Overland Nigeria Travel
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West Africa > Nigeria
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Contents
- 1 Visiting Nigeria
- 2 Entering Nigeria with a Car or Motorbike
- 3 Driving in Nigeria
- 4 Gas and Diesel price in Nigeria
- 5 Safety and Security Considerations
- 6 Camping in Nigeria
- 7 Navigation
- 8 Special Overland Travel interests
- 9 Vehicle Maintenance
- 10 Buy or sell a car or motorbike in Nigeria
- 11 References
- 12 Helpful External links
Visiting Nigeria
Nigeria is a country of differences, culturally and ethnically. All people are warm and welcoming. The terrain ranges from desert/arid in the north getting progressively more lush and tropical as you travel south. The east is very verdant and green with higher rainfall. Nigeria has all resources at it's disposal. With its many microclimates it is able to grow a wide range of food from temperate climates as well as tropical.
Nigeria is now moving towards to being cashless. So ATMs with PIN numbers are good to go. Mastercard cards are less problematic than Visa but ATM take both local and international cards (please let your bank know you will be drawing at ATMs here). Good banks are GTB, UBA, Access, Firstbank and Zenith who all take international cards at their ATMs. POS is used widely at larger establishments but smaller street vendors prefer cash. Travellers cheques are not valid here.
Entering Nigeria with a Car or Motorbike
Correct as of: July 2013</span>
Required Paperwork
(To check if you need a travel Visa for Nigeria, application instructions and fees see: Nigeria Visa online application at VisaHQ.com)
A Carnet de Passage and original car Vehicle registration is all you need. of course the Carnet de Passage should be valid for the duration of your visa.
Process at border
Briefly describe the process at the border to enter with a vehicle
Cost of entry
Free.
Permitted length of stay
State the permitted length of entry for the vehicle
Extension of stay
Describe the process to extend the permitted length of entry for the vehicle, if possible.
Storing a vehicle and temporarily leaving the country
Describe if/how a vehicle can be stored, and for how long.
Also mention if the owner / temporary importer can leave the country while the vehicle is in storage.
Exiting with a vehicle
Describe the paperwork requirements and process at the border to exit.
Driving in Nigeria
Recommended books for Overlanding in Nigeria
Travel insurance for Nigeria
World Nomads offer the most flexible Travel Insurance at the best prices for multi-country / multi-year trips. You can buy, extend and claim online, even after you've left home.
Vehicle insurance requirements
Yes or No if insurance is mandatory, and what kind is acceptable.
Cost of vehicle insurance
State the price of insurance and a time period.
Where to purchase vehicle insurance
Describe where insurance can be purchased.
Driving license
International Driving licences are permitted to be used up to one year in the country.
Driving side of road
Right. Right handed vehicles can be driven in Nigeria but will attract some attention.
Mandatory items in vehicle
Fire extinguisher and safety triangle must be carried and produced if stopped by Road safety.
Roads
General Road quality
Nigeria has a mix of good tarmac and horribly potholed roads. Many of the main roads between big cities have been damaged by heavy fuel tanker traffic. There is a lot of work being done on the roads but you will undoubted get many stretches that are horrible.
Road signs
Limited road signs, some do exist but not always obvious. Those that do exist are not always good quality.
Toll roads
Not many toll roads but they do exist. Lekki-Epe Expressway Toll Road Motorbikes N50 Cars and tricycles N120 Sports utility N150 Commercial Danfo Minibuses N80 Light trucks and 2 axle buses N250 Heavy trucks and buses with two or more heavy axles N350
Plans are to reintroduce toll roads at some point to help with maintaining roads in Nigeria
Bribery in Nigeria
A dash (gift) is often requested by asking 'do you have anything for us?' or 'what have you brought us?'. It is not always expected and should not be offered unless it becomes problematic. It is against the law to ask for dashes. Best way i find of dealing with it is to act daft and ask like what? That leaves the onus on them to be clear...they may ask for water (N200) or they may ask for nothig and just ask if you are enjoying Nigeria. Don't routinely offer dashes usually five minutes will suffice. Keep small notes no more than N500 denominations in various compartments of the car...this reduces the amount you have to give if required to hand over...say you only have small small amount and hand over N200 or N500 note. If they see more they will ask for more.
Checkpoints
I have never had so many road checks as in Nigeria. Every village seems to have a checkpoint. Many have wooden planks with nails across the roads to make you stop. Almost all ask for a bribe but with some good humor and friendly persistent refusal I have never paidd anything.
Depends on what is happening in the country on how many checks there are. Usually there can be army, police or MOPOL (Mobile Police) sometimes there are road safety. There will always be a check point at state lines and outside major Cities. Stay friendly and polite. Never use your mobile phone or camera at check points.
Traveling with pets
List the entry requirements and anything else required to travel with a pet.
Gas and Diesel price in Nigeria
Last updated: February 2015
Currency and unit to display:
| Gasoline Grade | Price |
|---|---|
| Unleaded | €0.46 EUR per Liter[1] |
| Diesel | €0.78 EUR per Liter[1] |
Gas and Diesel Availability / Frequency
Shortages can occur without reason although usually due to strikes. Not too bothersome out of cities
Regular stations in towns and cities but in the rural areas less so and no signs to villages and towns.
Gas and Diesel Quality
Good quality can be obtained but watch for adulterated fuel. Use Mobile, AP, NNPC or Total garages who tend to have good quality fuels. Beware of black market fuel during shortages.
State the sulfur content of diesel, if known.
Safety and Security Considerations
Driving at night
Driving at night is not recommended out of towns and cities due to poor lighting, poor road conditions and increased police checks after 6pm in the evening. There can also be armed robbery on the roads in remote places and some even place bogus road blocks. Also watch out for cars and kike na pepe's without lights.
