Tourism
MYSTERIOUS ERIN IJESHA WATER FALL
Erin Ijesha Waterfall is one of the greatest gifts of nature in the world which testified that there is no end to God creative mysteries. It is not a gainsaying that the waterfall is one of the wonders God has endowed the human race with.
The waterfall is 2km off Erin Ijesha town, Oriade Local Government and lies 20km East of Ilesha on the Ilesha-Akure Road in Osun State.
There are different versions of stories to the establishment of the waterfall, according to a source, when it was first discovered, the waterfall was said to have a look of a mysterious creature so no one dared move near it for fear of being swallowed up.
It was believed to be a living spirit with several openings through which water gushed out; a very tall and huge spirit whose height reached to the high heavens. The inhabitants , thereafter, named the fall “Olumirin” meaning another god whose power over the whole area was only similar to Akinla, the Founder of Erin Ijesha town.
While some school of thought believed that the waterfalls exude from a big pot located at the top of the ridge, on the other hands, some quarters also disclosed that the final ritual rites for any crown king is to climb the first layer of the ridge to the seventh one.
However, the fact remains that this work of nature is beyond human comprehension.
As earlier said, Erin Ijesha waterfall popularly known as “Olumirin” has about seven layers (steps) and only few visitors can climb beyond the second layer. The area can also well serve for mountaineering exercise and also provides water to the community. The breeze at the waterfall is cool and refreshing. The water flows among rocks and splashes down with great forces to the evergreen vegetation around.
The general appearance of the natural surrounding is extremely interesting, while the full flow of the waterfall could be seen during the rainy season. Amazingly, it doesn’t look like anything out of this world until you begin climbing the levels of the ascending plains of the waterfalls.
The view at all the levels is wonderful and the freshness of the water is energizing but wait until you reach the last and seventh level as a torturous climber which is the most intriguing.
Visitors to Olumirin Waterfalls go away not only appreciating the work of nature, one also find it difficult to understand how Nigerian government could possibly be sitting on such a goldmine as a tourist centre without making conscious efforts to explore and, indeed, dig up the waiting gold.
Research painstakingly conducted by Mega Icon Magazine shows that the waterfall is situated within latitude 7°30’ and 8°45’ North and longitude 4°31’ and 5°East, it is one of the very few water bodies where fresh prawns thrive and which has some feel of wildlife with thick forest.
The gigantic ridges constitutes a conspicuous eye-catcher for every traveler along the Ilesa-Akure expressway, as it towers into the distant skyline, forming a spectacular backrest for the sleepy towns of Erin-Oke, Erin-Ijesha and Erinmo respectively.
For most tourists and fun seekers, climbing up to the third level can best be equated to climbing through the snowy steeply Mount Everest.
Furthermore, the view at all the levels is wonderful and the freshness of the water is to strengthen the visitors. However, the place to be is the seventh level, though it is stressnous to climb, but definitely the most intriguing. Not only does it lie at the peak of the falls, it also hosts a settlement where many of its inhabitants have lived for several decades.
First time tourist at the waterfalls on several occasions unconsciously starts to number the waterfalls from the last drop (the base of the ridge) as it is the first of all the falls to be encountered when visiting; whereas the numbering is supposed to be from the top. Nevertheless, going by layman’s standard, the seventh drop of the waterfalls is the origin and the first waterfall.
The first cascade plummets through a narrow opening in a cluster of luxuriant tree trunks blanketed in dark green leafage, down a steeply folded rock face of about ten meters in height. Like a rain of a million limpid pins, the showers descend and inundates huge boulder reposed at its plunge pool below.
Fallen logs of wood laid dank in the pool and out-flowing stream channel. The air hung muggy with a heavy smoke of splashed water droplets. The sight sparks the first fire of excitement that pervades the veins of any visitor at the falls. The refreshing ambience is further thickened when one ascends the steep rocks to explore the other stages of the waterfalls.
The second cascade is the most gigantic of all, with the waters diving down a 40m-high cliff. The copious plunge is most spectacular in the rainy season when the stream channel is at its flooding levels. Its plunge pool forms a shallow swimming pool for visitors at the site who are lucky and brave enough to get to the second fall.
Before the climb up, the waterfalls is quite intimidating and assiduous, as there are no steps constructed or clear paths made up the ridge slopes, except depressions and projections on the surface, as well as roots and branches of huge trees, forest climbers and shrubs along the paths, which serves as hand and foot holds for the adventurous tourist.
