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Serious Monkey Business at Lekki Conservation Centre

I went back for the Easter holidays, for the first time I decided I wanted to be tourist in Nigeria. I wanted to find out what it is like to visit places that I would normally go to in other countries.

That’s how I met the Mona Monkeys in the Lekki Conservation Centre. Now these little fellas are not shy at all but if you want to get up close and personal with them its best to come early in the morning when the Centre opens. The Centre opens at 08.00 am to 04.30pm – last entry at 04.30 pm.  

Where is Lekki Conservation Centre? It is located along the Lekki Epe Expressway. Depending on if you are staying on the mainland or Island your journey could be anyway between 30 minutes to 3 hours taking into consideration weekdays, holidays and weekend traffic.






Apart from interacting with the Mona Monkeys you can get to see reptiles like monitor lizards, snakes and crocodiles. This area of land on the Lekki peninsula represents the natural ecosystem of the whole area as it used to be before people started turning the better part of Lekki into residential and financial districts. The Centre was opened in 1990 as conscious effort to reserve the swamplands and their inhabitants.

How did we get to the Centre? For my first visit on Easter Monday we came from Ikeja which is mainland. It took us an hour to get there. You can do this trip using public transport it will take longer. If I wasn’t going with family, I mostly used Taxify (Bolt) this trip would cost anywhere between 2.600 to 3.200 Naira 

Your visit of the Centre is a guided tour which starts every 30 minutes. Entry fee ranges from 1.000 to 3.000 Naira (with the Canopy walk) for an adult depending on if it’s a public holiday. Of course, we did the Canopy walk. A 2 KM raised wooden walkway takes you through the Centre along this trail. On the trail there are different stops, sitting areas and you get ample opportunity to observe in animals and insects.

On my first visit being a public holiday, it was very busy so interaction with the tour guides was limited but I still got to have a chat/interview with one of the tour guides. On my second visit we were a smaller group of 4 early in the morning so it was easier to interact with the tour guides and they proved quite knowledgeable.

First stop Canopy walk. Its 401m long and 22.5m at the highest point. I just loved the construction and its an interesting experience to compare what it felt like walking on the bridge with a larger group of 12 and a smaller group of 4. All I can say is keep calm and enjoy nature. I loved the view from Canopy walk. On last bridge we tried walking without holding onto the ropes. The idea was to learn how to walk across a log of wood if you were really stranded in a forest. Boy does that test your balance.
 
I hadn’t played Chess for donkey ages, so we did that in the family park. The family park area in the Centre is a picnic area with barbecue facilities, fishponds, picnic huts, local vendors selling fresh coconuts and large floor games like chess, checkers, snake and ladders – so it’s a good spot for everyone to chill at. 
 
I have always loved an amazing view, the tree house at 22m provides a good of view of the swap area and parts of the reserve. You can cover this on your way out. All and all it was a good experience. I couldn’t tell you which visit I liked better but there was a difference in the level of interaction I got on the busy public holiday evening as against an early morning visit. Both had their charm.
 
Day 2 definitely showed me some serious monkey business with the Mona monkeys 😊


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Location: Lekki Conservation Centre, 19 Lekki - Epe Expy, Lekki Penninsula II, Lekki, Nigeria

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