Vehicle parking
Cars can be parked but watch out for the tow zones in major cities and also pay and display. Vehicles can be parked on the streets and usually are safe. At night try to park in compounds or other known safe zones
Special driving considerations
Speed bumps even on high speed roads. Road blocks for police which can be twigs or trees also used for vehicles that are broken down. Drivers don't always drive smoothly and can pull out it is usual to horn before and whilst overtaking. Likewise when approaching a junction to alert people of your present. Pedestrians jaywalk so again use the horn and drive with care. Animals such as cows and goats can be in the road. Watch for people and children at school times and also on Fridays (Mosque days) and Sundays (church days). People tend to dress in dark clothing and lighting may be poor so watch out at night.
Remote roads where there is no traffic. Stick to main roads as more likely to get help if you need it in case of break down etc
Security advisories and information
- Country Specific Information - U.S. Department of State
- Travel Reports and Warnings - Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
- Travel advice by country - Foreign and Commonwealth office (U.K.)
- Travel Advice for Nigeria - Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Camping in Nigeria
Camping is not common in Nigeria and you usually end up parking in hotel parking lots or at gas stations..
Wildcamp is not a good idea in Nigeria and because it is heavily populated it is extremely difficult to find a quit spot. When I parked wild once I had a local delegation with guns to see what I was doing within half the hour. Due to a lot of violence people are suspicious of any 'strange' behavior.
Feburary 2015: I would recommend finding a local park, for example, in Abuja, one can camp safely and happily at City Park in Wuse II. Good security, restaurant on site and other sport activities e.g. tennis, gym restaurants, bars etc. My overlanding friends paid N10,000 per night for 17 tents as opposed to N5000 per night per tent at Sheraton and N1100 per bottle of star, so cheaper than Sheraton hotel for camping and meals as at local prices for beers (N300) bottle of star and local and continental food at reasonable prices. Contact Chuks, GM +234 703 8016624 Wuse II is the city centre and next to Maitaima and Asokoro where the embassies are for visas. City Park are also happy to link you or help with transportation and sight seeing excursions.
Camping guide books
List and link to books specifically for camping.
Drinking water
City water is good to drink but not all facilities have city water therefore stick to 'pure' water satchets N5 each or bottled water N100. Available widely. 'Aquafina' are Pepsi bottled and 'Eva' Coca Cola products but all bottled water is hygienically produced.
Paper maps
Reise Know-How are amoung the best paper maps. Purchase paper maps before arriving in Nigeria
GPS Maps of Nigeria
Tracks4Africa are the undisputed best GPS maps for Africa.
Tracks4Africa is an SD Card for Garmin GPS, and contain Routable turn-by-turn maps with 809,000 kms of roads and over 129,000 points of interest.
GPS co-ordinates for camping, propane, gas, repairs, etc. in Nigeria
- iOverlander is a website and iPhone application designed by Overlanders, for Overlanders. It contains GPS co-ordinates and reviews for camping, hotels, propane, water, mechanics, borders and much more.
Link to sites that have a list of GPS co-ordinates (or directions) for camping locations (including "wild" campsites), propane filling, gas stations, repair shops, places of interest, etc.
Special Overland Travel interests
City Park Millenium Park Wonderland Amusement Park Abuja - local cloths at good prices from Sahads in Wuse II; H Medix is a good pharmacy in Wuse II, near Amigos Supermarket. NAF Conference Centre and Suites, Kado also good music and intercontinental food, swimming pool, accommdoation, club etc. 360 degree view of Abuja from Barcelona Hotel Rooftop Garden, sauna, steam room, massage - Behind Amigos Supermarket, Blantyre Street, Wuse II. Aso Rock IBB Golf course, Palmatum (next to IBB golf course) Golders Green Barbers, Wuse II Local Markets at Wuse and Utako which stock most things, City View Lebanese Restaurant in Zone 4 (near Newton Park Hotel) KFC, Chicken Republic) Local food at Amala Place. Next Cash and Carry or Exclusive Stores, Shoprite Shopping Plaza and Cinema. 7D cinema at City Park. Ladies Hammam in Wuse II near First Bank. Usman Dam. Abuja Arts and Craft Village. Eat at Dunes. Yogurberrys for your froyo fix. Zoo for those who like wildlife. Jabi Park and Lake Resort Yankari National Park North of Jos.
Calabar - Afi Mountain Ranch (near Katabang) some accommodation here too. skype +234 (0)803 592-1262 Email: info@pandrillus.org Website: www.pandrillus.org Drill Monkey Rehab Centre, Ndidem Nsang Iso Road hidden behind the Jahas Guest House. "The Marina Resort"...
Old Oyo National Park, Oyo State/SouthKwara State
New train system being devised so you can ride the trains too. Enugu to PH...Abuja to Kaduna and more on the way.
Vehicle Maintenance
Dealers
4x4s / Trucks
- Toyota Global Dealer Locator
- Land Rover International Dealer Locator
- Mercedes Benz International (select country on bottom right)
- Jeep International site locator
Motorbikes
Local Garages
Add known good mechanics here.
Buy or sell a car or motorbike in Nigeria
Buy
Describe how a foreigner can buy a vehicle.
List any difficulties or limitations on where the vehicle can be driven.
Sell
Describe how a foreigner can sell a foreign-plated vehicle, or list not possible.'
References
Links to the source of any information - blogs or discussion forums, etc.
Helpful External links
Add any helpful external links here.
- Nigeria: Visa and Passport requirements | World Travel Guide
- Health Information for Travelers to Nigeria - Center for Disease Control and Prevention
- Nigeria travel guides at wikivoyage
- Nigeria - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