Nevertheless, the ascent of the enormous ridge is most rewarding, as one is treated to dazzling and panoramic vistas of the surrounding landscape, depicting the true natural beauty of the Nigerian landmass.
Another great attraction at the waterfalls is the Ajebandele Abake village, a rustic enclave located at the top of the colossal ridge. The name “Abake” is a Yoruba word which is a combination of two other Yoruba words: “Aba” “Oke”, meaning “the village on the top”, suggesting the location, of the small village.
A tourist ascending the ridge from the waterfalls will have to climb for about two hours before getting to Abake settlement. The village is said to be in Effon Alaaye local government, Ekiti State, hence ,the villagers refer to their settlement as Effon Alaaye. The village basically consists of twelfth century mud houses and the main occupations are farming, gari processing (using local method), cocoa cultivation and moi moi leaf cultivation as they are found in great numbers on the ridge.
The inhabitants of this village are accommodating, they make one feel happy when they see people beating the heights of the enormous ridge in order to visit their remote enclave.
Exciting activities at Erin-Ijesha waterfalls tourist resort includes: Swimming, base jumping (new potentials), rock climbing; bird and game watching to mention but a few.
It is necessary that more tourist facilities such as good road, electricity supply, escalators etc., if provided will place Olumirin Waterfalls on the pedestal of one of the choicest tourist resorts in the World.
Presently, the people of Erin Ijesha are
frequently paying a glowing tribute to the Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola who has committed himself to develop the tourist centre to the admiration of the world by constructing steps from the entrance up to the second layer, building of tourist Chalets and working tirelessly to give the environment a befitting facelifts and other construction works still ongoing.
Most interesting thing is that when one is descending from the seventh layer, the inhabitants of Abake village will definitely presents you with various farm produce as gifts and the moi moi leaves which indicates and confirms one’s victory of completing the ridges successfully.
Visiting the awe-inspiring falls, known as Erin-Ijesha Waterfalls is a life time experience and is open to tourists throughout the year. Similarly, the water is said to be capable of healing many ailments such as headache, stomach-ache and skin diseases.
People are said to come from all over the country to fetch the water, which they use for curative purposes.
Thinking of where to spend the weekend after a hectic hassling and bustling week? Are you a tourist seeking fun and adventure in a land as blessed as Nigeria? Then Erin Ijesha Water Fall is a place to visit for a whole new experience with nature, it makes you to appreciate the work of nature more than ever, it is a mystery, strange but true.
In a recent ranking by British media and hospitality company – Time Out, Lagos has secured the 19th spot as one of the best cities to visit globally.
The rankings, based on a survey of over 20,000 city dwellers worldwide and insights from Time Out’s editorial network, highlight the diverse appeal of cities around the globe.
New York City claimed the top spot, while Cape Town in South Africa secured the second position among the 50 cities listed.
Time Out’s evaluation considered various criteria such as food quality and affordability, cultural offerings, nightlife, the overall atmosphere of the city, community vibes, access to green spaces, historic sites, and more.
Claiming the 19th position, Lagos outshone cities like Melbourne, Australia; Naples, Italy; Singapore; Miami, US; Dubai, UAE; Beijing, China; and Montreal, Canada, among others in Time Out’s global rankings.
This comprehensive list not only showcases cities that are great tourist destinations but also emphasises their suitability for living.
Time Out encourages global citizens to explore Lagos, describing it as Africa’s most populous city with something for everyone, whether one is a staunch mainlander or from Lekki. The praise extends to Posh Victoria Island, which continues to captivate visitors with its blend of swanky resorts, culinary delights, and vibrant nightlife.
“Lekki is for the brunchers – make Maple Lagos your first stop. On the mainland, Kuti’s Bistro in Ikeja, owned by the legendary afrobeat family, serves up reliably delicious food and hosts parties, karaoke, and games nights.
“And then there are the beaches – hit up Oniru Beach for some fun in the sun, but be sure to bring naira for this private beach. For those who live for the night, Hard Rock Cafe Lagos provides a massive indoor-outdoor playground with top artists including DJ Obi (‘Obi’s House’ on Mondays), who set a Guinness World Record in 2016 for a 240-hour marathon set.”
See full list below:
The World’s 20 Best Cities In 2024
New York City
Cape Town, South Africa
Berlin, Germany
London, U.K.
Madrid, Spain
Mexico City, Mexico
Liverpool, U.K.
Tokyo, Japan
Rome, Italy
Porto, Portugal
Paris, France
Mumbai, India
Lisbon, Portugal
Chicago
Manchester, U.K.
