60 •
The Lion King
• July - September 2017
DIARY
OFA
NIGERIAN
TOURIST
Thinking of visiting Nigeria soon or taking a
vacation locally? Guest writer,
SOLA JEGEDE
writes on his touring experience across three
states and tourist sites in the South-Western
region of Nigeria - Osun, Ondo and Ekiti states.
DAY 1:
After a somewhat shaky start, we took off from
Lagos. 3 hours later, we arrived at our first point
of call, a serene and beautiful resort called
Zenababs Half Moon Resort in the Ilesha town
of Osun state. This resort is a getaway spot on
its own. It has an aviary alongside an array of
indoor and outdoor game facilities including
a squash court, snooker tables, table tennis
boards, a well-equipped gym, a fishing pond
and lovely sceneries.
The resort is about 30 minutes away from one of
the most beautiful waterfalls I’ve ever seen. The
Olumirin falls, popularly known as Erin-Ijesha falls
is located along the Ife-Akure Expressway and
the intimidating wall of rock and vegetation can
be seen from the road while the cool breeze
from the cascading water can be felt hundreds
of meters into the falls.
The water is believed to cascade down from an
ancient pot at the top of the 7 ridges. Amazingly,
the topmost ridge is geographically located in
Ekiti state while the other 6 ridges are located in
the Osun part of Nigeria. The awe-inspiring falls is
at its best spectacle on the 1st to 3rd levels. The
man-made steps end before the steep climb
to the 2nd level. The rest of the adventure is
done through crawling, grabbing and dangling
your way through mazes of rocks, climber trees
and aerial roots. Two hikers dropped out at the
end of the artificial steps, one as a result of ill-
health, while the other never planned to make
it beyond the first level. So making it that far was
an achievement on its own.
As tough and challenging as the climb was, the
cold showers from the high falls served to reju-
venate the hikers. The super cold showers hitting
hard on the skin was the best feeling ever. Sadly
Idanre Hills in Ondo state. The hills
served as a refuge for the people of
Idanre during ancient wars. 667 steps
lead to the top of the hills.
Photo Credit: www.ytourafrica.com
