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Therefore, you put off anything that will put you smack dab in the middle of traffic unless truly necessary. I was delighted to visit to this waterfall. It was about a two-hour ride from Ibadan on really, really rough roads. Absolutely worth it though as you can guess from the images.
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Nigeria Waterfall : Erin Ijesha Waterfalls:
Erin Ijesha Waterfalls is located in Ijesha, Osun State. Despite the fact that the people are Yoruba like me, it is practically impossible for me to understand them when they speak. Even though Nigeria has three main languages apart from the official one (English) which are Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo, there are over 300 dialects.
I remember when my mum got really mad, and would by instinct revert to the dialect of her village making her words completely meaningless to us city kids. End result more smacks of course :-). The locals believe that there is a giant vat at the top that sends the water down and they also believe that the water has healing powers.
Getting to the waterfall was a journey by itself. It is located far off the main roads through almost non-existent paths. The locals are curious and helpful and will point you the right way because it is a famous landmark, a real source of pride. I didn’t take any pictures of the area as they would have all been fuzzy, but they were mostly thatch huts. The population looked to be much older people and very young children.
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The adults would have left for the big cities to make money to send back home. I find that similar to Spain. Living here in a Seville suburb, we are surrounded by gigantic houses occupied by 2 people at the most. The parents build with a vision of kids and grand kids hanging around forever. The kids however, leave as soon as possible. Our next door neighbors are in their 70’s and have 9 kids, all gone. We only ever see 2 of the girls visit every so often.
Nigeria Waterfalls at Erin Ijesha: 7 levels
There are seven levels of cascade to reach the highest point of the falls. I knew we were going sightseeing, but had no idea it would involve any sort of climbing or hiking. Needless to say, l was in a dress. I was game and made it to the second level which is where most people stop l found out later, but Federico went with the guides. He’s not sure how many levels of cascade they did, but it was not all the way to the top as the stairs just stop and you only have the stones and shrubs to hold on to. For sure if you fall, you are doomed. No nearby health facilities.
While Federico did the hike, I went back down to join my sister who had stopped at the first level. We sat there and chatted with school kids who had come on an outing to the falls. Unfortunately for them, they had just raised admission prices from $1 to $3 and it seemed like only a few of the kids had enough money.
The teachers were furiously negotiating with the gate keepers. They were so rowdy that after about 20 minutes of the childish chatter and enthusiasm which was driving everyone crazy, they decided to let everyone go enjoy the water. The kids took off screaming (average age 13) and we enjoyed the quiet.
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Doing research, I see Nigeria actually has about eleven beautiful waterfalls including the Farin Ruwa Falls, the highest one in the country and compares to the more famous falls in the world. Higher than Victoria Falls which is 108 meters compared to the 150meters of Farin Ruwa.
Truthfully, even if l had been properly dressed, I would not have climbed past the second level. It was nice to see, and l would have enjoyed going under the water though. It would have been very refreshing. Close to the Erin Ijesha waterfall, there are really no hotels, so it’s best saved for a day trip.
Pinnable:
My aim with every visit to Nigeria from now on is to find something of interest or experience culture such as the Sacred Grove. You have already seen my favorite Nigerian food. There is a lot more to be discovered. I enjoy it when we go to other countries and l want others to enjoy Nigeria through my stories as well.
Would you be brave enough to attempt the upper levels or would you be like me and call it a day at level 2?
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This place is absolutely gorgeous! What an opportunity to visit such a landmark! Thanks for sharing this with those of us who haven’t been, LOL.
We thought it was rather special as well :-). I am just gobsmacked at the beauty of the land, it was nice to take time and smell the roses. Perhaps someday our waterfalls will become as popular as Victoria Falls :-).
Absolutely!
Funny you made this post and I was just asking my mother the other week to name one place she always wanted to go visit and she said “Africa”. I love how this is off the ‘beaten’ path though. We may not make it all the way to the top of the waterfall, but we will make it there.
It certainly is off the beaten path, but hopefully one day you and your mom will get to experience some of the beauty in Africa, especially Nigeria. My muscles were working overtime just to make the second level. When l started to slip, l turned back :-).
We love waterfall hikes like this. And so far we’ve always made it to the top. Thanks for sharing all your Nigeria experiences. Although we visit many of the same places, Nigeria is a spot I doubt we’ll ever get to – so that makes your posts all the more interesting and enjoyable.
I have no doubt that you guys would have made it to the top for sure seeing some of the stuff l read on your blog..not me :-). I will keep trying to discover new things every time l visit so you can experience it too in some way like. Who knows, you might just decide to visit one day..haha! Thanks for reading.
On my bucket list!! I’m hoping for 2018 and I love waterfalls.. I’m in Tennessee and we have over 1k waterfalls so I’m taking my time and knocking them off one by one
Nice to know it’s on the bucket list. Let me know when you head over there. The other waterfalls look amazing as well from the link in the post. Wow! I would never have pictured that many falls in Tennessee. Must be a fun project for you, how far along are you?
