Makoko Floating Community Tour

This tour was absolutely brilliant! I was in two minds whether to go as I was super intrigued to visit Makoko while at the same time I didn’t want to be like an intrusive tourist, and I was also considering my safety as a young solo female traveller. My tour guide lead was a woman and so friendly and when we entered Makoko we were then greeted and led by their local guide called Respect, son of one of the chiefs. He was such a lovely, warm and knowledgeable human and kindly welcomed me to briefly visit his home area, family members (including the Chief!) and extensively around Makoko - on land and the parts of the village on water. He runs a local orphanage school and so most of the children know him and are clearly so happy to see him - so expect lots of children to run towards you in joy because you are with Respect! I wish I came with a small donation - either cash or food/books - but I later made an online donation that was suggested. The other guide who picked me up from my hotel was with us at all times and another younger man also accompanied us, taking pictures throughout the tour, which were great to look back at afterwards. I went during rainy season and the smells from the water can be quite potent, and the ground was rather water logged and muddy - so it’s worth wearing shoes you don’t mind getting dirty or can be easily cleaned. It is a humbling experience but worthwhile if you are up for it. P.S Makoko seem to be Aston Villa fans?!!

An absolute humbling experience- I’ve visited similar areas in Rio, Madagascar, Peru, Hong Kong etc but the Makoko community hit particularly deep given the recent injustices they’ve had to endure. I highly recommend making time to visit this beautiful community and using Samap - Samap was responsive from the start and very flexible with the time since I only had a day in Lagos. They ensured I had a great experience and I would use them again in a heartbeat.

A unique and eye-opening experience. Visiting Makoko offered a different perspective on Lagos and its people. The boat ride through the community was very interesting and gave me a deeper understanding of daily life in this remarkable part of the city. Highly recommended.

I had an amazing tour of Makoko and the entire experience felt very safe, smooth, and perfectly organized from start to finish. A special thank you to the guides — Victoria, Ade, Ben, Respect, and Tobi — for their professionalism, kindness, and for making the visit so insightful and enjoyable. They made us feel comfortable at all times, and their local knowledge truly brought the experience to life. Highly recommended to anyone visiting Lagos and wanting to discover the real spirit of Makoko. Thank you again!

The experience was unique. Though a bit sad they’re starting to tear down parts of the community, it was interesting to see such a unique way of life.

This is one of those must-see sites in Lagos. It was one of the major milestones in the group’s trip through Nigeria. This palaphite neighborhood is a spiking image of poverty for a part of the population. Requires you to go with a local guide.

Mr. Respect is a great leader within community. Safe, interesting and sometimes shocking tour. Short but intense experience. Highly recommend. Greetings!

Amazing experience with the local guides where you can actually see how the people live and how they spend their day to day life. Highly recommend it

The tour of Makoko was an excellent and eye-opening experience. It was interesting to see how people have adapted and persevered to create this community. Victoria is an excellent guide who always goes above and beyond to make the experience as meaningful as possible.

Excellent tour. My guide Victoria and driver Michael were superb, very friendly and informative and easy to connect with.