Day 1

Arrival in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria. We pick you up from the airport and transfer you to your hotel. Depending on your arrival time, you may wish to join us for a nightcap in Abuja. Accommodation in a 3-4 star Hotel Sinclair Lake Chad or similar. All our hotels are safe and secure.

For the peace of mind of passengers, a dedicated security officer or two (either from the Nigeria Police Force or the army) will also be on board, making the journey a breeze and keeping pickpockets at bay. These officers are highly professional and trained to deal with VIPs like us.

Day 2

Abuja is a young city, only chosen in the 1970s as the country's capital to replace the out-of-control Lagos. Abuja is as different from Lagos as night and day – it's a clean city with a layout designed by a Japanese architect.

During the day, we will visit the spectacular National Mosque, followed by a visit to Gurara Falls, located about two hours northwest of Abuja. On the way, we will stop to admire Zuma Rock, a 725-metre monolith, a huge formation that dominates the landscape for miles around. We will also visit Bwari, known as a potters' village, and observe pottery being made. The order of visits to the various sites will depend on traffic conditions and some sites may not be seen until the following morning. Accommodation in a 3-4 star Hotel Sinclair Lake Chad or similar.

Day 3

We set off in the morning and drive just over six hours to the village of Uromi, deep in Edo State. We'll meet the local Esan tribe, a tiny nation by Nigerian standards with "just" over a million people. We will be treated to a traditional Esan dance performance, complete with colourful costumes and decorative masks. The performance has been part of Esan culture for centuries. Accommodation at the three-star Hotel Dominion or similar in Uromi.

Day 4

Today it's a four-hour drive to the Idanre hills in Ondo State, one of Nigeria's most beautiful landscapes and a future UNESCO World Heritage site for its cultural heritage – with several shrines, burial mounds and the palace of the Owa, the local king.

After the hills, it's another 2.5-hour drive to Osogbo, the capital of Osun State, but we'll probably book an overnight stay before we reach the city. Stay in a three or four star hotel.

Day 5

Today we visit the Osun-Osogbo sacred grove on the Osun River in Osogbo. The grove is part of an ancient forest, of which there is not much left in Nigeria. The grove is home to Osun, the Yoruba god of fertility. The grove is home to numerous shrines, altars, sculptures and other works of art dedicated to Osun and other Yoruba gods. We will also meet the priests and priestesses of the Yoruba religion, who act as intermediaries between the gods and living people. The priests and priestesses are able to cure diseases, help women suffering from infertility and even predict the future. Susanne Wenger, an Austrian woman who died in 2009 and lived in Nigeria for decades, was one of the priestesses of the Yoruba religion and we will visit her house.

The sacred grove is an important part of the Yoruba identity. With a population of 49 million, the Yoruba are the largest ethnic group in Nigeria. Every year in August, a festival brings thousands of people together in the sacred groove.

After the visit, we will drive 3.5 hours to Abeokuta, the capital of Ogun State, home town of President Obasanjo, who led Nigeria from 1999 to 2007, where we will visit the Presidential Library, whose mission is to "deepen democracy". The former president got the idea from the United States. We learn about Nigerian history and the life of President Obasanjo at the library. In Abeokuta, we will also visit Olumo Rock, a high rock formation. In the 19th century, it served as a fortress during tribal wars. Accommodation at the 3-4 star Continental Suites or Park Inn by Radisson in Abeokuta.

Day 6

Today we are invited to the fourth largest city in the world and the largest in Africa, the huge city of 26 million people, Lagos! Lagos was formed on the shores of the Gulf of Guinea, alongside lagoons and islands – out of control, which led to the city losing its capital status to Abuja.

Lagos traffic is always more or less congested due to its "failed" location and especially its massive population. We arrive in the city after about a two-hour drive from Abeokuta, after which we visit the "floating slum" of Makoko, also called the "Venice of Africa" because it is partly built on piles in the middle of the lagoon and the slum is mainly navigated by boat.

In Lagos, we will also visit the busy markets that can be found around the city. Depending on the traffic situation, our choice is Balogun, Apongbo or Idumota. Accommodation in at the four-star Amber Residence or similar in Lagos.

Day 7

Lagos is a big city, and getting from place to place is not always a breeze, so we may not see some place we wanted to visit the day before until today. We are also scheduled to see a piece of a different kind of Lagos – the 78-hectare Lekki Nature Reserve, where we will see wetlands, savannah, crocodiles and especially monkeys.

At the end of the day, we'll head to one of the safe, clean and swimmable beaches off Lagos, such as Tarkwa Bay, where we can catch our breath at the end of our intense Lagos experience and our tour of southern Nigeria. It is possible to take a dip in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea. Tarkwa Bay is isolated from the rest of Lagos and accessible only by water. Accommodation in Lagos at the three- or four-star Amber Residence or similar in Lagos.

Day 8

Departure date. We take you back to the airport and hope you have enjoyed your stay in Southern Nigeria with us.