Getting to Tarkwa Bay requires a 10 to 15 minutes boat ride from Victoria Island. Most descriptions on how to get to Tarkwa Bay just say get a boat ride from one of the jetties along the marina. Very helpful it is not.
Tarzan: This was the first boat service we checked out. The weather wasn’t exactly beach weather at the time and we were the first to show up for a ride to Tarkwa Bay. Their service costs N4,000 (Four Thousand Naira) for a return ticket and they need a minimum of 5 passengers to make the trip. We were not about to pay for the whole boat either so we went to wait somewhere else and asked them to give us a call when they get more passengers.
Address: Plot 6 & 6A, Foreshore Road, Beside Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos.
Speed Boat Taxis: Independent boat owners also ply this route from several “waterside” jetties by the marina. If you’re used to travelling by boat in the Niger Delta this service shouldn’t be a problem for you. If you aren’t then you might want to stick with the others. We checked out the one close to Bonny Camp. They charge N500 (Five Hundred Naira) for a one way ticket.
Address: By Stanbic Car Park, by Bonny Camp.
Fiki Cruise Lines: Fiki appears to be the biggest and best we came across. Even though the owner refused to let me take photographs at the premises and they kept us waiting at Tarkwa Bay for ages because they wanted more passengers to get on board the boat back, I still think they are the best, for now.
They charge N3000 (Three Thousand Naira) for a return ticket. Fiki’s last boat out of Tarkwa Bay is supposed to leave by 5:30pm, but like I said earlier, this wasn’t the case on our trip.
Fiki is not only cheaper than Tarzan, the boats are bigger and better looking. They also get more passenger traffic so you won’t have to wait long to get a boat to Tarkwa Bay.
Address: 3/4 Ozumba Mbadiwe Avenue, Lagos.
Tarkwa Bay
The first thing that struck me is how small the beach is. I raised this with our guide and he explained that the actual beach is on the other side of the island. There are now so many carcasses of ships abandoned on the beach that it’s no longer safe to swim or surf on that side of the island.
The island has so much history and there’s so much to see. Our guide knew the island and its history like a man knows his stomach.
I’ll talk about other things to do on the island besides lounging on the tiny beach after a second visit, whenever that is.
If you visit and you need a guide just ask for Nicholas. He can show you the different settlements and also tell you about stuff like the new apartments on the island for lease at a cost of N38,000 (Thirty Eight Thousand Naira) per night. You can thank me later.
