Lufasi Nature Park at a glance
Lufasi Nature Park — full name Lekki Urban Forest and Animal Sanctuary Initiative — is a 20-hectare private conservation park on the Lekki-Epe Expressway in Ibeju-Lekki. Founded by Desmond Majekodunmi and a small group of conservationists, the park preserves a fragment of the indigenous southern Nigerian rainforest and operates as a refuge for threatened bird species — most notably hooded vultures, of which Nigeria's population has crashed by an estimated 95% in recent decades — alongside Mona monkeys, tortoises, and a smaller selection of other wildlife.
For visitors interested in conservation, birdwatching, or simply a green walking environment within reach of Lagos, Lufasi is one of the few destinations of its kind in the metropolitan area. The park is a working sanctuary, not a zoo — animal welfare and habitat preservation take priority over visitor entertainment, and the experience is correspondingly quiet, reflective, and educational.
The hooded vulture sanctuary
The park's central conservation work concerns the hooded vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus), a critically endangered species under threat across West Africa from poisoning, habitat loss, and the trade in vulture parts for traditional medicine. Lufasi maintains a small population of rescued and rehabilitated vultures in large enclosures, with public viewing access, and runs an active programme of advocacy and education on the species. The vulture aviary is the most-visited attraction in the park and the most photographed.
Smaller bird species — herons, kingfishers, weavers, parrots, owls — are present in either dedicated enclosures or the surrounding free forest.
Walking trails and the canopy walk
The park maintains several walking trails through the preserved forest: a short loop suitable for families with children (20-30 minutes), a longer trail through deeper bush (45-60 minutes), and a recently constructed canopy walkway elevated through the forest canopy. The trails pass labelled specimens of major indigenous trees, water-feature pools, and quiet birdwatching platforms. Guides are available at the entrance.
Tree species — Ekki, Iroko and the indigenous forest
Lufasi protects mature specimens of Ekki (Lophira alata), Iroko (Milicia excelsa), Obeche, Mahogany, and several smaller hardwood species that are increasingly rare in the wider southern Nigerian forest. The largest Ekki on the site is estimated at over 100 years old. The trees are labelled and signposted for self-guided botanical interpretation.
Educational programmes and school visits
The park runs scheduled educational programmes for Lagos schools — conservation talks, guided bird and animal viewings, tree identification workshops, and forest-ecology field exercises. School groups are a major audience during term time. Public visits are welcome on weekends and during scheduled visitor hours; private group tours can be booked in advance.
Picnic areas, events and weekend visits
Designated picnic areas with covered seating allow visitors to bring food (the park does not have its own restaurant; small drink and snack provision only). Weekend visits are popular with families. Lufasi periodically hosts wedding photo shoots, small-scale music and poetry events, and annual conservation fundraisers — check the park's social channels for the current event calendar.
Opening hours and entry
The park opens Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM (closed Mondays for maintenance). Entry fees are modest — typically ₦1,000–₦2,500 for adults depending on weekday/weekend, with children's rates lower and guided-tour add-ons available. Photography is permitted; commercial photo shoots require advance booking and an additional fee.
Allow 2-3 hours for a thoughtful visit including trail walks, vulture viewing, and a picnic break.
How to get there
Lufasi is at km 16, Lekki-Epe Expressway, in Ibeju-Lekki — past Chevron Toll Gate, past Lekki Conservation Centre, and on the right-hand side travelling east. From Victoria Island: 30-50 minutes off-peak via the Lekki tolls. From Lekki Phase 1: 20-30 minutes. From Ikeja: 90+ minutes off-peak. Parking is available on-site. The Lekki-Epe Expressway is busy during peak commuter periods — weekend visits avoid the worst of the traffic. Use the trip planner for the optimal route from your origin.
Wider travel context
Lufasi Nature Park is best understood not as a standalone destination but as one node within the wider Lekki fabric of Ibeju-Lekki, Lagos. Visits to landmark sites in this part of the country reward the traveller who pairs the headline attraction with the surrounding daily life — the markets, the streets, the small restaurants, the religious centres, the public transport hubs that together make up the district. A first-visit traveller will often find that the most memorable parts of the day are the off-script encounters in the surrounding streets rather than the landmark itself.
For the broader Lekki experience, allow time to walk a few of the surrounding streets before or after the headline visit. Nigerian urban districts reward unhurried exploration — the architecture, the street trade, the unplanned encounters with residents and traders all add to the character of the visit in ways that no published guide can fully anticipate.
For commuters and longer-stay visitors, the surrounding Lekki area also functions as a working neighbourhood with the full Nigerian urban rhythm — markets, schools, religious services, public transport, residential blocks. The articles for the parent Lekki district, the Ibeju-Lekki LGA, and Lagos State together describe the broader context in which Lufasi Nature Park operates. For step-by-step transport options, the trip planner handles BRT, ride-hail, and informal-mode routing from your origin.