible memories. It was an enriching journey filled with laughter, discovery, and connection. Luxury Real Estate for Sale in Tulum

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