Best time to visit Nigeria: weather and seasons by month

Nigeria has one easy window and one hard one. November to February is dry across most of the country, with the Harmattan wind bringing dust and cooler nights to Abuja and the north. December is the peak: Lagos fills for Detty December and Calabar runs its carnival, so flights and hotels cost the most.

The rains run roughly April to October in the south, with two peaks on the south-west coast: June, then September to October, and a short drier break in August. The south-east and Cross River are wetter for longer, from April through October. The north gets a shorter rainy season, June to September, and its real problem is heat: March to May pushes past 40 °C in Kano, Sokoto and Maiduguri.

If you want dry weather and lower prices, aim for February or November. If you want festivals, accept December prices. If you want empty hotels and cheap flights, the rainy months deliver, but plan around flooded roads in Lagos and washed-out days in Calabar.

The south-west coast, including Lagos, Ibadan and Abeokuta, has two rainy peaks and a dry break in August. That August break is a real option if you are stuck with school holidays: Lagos is drier than in June or September, though the south-east is still wet.

The south-east and Cross River, including Calabar and Port Harcourt, are among the wettest parts of West Africa. Their dry window is roughly November to February; the Obudu plateau stays cool all year, which makes it a wet-season alternative if you do not mind rain.

The Middle Belt, including Abuja and Jos, is dry from November to February and wet from May to October. Jos sits at about 1,200 m and is noticeably cooler than the coast. The Sahel north, including Kano, Sokoto and Maiduguri, is hottest from March to May and gets short rains from June to September. Much of the north is under travel advisories, so check your government's advice before booking.

The Harmattan is a dry, dusty wind from the Sahara that blows December to February. In Abuja and the north it cuts visibility, dries your skin and throat, and can delay or ground flights. It also brings cooler nights, which many travellers find welcome after the heat. Pack lip balm, eye drops and a light scarf, and keep a buffer day before an international flight in December or January.

Rain in the south falls in heavy bursts rather than all day. Lagos floods quickly after a storm, and traffic can stall for hours, so build slack into any day with a flight or a long drive. Calabar and Port Harcourt can lose whole days to rain in July and August.

Heat is the other factor. March to May in the north is genuinely dangerous for long outdoor days; plan indoor or early-morning activity. On the coast, humidity makes 30 °C feel hotter than the number suggests.

December is the most expensive month by a wide margin. Detty December brings concerts and parties to Lagos, the Calabar Carnival fills Cross River hotels, and domestic flights sell out. Book flights and hotels months ahead if December is your only option.

February and November are the sweet spot: dry weather, medium crowds and medium prices. January is still dry but prices stay high from the holiday tail.

The cheapest months are the wet ones: April, May, June, July and September. Expect low prices and low crowds, with the trade-off of rain and, in Lagos, flooded roads. Easter is the exception inside that window, when domestic travel peaks even in the rainy season.

December is festival season. Lagos runs Detty December concerts and parties, and Calabar holds its carnival street parades. Both push flights and hotels to their yearly peak.

The Osun-Osogbo festival in August draws a procession to the sacred grove in Osogbo, and hotels in town fill; confirm dates each year. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha move with the lunar calendar and bring durbar horse parades in northern cities and heavy domestic travel. Democracy Day on 12 June and Independence Day on 1 October are public holidays; protests have been held on Democracy Day, so check the news before planning around it.

Christmas and New Year close the year with family travel across the country, which is another reason December bookings need to be early.

Sort your visa before anything else: Nigeria uses an e-visa and a landing card completed online, and processing takes time. Check your government's travel advice state by state, because advisories cover parts of the north and other regions differently, and they can change between booking and departure.

Move between cities by flight rather than road for long hops, especially Lagos to Abuja or Calabar. Weather affects this too: Harmattan haze in December and January is the main cause of domestic flight delays.

Build a plan around one or two bases rather than a nationwide loop. Three to four nights in Lagos plus two to three in Abuja or Calabar fits the dry window well and keeps you out of long rainy-season drives.

This page follows the Nigeria country facts on this site for seasons, holidays and regional climate. Weather patterns shift year to year, so treat the month table as a planning guide, not a forecast. We last reviewed this page in September 2026.