Badagry Slave Trade Tour: Point of No Return boat ride

Slave quarters, museum relics, a lagoon crossing, and the final departure point where captives left Africa

A private guided tour of Badagry's slave trade heritage in Lagos, Nigeria, visiting the Williams Seriki Abass Slave Barracoon, Mobee Slave Relics Museum, the First Storey Building, and taking a boat across the lagoon to Gberefu Island: the Point of No Return where enslaved Africans made their final steps before forced transport across the Atlantic. The tour runs 6 to 7 hours with a local guide in English, French or Arabic, includes private transport, the boat ride, bottled water and all fees. Children from age 4 are welcome. The route is wheelchair accessible.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Badagry Slave Trade History

• Visit Williams Seriki Abass Slave Barracoon
• Explore Mobee Slave Relics Museum
• Tour First Storey Building in Nigeria
• Boat ride to Point of No Return
• Visit Attenuation Well
• Reflect at Point of No Return

The experience

The Williams Seriki Abass Slave Barracoon opens the tour: a preserved compound where hundreds of captives were held before forced departure. You walk through the slave rooms, see original chains and shackles, learn the barter systems that fed the trade, and visit the burial site of Chief Williams Seriki Abass, whose name is bound to Badagry's role in this history. The Mobee Slave Relics Museum follows, holding mouth guards, locks and other artifacts from the transatlantic slave trade era, each one a physical record of what enslaved Africans endured.

The First Storey Building, constructed by missionaries in 1845, marks a different thread: it is where Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther translated the Holy Bible into Yoruba, a milestone in Nigeria's religious and linguistic history. Then comes the boat ride across the lagoon to Gberefu Island. On the way, you stop at the Attenuation Well, where enslaved people were forced to drink water believed to erase their memories of home. The journey ends at the Point of No Return. The sandy pathway where captives took their final steps from African soil before boarding ships bound for the Atlantic. The moment is built for reflection.

A local guide leads the entire route in your chosen language. Private transport with air conditioning moves you between sites. Bottled water is provided, and all entry fees and taxes are included in the price. The tour accommodates wheelchairs, children from age 4 onward, and families with infants in strollers or specialized seats.

What’s included

• Private transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle.
• a local guide in English, French or Arabic.
• boat ride across the lagoon to Gberefu Island.
• bottled water.
• all entry fees and taxes.
• hotel pickup.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day

AgesAdult (16 to 92 years) · Youth (4 to 15 years) · Under 4: can't be booked

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish, French and Arabic

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 4 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcome

Operated by Samap Travels & Tours LTD

Is this one for you?This is a private tour, so you move at a single pace with your guide rather than in a larger group, and the route is set. You visit the Barracoon, the museum, the First Storey Building and the Point of No Return in sequence. Choose it if you want to engage deeply with each site and have the guide's full attention for questions about the history and its ongoing significance.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English, French and Arabic.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Youth (4 to 15 years). Children under 4 can't be included in the booking.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly is the Point of No Return, and why does the tour end there?

Gberefu Island's Point of No Return is the final departure point where enslaved Africans were forced onto ships bound for foreign lands. The tour takes you by boat across the lagoon to this sandy pathway so you can stand at the actual location where countless captives made their last steps from Africa, a moment designed for historical reflection and understanding the human cost of the transatlantic slave trade.

What artifacts will I see at the Mobee Slave Relics Museum?

The Mobee Slave Relics Museum holds original chains, shackles, mouth guards, locks and other relics used during the transatlantic slave trade. These authentic objects from the era offer a direct, physical connection to the harsh realities enslaved Africans endured.

How long does the tour take, and what's included in the price?

The tour runs 6 to 7 hours and includes private transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle, a local guide in English, French or Arabic, the boat ride to Gberefu Island, bottled water, and all entry fees and taxes. Hotel pickup is also included.

What is the First Storey Building, and why is it part of this tour?

The First Storey Building, constructed by Christian missionaries in 1845, is recognized as one of Nigeria's most important heritage landmarks. It is the site where Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther completed the first translation of the Holy Bible into Yoruba, marking a significant milestone in Nigeria's religious, educational and linguistic history: a different but connected thread of Badagry's heritage.