In a city that never stops moving, where hustle is almost a personality trait, Oluwatosin Okedeyi chose something radically different: peace. As the founder of Sunset Haven Camping Site, she has built not only a business but also an alternative way to live, rest, and exist in Lagos.
What began as a love for travel and nature slowly turned into a movement that invites people to step away from noise, pressure, and burnout, even if only for one night under the stars. From discovering the quiet magic of Tarkwa Bay Beach to building a full-time life by the ocean, Tosin’s journey is not just about entrepreneurship; it is about courage, freedom, and the power of choosing a softer life in a city that rarely allows it.
In this Herstory feature, Tosin speaks honestly about starting something people did not understand, living full-time on the beach, creating what she calls alternative therapy through nature, and why more Lagosians need to give themselves permission to rest.
Hi Tosin! Please Introduce Yourself And Tell Us About Sunset Haven.
My name is Tosin Okedeyi. I’m the founder of Sunset Haven Camping Site. I usually call myself an experience creator. That’s actually how all of this started, even before it became Sunset Haven.
I was formerly in tech marketing, and although my work was hybrid, it still prevented me from travelling all the time and that sucked because I’m someone who has always loved travelling and nature. I go camping in different spots, travel around the country with tour groups to camp. One day during my adventures, I discovered Tarkwa Bay. I used to go there the same way everyone does — I will come and leave. But I realised I could actually stay overnight without breaking the bank. Typically, the only way to do that is by staying in beach houses, which are ridiculously expensive. Anyways, I made friends with someone who had a cabin there and started staying at Tarkwa Bay more often. Along the way I lost access to the cabin, and that was when I discovered camping fully.
My friends would say, “Tosin, we want to experience what you’re experiencing — you must be very rich.” And I would laugh while I am trying to explain that you can experience my lifestyle without breaking the bank. That was how Tarkwa Bay Lifestyle started.
We began hosting monthly pop-up events at different locations in Tarkwa Bay. We brought people to camp under the sky, watch movies — we called it movie night at the beach — grill, play games, sing karaoke, and just have fun. The next morning we would do yoga and swim in the ocean.
For so many people, it felt like therapy. Just one night gave them a sense of freedom. That was when I realised that what my team and I were doing was actually an alternative therapy for people. Camping is my lifestyle, so for me it became a mission to share this lifestyle with other people, including those who had a taste of the Tarkwa Bay Lifestyle. This is how Sunset Haven came to life.
Three years later we were able to get our own space on the beach — a proper location where people can camp anytime, not just once a month and that’s how Sunset Haven Camping Site was created.
I build Sunset Haven in such a way that you can camp in comfort as if you are in your parlor. In our cabanas, you lounge, you rest, you can sleep off. There’s the option of sitting in front of the beach with chairs at our hammock area. Or lie down in the hammock and just read a book and just sleep. The avenues for comfort in nature is just endless.
You often call yourself an “island girlie.” What does that identity mean to you beyond geography?
While Geography is important because I stay full-time on the beach, that identity is really just about freedom.
I didn’t grow up in Lagos. I grew up and schooled in Abeokuta, Ogun State. Coming to Lagos and seeing the noise and fast pace of life was a huge culture shock for me. It made me realise that I wanted something different. Becoming an island girlie for me was about choosing peace. Choosing freedom. Choosing a lifestyle that calms my mind and my soul.
Now when I have to go into the main city, I sometimes feel anxious because everything is so fast-paced. I’m already used to slow living — waking up peacefully, eating fresh food, just living quietly. So being an island girlie is really about freedom and being able to choose a life that works for you.
Once you said you live full-time on the beach, I was like, “Oh my God, she’s living my dream life.”
(Laughs) Are you sure? Everybody wants that life, but it can get quiet.
Quiet sounds perfect to me!
Some people actually come to Sunset Haven and say it’s too quiet. But the name already says it — Sunset Haven is for nature-loving people. We are not making noise here. Maybe on weekends people can have fun, but generally it’s really a place for peace and tranquility.
Pioneering is never easy. What were the biggest challenges in convincing people that a campsite focused on tranquility could work in Lagos?
When Sunset Haven Campsite was still in the works, anytime I said “campsite,” people would ask, “Do you mean Redeemed Camp?” Nobody understood the concept. I had to educate people from scratch — how to set up a tent, how camping works and what the experience is.
Even when I started building my cabanas, people laughed at me. Even people on the beach said it was strange. The way I built them was different , somewhere you can climb into, lounge, sleep, relax. Nobody had done anything like that in Lagos before.
At first, people were scared of what I was offering. You would see comments like, “You want to sleep overnight on the beach? Is it safe?” But as people kept coming and going back safely, trust began to build. The first person we hosted even posted about us and it went viral immediately. After that, we had to start hosting people who had never camped before.
About 90% of our guests are first-time campers. So to be where we are today and to continue with where we are going, there was a lot of education, a lot of explaining, a lot of content made. What really helped us was customer-generated content, people would come, enjoy the experience, and post about it. That made the work easier.
What five tips would you give to a young Nigerian woman with an unconventional idea who is afraid to pursue it?
First, be very sure that this is what you want to do. Doubt will come very fast once you start.
Second, go all in. That’s what I did. The first money I used to start building was actually my house rent. That’s why I said you have to be very sure first.
Third, don’t let doubt from anyone enter your mind. Entrepreneurship in Nigeria is already hard. If you start doubting yourself too, it becomes even harder.
Fourth, do proper research. Invest in your education and also educate the people you’re bringing into the business.
Fifth, live the lifestyle. Be the ambassador of what you are building. You cannot start something unconventional and hide your face. People need to know the person behind the idea.
If you were stuck on an island and could only bring three things, what would you bring?
My camping tent, my phone, and tea.
Tosin, What Happened To Food?
It’s an island, there will already be food and water somehow. I’ve camped in so many places. without carrying food along. We always figure it out. I’ll catch fish, drink coconut water, and survive.
As the founder of Sunset Haven, how do you personally find peace while running a growing business?
Once business gets overwhelming, I travel. I completely leave Tarkwa Bay for a while.
Sometimes I go out to raves just to feel the noise again, then I come back to peace and it feels fresh. I also visit other nature spots. Sometimes I go to Lufasi Park. Sometimes I travel outside Lagos completely. I don’t always need a long vacation. Even a six-hour break in nature can make all the difference for me.
What’s one thing you wish every Lagosian would give themselves permission to do more often?
Rest and have fun. Nature heals in a way you don’t fully understand until you experience it. I’ve hosted thousands of people and almost everyone says the same thing after coming — they feel lighter.
Did you have any mentors or role models who inspired your journey?
My mother, Helen Okedeyi, is my biggest role model. She has done so many businesses in her life. If one fails, she starts again. That resilience is what inspired me. Even when Tarkwa Bay Lifestyle wasn’t making money, I kept going because I saw my mother do the same thing all her life.
What does the future look like for Sunset Haven?
When we talk about the future of Sunset Haven, I see expansion. I want to replicate this experience in different parts of Nigeria, not just beaches. We need more eco-tourism spots in this country. I want people who love nature to be able to travel on a budget and still have comfort, that is, a proper place to camp with real amenities, like one would be able to do in a hotel. The dream is that Sunset Haven will be able to provide this in different locations across Nigeria.