São Paulo, Brazil
Los Angeles
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Lagos
Melbourne, Australia
The Guild of Tourism Journalists in Nigeria (GTJ) has congratulated Barrister Wale Ojo-Lanre on his recent appointment as the Director-General of the Ekiti State Tourism Development Bureau by Governor Abiodun Oyebanji.
Wale Ojo-Lanre’s appointment, officially announced just last week, comes after his dedicated service as the Special Assistant to the former Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, with a focus on Tourism Development.
Ojo-Lanre, an extensively traveled and seasoned tourism journalist, not only excels in his profession but also proudly holds membership within the association that collaborates with several states, the Federal Government and private enterprises to promote tourism in their respective regions.
In an official press statement, signed by Mr. Oladoye Oluremi, the Organising Secretary of the Association, the Guild of Tourism Journalists expressed full confidence that Ambassador Wale Ojo-Lanre’s appointment will act as a catalyst for advancing tourism development in Ekiti State, opening doors to numerous opportunities for the region.
The association extended gratitude to Governor Biodun Oyebanjo for recognising Ojo-Lanre’s qualifications for this pivotal role and entrusting him with this crucial responsibility.
They hold unwavering trust in Ojo-Lanre’s ability to excel in this significant position.
Also, the Guild of Tourism Journalists reaffirms its steadfast commitment to nurturing and promoting domestic tourism in Nigeria.
They pledge to work closely with Ekiti State and other regions, strategically increasing visitor numbers to their localities by highlighting heritage sites and other enticing attractions.
The association’s dedication to the development of Nigeria’s tourism sector remains unwavering.
For the third year on the bounce, there will be no summer travel overseas for average holidaymakers in the country. No thanks to the prevailing foreign exchange liquidity crisis that has further raised airfares by at least 200 per cent and average Economy Class tickets above the N1 million-mark.
Findings show that foreign airlines are just as hard-pressed by harsh economic realities as their Nigerian customers that have been looking forward to the season. Quite a number of airlines that had earlier positioned capacity in readiness for the summer peak period are now deploying backend-pricing mechanisms to weather the effects of the forex crisis, invariably passing the cost to consumers.
• Foreign airlines ditch lowest fares, adjust exchange rate to hedge devaluation shocks
• Average travellers lament weak naira to dollar rates, fares
• ‘Demand still resilient’, top travel agencies say
Travel agencies were not unanimous on the extent of attendant dip in demand among average travellers. Undisputed, however, was the upward movement in fares, yet with resilience in patronage, especially among die-hard holidaymakers that would not mind surging costs.
Emerging from two years of pandemic disruptions, the world is fully reopening to summer travels this year. Besides the chaotic scenes at major airports in Europe and America over staff shortages, there is another disincentive for summer travellers in Nigeria – high airfare.
The Guardian survey of booking platforms of major airlines showed a major spike in available tickets to European, United States and Canadian routes among other holiday destinations. On the platforms are the traditional least airfares quoted, though not available for purchase.
Consequently, a Lagos-London-Lagos Economy Class ticket that earlier sold for an average of N350, 000 on platforms of European carriers is now available at higher layers of N1.1 million-plus. Early June 2022, the same tickets were sold for an average of N600, 000 and N650, 000 as at this time last year. Their Business Class variants, where available, were quoted for between N3.5 million to N4.8 million per seat, depending on the airline of choice and time of inquiry.
Lagos-Atlanta-Lagos Economy Class ticket was offered for between N500, 000 to N850, 000 as at June. It now sells for N1.3 million-plus where available. The Business Class fares hover between N3.6 to N5 million per person.
African and some middle-east carriers are offering fairly affordable deals for leisure travellers that would not mind hours of layover at transit airports. On their platforms are an average of N750, 000 fares to major destinations in the Middle-east and Europe.
Some air travellers have described the foregoing quotations as ‘ridiculous’. Abuja-based systems engineer and travel freak, Hameed Ailero, said air travel had gone beyond the middle class earners in Nigeria going by the rates airlines are offering tickets.
Ailero, who also traded-off summer travel last year due to high cost, said the Nigerian authorities should query the foreign airlines for “the discriminatory airfare.”
“For me, that is ridiculous and typical of countries where there are no consumer protection measures. Aviation is supposed to be the business of freedom where almost everybody should be able to fly. But how does one explain a six-hour return ticket that now goes for N1 million and in a country where minimum wage is N30, 000? How many people can afford that? That is what I mean by discrimination against average Nigerians, by both the airlines and complicit regulators.
