Aside from going to restaurants or shopping malls, you might be wondering what else there is to do in Abuja. Obviously, it’s no Las Vegas but there are a surprising number of things that you can do with your days, if you’re a little creative and flexible.
Below you can read about a selection of places that I’ve been to but, to be honest, the excellent website Ou Travel and Tour has much more so I would recomend that you check it out: https://outravelandtour.com/category/attraction/destination/
Central Park Abuja
Despite the name, Central Park is not a green, grassy park. It’s an activity park. It has go-karts (which look quite fun and fast but I didn’t try them), paintballing (which looks painful but fun), a playground for kids, a cycle track for learning to cycle, a restaurant, and a small garden. Don’t expect too much but you can certainly have a nice time here, especially if you fancy having a beer whilst the kids play on the playground right next to you.
Millenium Park
Millenium Park is an actual park, and the main park in Abuja city. It is clean, quiet, and well worth a visit.
Finding the entrance can be confusing with Google maps as there are a few registered entrances but the one you want is here: Millenium Park Entrance. You might see signs to Chescon Park there but you are in the right place. As you entrer, you’ll arrive at a small car park with some vendors nearby. Park up and the entrance is right there.
When I went (september 2022) you had to show a COVID test to get it. If you were not vaccinated, they were vaccinating right there on the spot, after which you could enter. It seems anti-vaxxers are not welcome.
On the inside the park is spacious, green, and clean. It is remarkably clean compared to elsewhere in Abuja, and especially compared to Jabi Lake Park, for example. There is a decent playground for children and some fountains, etc. Many families bring a picnic and it makes for a lovely place to while away the afternoon.
Jabi Lake Park
This is an actual park located next to Jabi Lake. It has a nice atmosphere and is usually full of people exercising, especially on the weekends. There are exercise classes available here, which I highly recommend, and there are a couple of good restaurants nearby, in particular Uncle T’s! Read my blog post here: Jabi Lake Park
Jabi Boat Club
Whilst this is the number one “thing to do” on TripAdvisor.com, it’s sadly not as great as it seems on its website. It used to have far more activities but now focuses more on the bar side of things. It seems like it could be a fun place to have a few beers though.
Almat Farms
Almat farms is a bit further than the airport, so quite far from town. However, they have a lot on offer so many people say that it’s worth the drive (although apparently not people who use tripadvisor where it’s only rated 2.5. To be fair, all of the negative reviews were related to price). It takes about an hour from Abuja.
Perhaps most interestingly, they have over thirty horses and even offer polo (link). They have been advertising this on Facebook and Instagram as recently as November 22, so it seems that it’s currently available. They have lots of other activities too, including visiting the animals, quad biking, mini golf, snooker, even PlayStations (!?). Prices (according to the internet):
- Horse ride 15k
- Quad bike 15k
- Entrance 5k
- Buffet 14k
I haven’t been myself but if anyone would like to write a guest review, please get in touch!
Others
Here are a few more things that I’m hoping to do soon but haven’t got around to yet:
- Nike art Gallery
- Usuma Dam
- Thought Pyramid Art Centre
- Various other art centres
- Hiking around Abuja