Nasarawa State · Nigeria
Lafia travel guide
Lafia is a city in Nasarawa State, Nigeria, home to about 331,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- MDI105 km · Makurdi Airport
- Currency
- NGNnaira
- Time zone
- Africa/Lagos
- Language
- English
About
About Lafia
Lafia is a city in Nigeria's North Central region. It is the capital and largest city of Nasarawa State, with a population of 509,300 inhabitants as of the 2021 census.
This region of the country is also referred to as the middle belt. It is the capital city of Nasarawa State. Lafia had an estimated population in 2021 of 348,000 inhabitants. Lafia is also known as Lafian Bare-bari or Lafia Garin Madidi. It was once known as Lafia Beri-Beri. It was founded by Muhammadu Dunama in late 17th century on the site of a Koro (Migili) village. In 1903, during the colonial rule, the British who controlled the northern region of the country recognised Chief Musa as Lafia’s first emir. The emirate formed the major part of the Lafia Division of Benue province.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Lafia
See
Intending travellers and visitors to Lafia would have a much better feel of the city by paying visits to some interesting sites.
- Akiri Warm Spring
- Peperuwa Lake
- Eggon Hills and Caves
- Lafia Stadium
Do
There is a wide range of entertaining and fun-filled activities visitors can engage in while in Lafia.
- Ox-bow lake fishing festivals
- Oku Akpa Rock and Picnic Centre
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Lafia to stay in
There is accommodation available for visitors to lodge in Lafia. The town has a couple of temporary accommodation facilities that cut across different budget categories.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Hotels in Lafia
1 hotel within 25 km of the centre, as recorded in Wikidata. Each name links to its encyclopedia article where there is one.
| Hotel | Opened | From centre |
|---|---|---|
| Ta'al conference hotel | 23.8 km |
When to go
The best time to visit Lafia
Lafia has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. March is the warmest month, with average highs of 37 °C; August is the wettest, with about 222 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Lafia: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Makurdi Airport (MDI), about 105 km from the city centre in a straight line; Yakubu Gowon Airport (JOS, 113 km) is also within reach.
Getting in
Lafia is on the trunk railway from Port Harcourt and on the main highway between Makurdi and Jos. There are a couple of transportation options available to travellers and intending travellers to the town. As of June 2021, the Nassarawa Cargo Airport in Lafia is under construction and visitors to Lafia would have to use of airports around the neighbouring cities. These airports are the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport in Abuja, the Kaduna Airport in Kaduna state and the Yakubu Gowon Airport in Jos, Plateau state. These airports are relatively close to Lafia.
Getting around
Movement around and within Lafia is made easy by intra-town transport service providers such especially the commercial motorcycle riders, the tricycle operators, the minibus drivers and the taxi shuttle cab drivers. The average price for the motorcycles, tricycles, and minibuses is ₦100 while the taxi cabs might charge commuters between ₦1000-2000 when they are chartered (2021).
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
MDI · Makurdi Airport
JOS · Yakubu Gowon Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Lafia
Eat
The People of Lafia town have a good number of local delicacies such as Pate, Acha, Tuwo Masara. Other meals such as Tuwon Dawa and Tuwo Shinkafa. Soups like the Miyan Kuka are also well known in the town. In Lafia, there are a number of good eateries/ restaurants that can serve visitors and travellers decent homegrown and as well as foreign dishes. Also, food hawkers and roadside food vendors also offer food to the town populace. Mr Biggs Restaurant which has branches spread across the town from where customers can get basic meals and pastries.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Lafia: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Lafia?
Lafia has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. March is the warmest month, with average highs of 37 °C; August is the wettest, with about 222 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Lafia?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Makurdi Airport (MDI), about 105 km from the city centre in a straight line; Yakubu Gowon Airport (JOS, 113 km) is also within reach.
What currency is used in Lafia?
naira (NGN).
Nearby
Destinations near Lafia
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.