“In June, when I was planning for a holiday trip, I got a quotation of about N680, 000 to London. Because I was calculating for a family of seven, I felt it was too much. Barely a week later, the rates jumped to over N900, 000. Such leaps in price should be questioned by a government that cares. It does not sound good even for our economy. Whatever could have caused the leap, it is sheer discriminatory against the travelling public,” Ailero said.
Another traveller that would be missing the summer party abroad, Yemisi Ogunleye, said she was banking on summer promo fares on two of the foreign carriers. “I have been travelling for summer holidays for about nine years before the pandemic, and had always got fairly good tickets. This time around, the more I hunt for promo fares, the higher the tickets keep going.
“This N1 million ticket to the UK sounds like a joke to me. Unfortunately, it is not the airlines’ fault. They know that there are categories of people that will still afford it. But if the country is better secured and people can move around on holidays, why should I bother about foreign airlines’ flight tickets?”
Publicity Secretary of the National Association of Nigerian Travel Agencies, Yinka Ladipo, however, said that the airlines did not increase the airfares, but for the rate of exchange that rapidly spiked for reasons not unconnected with decline in the value of the naira and airlines’ funds currently stuck in Nigeria.
The International Air Transport Association (IATA), the clearing house for over 280 airlines globally, recently raised the alarm over a rise in the amount of unrepatriated funds in Nigeria, put at $450 million as at April this year.
Findings showed that the stuck fund, from accumulated sales of flight tickets in local currencies, was in excess of $800 million in November 2021. It was brought down to about $283 million as at March this year, but further increased to $450 million in May, and is estimated to have reached almost $600 million in June.
In that circumstance, foreign airlines had adjusted its perpetually fluctuating Rate of Exchange (RoE) from N411 to as high as N450-plus per dollar, raising airfares some notches to mitigate losses of having funds tied down in a volatile economy.
Ladipo, a travel expert at Dart Travels and Tour, added that the foreign airlines have also blocked layers of affordable airfares for the Nigerian travelling public. “On the platforms, you will, for instance, see fares of N300,000 for London, but it is not available, except for those of N650,000 upward. It is really tough on everybody,” he said.
Chairman of the Airline Passenger Joint Committee of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Bankole Bernard, added that Nigeria was reaping the dividend of its failure to accord priority to foreign airlines and their cash-calls.
Bernard explained that airlines made monies either by volume or by yield. “Volume is when they sell their cheap tickets so that a lot of people will be able to travel because they are given access to cheap fares. In the absence of volume, they turn to yield and the money they are supposed to make from five people, they will make it from one person and deny the other four that want to travel. So, the airlines did not increase the fares, they only removed the cheap ones for the expensive ones.”
Bernard, who is also the Chief Executive Officer of Finchglow Holdings, added that people, especially the well-off Nigerians, are still braving the odds to travel, though with a tweak in choices of destinations and budget size.
“There are people that will do everything possible to travel because movement has become inevitable. The only difference is that instead of two or three destinations on a summer trip, they will do either two or one. So, the market is booming for summer travel, though people are paying through their nose,” he said.
President of Skal Nigeria, Daisi Olotu, affirmed that without government making allowances for the travelling public, airfares have become cut-throat and even Basic Travel Allowance (BTA) are not readily accessible at the banks.
“Should we then blame the airlines if they insist that they want to sell in dollars? We can’t blame them, but the cost will eventually be passed down to the travellers. Yet travelling is part of education.
“The entire world is moving while we have decided to remain on self-imposed lockdown. That is unfortunate. Yes people are still breaking their banks to travel, but the industry has not grown the way it should and the authorities should be worried,” Olotu said.
IATA’s Regional Vice-President, Africa, and the Middle East, Kamil Al-Awadhi, had described efforts to persuade the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to reduce the backlog as “a hectic ride”.
Al-Awadhi, however, warned that countries with foreign airlines’ trapped funds are sure to have airfares that are three times higher than global rates, to enable airlines to make profit from one leg of the trip instead of on return.
“It is sad that Nigeria owes the bulk of the entire blocked funds. This is very unacceptable. We heard that there is a shortage of dollars. Airlines are scrambling to get more flights to Nigeria. Nigerian travellers are willing to pay for it. But the trapped fund is not helping the airlines and not helping other Nigerians to travel. The prices are ridiculously expensive, more than twice the price. We urgently need the funds for more work,” Al-Awadhi said.
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