Lafia: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Lafia is a city of 127,236 people in Nigeria (Nasarawa State), 179 m (587 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Makurdi Airport (MDI), 89 km (55 mi) from the centre.
Key facts
Daylight in Lafia runs from about 11 h 40 min a day in late December to 12 h 39 min in late June (computed for 8.49° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Lafia is served by one airport with scheduled flights. The closest large one is Makurdi Airport (MDI), 89 km (55 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 9,830 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft.
Flights to Lafia: every airport, routes and times
Buses to Lafia · Driving and car hire
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Kano, 390 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Abuja, 128 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Kaduna, 255 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Benin City, 399 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Onitsha, 323 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Aba, 397 km — flights · buses · car rental
- Jos, 165 km — flights · buses · car rental · tours
- Zaria, 304 km
- Enugu, 254 km — buses · car rental · tours
- Akure, 391 km
Common questions
Which airport serves Lafia?
Makurdi Airport (MDI), 89 km (55 mi) from the centre.
How big is Lafia?
About 127,236 people live in Lafia (GeoNames).
What time zone is Lafia in?
Africa/Lagos, currently UTC+1.
What currency is used in Lafia?
The Naira (NGN). Traffic drives on the right.
Which cities are near Lafia?
Kano (390 km), Abuja (128 km), Kaduna (255 km), Benin City (399 km), Onitsha (323 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.