There is one funny thing about traveling – it leaves you speechless, but then turns you into a storyteller. During the experience of travelling, you get “wowed” by the beautiful scenery and things you never imagined existed. After the trip, the excitement gives you a lot to talk about. You can go on and on narrating your experience. This has always been the same case with me anytime I travel outside my residence.
The visit to Idanre hills was preceded with lots of enthusiasm and expectations. I have heard a lot about the place and the iconic tourism features of the town. I already imagined myself exploring the hilly town. A night before the journey I couldn’t have my normal eight hours sleep because of the enthusiasm for the journey. I couldn’t just wait for the day to break. Few minutes to six in the morning, I got up from bed, had my bath and packed a few things I would need during the tour. I hurried to the meeting point at the University of Ibadan. Five of us embarked on the journey to Idanre hills from Ibadan.
We passed through Ibadan-Ife road and we stopped by at that popular spot in front of Oduduwa University Ife to buy that “necessary” Akara and Bread. That spot has become synonymous to bread and akara. Moving on, we passed by several towns and villages before we finally got to Akure at 12noon. After several minutes of looking for an ideal hotel, we finally got one on Akure-Owo road. In no time, we settled in, had lunch and rested for like 3 hours. Some minutes after three in the afternoon, we set out for Idanre hills which was just about an hour drive from the hotel.
On entering the town of Idanre, we were welcomed by the sight of several hills which enclosed the small town. There is only just one way in and out of Idanre town. After a few minutes’ drive, we arrived at the entrance of Idanre Hills Resort.
Before climbing the hills, our tour guide advised that we all go along with a bottle of water as the climb is very tiring. We all bought water from the vendors and in a flash; our journey up the hills began. Our tour guide made it known that the first part of our journey is climbing six hundred and sixty (660) steps. At the mention of it, I could read fear on the faces of my fellow tourists. I just told the tour guide, “Let’s do this”. We started climbing and got to our first resting point which was an old bar carved out of a rock but no longer in use although it still had some chairs and tables.
Five minutes later, we continued our journey up the hill passing the second resting point which had no roof till we got to a small rock called “Dagunro Spot”.
The tour guide explained the significance of that point. In the ancient time, that was the spot where the village warriors assemble when they notice an intrusion into their village. It is at that spot they fight back and try to stop any war from going further into their village.
Gradually, we approached the third resting point. Some of us were already getting weak and I could feel pain in my legs too but nevertheless, the enthusiasm of the trip kept me going. We had to spend few minutes at the third resting spot before we continued our journey. We finally got to the fourth resting point where we could catch a clear view of the town.
By now, I already drank half of the water I took along with me. In no time, we completed the climbing of the six hundred and sixty steps. That was just a section of the tour of Idanre hills.
Further up the hills, there are no steps; we had to follow the footpaths leading to each attraction spot. We got on top the first hill after several minutes of climbing. I had to pose for pictures like someone that just bought his whole village. That was the feeling at that moment
The view from this hill was beautiful. We saw an old telecommunication mast that our colonial masters used back then. We moved on to see the first school in the village. It was still looking a bit tidy. We were told that plans are being made for its renovation.
Our tour guide proceeded to show us the building that houses the dead kings of the village. The windows were all locked. We couldn’t see inside. I wasn’t interested in that anyway.
As we continued our tour of the hills, we came across a symbolic stone. It was very heavy. We were told that in the days back, before you can get married, you must be able to carry that particular stone on your back for a stipulated time, if not, you are not fit to get married.
Moving forward, we found ourselves in front of the only source of water on the hills. The water was sparkling clean except for grasses growing close to it. We were told by the tour guide that there are plans to pump this water down the hills to people’s houses.
We moved on to the ancient palace. This was my favourite part of the tour. I saw the king’s throne, a lot of old sculptures as well as the position of the guards around the king.
After getting to the highest part of the hills, I was so exhausted. I had to rest for a while before we continued.
We started descending the hills till we got to the bottom. We spent a little time at the reception area. I was so tired; I had to go eat immediately. We all ate and started our journey back to our hotel at Akure. We got to the hotel, had a little rest and came out for some drinks and merry making. At least we have conquered Idanre and we enjoyed the experience. We had barbeque and drinks before we retired to bed. By 9am the following morning, we started our journey back to Ibadan. It was lovely and we bought palm wine along the road. We also stopped by the popular “bread and akara” spot at Ife. We arrived home safely. What an experience!
The tour to Idanre Hills resort made me see a lot of things that I didn’t think existed. Now I know that it is better to see and experience something once than to hear about it a thousand times. I love travelling and I will visit Idanre hills over and over again anytime I have the opportunity.