Idanre Hills

Idanre Hill: One of Nigeria’s nature wonders

Written by AUSTIN JACOBSON

Tuesday, 22 March 2011 23:00

Nigeria is one of the most gifted countries in terms of nature and conservation, the country can boast of one of the best tourism destinations in the world with natural preservation which can compare with any other in the world. Among this wonders of nature in Nigeria is the Idanre Hill which consists of high plain with spectacular valleys interspersed with inselbergs of about 3,000 ft above sea level. Its physical attributes include Owa’s Palace, Shrines, Old Court, Belfry, Agbooogun footprint, thunder water and burial mounds and grounds. The hill which has a historical background attached to it by the people is a tourist attraction which is visited by tourist from across the globe and a source of economic gain to the people of the area. The Idanre Hill is one of the most awesome and beautiful natural landscapes in Ondo State and a tourist haven where scores of international tourists come to year in year round. Added to its beauty which fires human curiosity is the fact that the entire people of Idanre lived on these boulders for almost a millennium. It also has diverse and variegated ecosystems of flora and fauna. Oke Idanre contains very important bio-physical and land form features whose interaction with the physical features created an enduring cultural landscape within the setting. There is the Ogun Festival, which is partly celebrated on top of the hills during October and Ije festival, which spread over seven days. The hill also plays host to a group of scientists and field researchers. The site is home to a group of bats and the people hold a unique festival of bats every year. The hill is being used by filmmakers as location for many of their films. In addition, the one and only Noble Prize Winner for Literature in Africa, Professor Wole Soyinka, wrote his longest poem titled “Idanre and other Poems.” Most settlements in Nigeria have, by nature and tradition, been around or attached to groves and hills. Majority of these groves and hills have either been abandoned or are now limited to very small areas. Idanre hill, however, like Dala Hill in Kano North West Nigeria has retained its qualities as the central moderating influence of the settlement pattern of Idanre people. Like Dala hill which started as an iron ore prospecting settlement and provided the foundation for the growth of Kano city, Idanre Hill forms the nucleus for the people in Idanre.