LUFASI Nature Park- Lekki Urban Forestry and Animal Shelter Initiative
You know that moment when Lagos just becomes too much? The honking cars, the shouting market women, the constant buzz of generators; it all blends into this exhausting symphony of city life. Then you turn off the Lekki-Epe Expressway at Majek 1st Gate, and suddenly… silence. Well, not complete silence, but the good kind; leaves whispering to each other in the breeze, birds having their morning conversations, maybe the occasional rustle of some small creature in the underbrush.
LUFASI Nature Park hits you first with the smells. That rich, damp earth scent you probably haven’t noticed since you were a kid playing in the bush. It’s 20 hectares of proper forest right in the middle of Lagos, which sounds impossible until you’re standing there, watching sunlight filter through ancient Ekki trees that somehow survived the concrete invasion.
The air here doesn’t just feel different; it tastes different, Cleaner. It feels like your lungs are finally getting a break from all those exhaust fumes and Lagos ‘special air.” And the sounds? No more car alarms or “Oga, come buy!” It’s just nature doing its thing, e.g., those funny guinea fowls making their ridiculous noises, leaves crunching underfoot.
LUFASI Nature Park is the kind of place that makes you stop and breathe for what feels like the first time in a long while. It’s that place where you just find yourself walking slower without realizing it or looking up at the canopy instead of at your phone, then the whole chaos of Lagos starts to feel like a distant memory instead of your current reality.
Let me tell you what makes this place special. It’s not just some green space to hide from Lagos madness, this place is quietly rewriting the rules, showing how wilderness can punch back against concrete jungles. Since they opened the gates in 2013, it’s become this unlikely battleground where nature is winning against urban sprawl.
Walk through and you’ll understand; those massive Ekki trees standing like ancient guardians? They’re the last of their kind in Lagos, survivors from when this whole area was a proper forest. And if you’re lucky, you might spot the park’s most famous residents, the Hooded Vultures, circling high above. Funny-looking birds, really, but they’re hanging on by a thread these days. People either fear them or want their feathers for some juju, so they’ve disappeared nearly everywhere else.
But here’s the thing, LUFASI isn’t some museum where nature sits behind glass. It’s alive and messy and real. School kids come through getting their hands dirty, learning about climate change by seeing cracked earth where streams used to flow. Over by the animal enclosures, you’ll find monkeys with backstories sadder than Nollywood dramas: pets that outgrew their welcome, victims of the bushmeat trade. There’s even a grumpy old donkey that thinks he owns the place.
What’s radical about LUFASI? It proves Lagos doesn’t have to be all cement and chaos. That you can have a proper city and still save room for trees taller than buildings, for birds that should have gone extinct by now. It’s this quiet middle finger to everyone who says progress means paving over everything green.
You know how Lagos never lets you catch your breath? Well, LUFASI’s trails do the opposite; they force you to slow down whether you mean to or not. Where you catch yourself doing that thing where you suddenly stop walking for no good reason, and then there’s this ridiculous lizard that looks like someone dipped it in highlighter ink doing acrobatics between branches. Then out of nowhere comes this creepy bird call that makes the hairs on your neck stand up( A vulture, maybe).
The guides here tell the forest’s secrets. That rotting log isn’t dead; it’s a banquet for beetles and fungi. Those wicked thorns on the acacia? They’re the tree’s way of saying “hands off” to hungry antelopes. This isn’t some untouched wilderness, it’s a place where every plant and animal fights to survive Lagos’ relentless expansion.
Near the entrance, rows of young trees stretch toward the sun. LUFASI’s nursery grows thousands of native seedlings each year, some destined to replace trees lost to Lagos’ construction boom. Volunteers can help plant them, a small act that leaves a lasting mark on the city.
The park’s most ambitious project? Reintroducing Ekki trees across Lagos. These slow-growing giants once dominated the region’s forests, but today, only scattered stands remain. LUFASI’s team nurtures them patiently, knowing these saplings won’t reach maturity in their lifetime. It’s conservation work that demands rare patience in a fast-moving city.
A Day at LUFASI
Morning: Arrive early to beat the heat. Walk the forest trails, enjoying the songs of the birds
Midday: Join a guided tour or workshop with varying topics.
Afternoon: Relax by Lake Nora, or let kids burn off energy at the nature-themed playground.
Look out for:
- The ‘Shirin Yoku’ platform, where you can practice forest bathing: just sitting quietly and absorbing the calm.
- The viewpoint near the vulture nesting trees (bring binoculars).
- The organic farm, where food grows alongside wild plants.
This place matters because Lagos loses green spaces daily to construction. LUFASI fights back, not with protests, but by showing what’s possible. It proves that even in a city of 20 million, there’s room for wilderness. That conversation isn’t just for scientists, it’s for students, families, and anyone who cares about Lagos’ future.
Most visitors leave with something unexpected: hope. In a city that can feel overwhelming, you can enjoy LUFASI, a different Lagos, one where nature and urban life coexist and thrive together.
- Best Time to Visit: Weekday mornings for smaller crowds (this is the time the animals come out to play)
- Location: Majek 1st Gate, KM 41, Lekki-Epe Expressway
- Hours: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM (Mon-Sat)
- Entrance Fee: ₦1,000 for adults/ ₦500 for children
- Facilities: Basic amenities available; bring water and snacks
Accessibility: Paved pathways are available to accommodate visitors with mobility challenges