I am so with you on the climb! I don’t think I would have made it to the upper levels, but I could imagine going further would have been quite the experience! I am in awe of how beautiful everything is! Is it okay if I live vicariously through you and all of your lovely pictures? I would love to visit Nigeria one day! I know you mentioned the Sacred Grove, but have you made a tentative list of other points of interest you’d like to see there yet? Going to check out your others posts and feed my wanderlust. Thanks for sharing your experience with us!
Please go ahead and live vicariously through us 🙂 . We totally appreciate you. I think maybe if l had the proper attire, l might have gone one more level, but definitely not more. I would be with the kids under the water. Nigeria has so many ancient and historic places, maybe not as grand as the the traditional western iconic places but they are important all the same. The Sacred Grove was quite interesting and we enjoyed the visit. I haven’t made a list as l didn’t even know about some of these things, but from now on, l will try and visit other places of interest (except for the northern states where Boko Haram has a stronghold). Thanks for the comment 🙂
You’re so very welcome!
Wow! That looks fantastic. I love visiting places like this. Waterfalls amaze me. Great photos!
Thanks! I thoroughly enjoyed the visit. I think now l want to visit others.. 🙂
A really beautiful place and definitely the green, the colorful flowers and the waterfall are not the first thing I think of when I think of Nigeria or any African country. It was nice what the guards did too – you just can’t ruin the day for a bunch of kids!
I am really happy to read about Nigeria – and Africa in general – because I realize that from all the continents in the world, I know the least about Africa and it is beautiful!
I know right? It’s not what you picture. The truth is the country is very much what l picture places like Costa Rica and Brazil look like..very tropical. You could drive for hours on the freeway for hours and all you would see is green jungle.. We were watching to see what the guards were going to do, my sister was already getting ready to intervene haha!I’m glad they let them in too, they were all ready to go, complete with hair nets :-). So glad you’re enjoying reading about Nigeria. Unfortunately we only get to see the bad side of everywhere, but we have beauty too. We have growing pains, after all independence was only in 1960! ;-).
I love waterfalls, especially when not packed with people. The great thing about parts of Africa is that there are so few tourists – I remember as a kid going to see the Great Zimbabwe ruins and having the whole place to ourselves (along with a few monkeys). Seeing the ruins, alone is nature was incredible.
These falls look great as well and I would have loved exploring it with Federico. Looks like fun.
Frank (bbqboy)
You know l read somewhere that this is the most visited place in all of Nigeria with the tourists, 50,000 a year which is not a lot compared to world famous places. You’re right, it’s nice to have as few people as possible, just locals celebrating birthdays and school kids out for the day. I totally know you would have enjoyed traipsing up with Federico. He was grinning from ear to ear :-). He really enjoyed the outing, made me wish we’d sought out more stuff to do on previous visits :-).
Your posts about your “home” country are fascinating, KemKem as Nigeria is so far off the beaten path that I’m afraid I’ll never get there. And you’re right – when I picture Nigeria, I picture the huge city of Lagos, the squalid neighborhoods or poor dusty villages and, of course, the Boko Haram. How awesome to learn a bit about the history and culture as well as find out that it has lush forests and see some of its beauty too in your stories! (And you know I would have been climbing further with Fede and the guide. I hate to miss anything!) 🙂 Anita
I’m so glad you are liking the stories so far. The forests are never ending. I always say if they found a way to develop things, they could rival Costa Rica as a destination for ziplining and things like that. For sure, l know you and Federico would have been climbing up while l chilled at the bottom with Richard. For me, it’s enough seeing the pictures he brought back. Especially after seeing that photo of people sliding down on their hands and knees. No thank you! Supposedly there is a secluded little village all by its lonesome up there at the very top but l couldn’t get that verified as they probably use the other side to get down.
This looks just beautiful. I think I’m with you on the upper levels. But it all sounds like an amazing experience to take in…
Haha! Glad to see there are others that wouldn’t climb the upper levels :-). So glad we went, it was amazing.
Beautiful! I would love to visit mother Africa.
You really should 🙂
I love going on virtual adventures with you. I freaking love waterfalls, I want to experience more. I think they are the most beautiful party of nature.
Thanks Mimi! My first but hopefully not the last. They are truly beautiful.
It looks absolutely breathtaking. I would love to visit Nigeria!
Nigeria’s waiting for you. It is very beautiful 🙂
Yes! I love adventure…I love that you are sharing about your home county, I am looking forward to taking my kids to visit the Ivory Coast pretty soon into the future.
Oh.. I am positive they would enjoy a visit there very much. I intend to share more anytime l go home from now on. Tourist in my other backyard so to speak :-).
The waterfall is absolutely STUNNING!!! I would love to do that walk/hike!
I’m pretty sure you would enjoy it too 🙂 . The water looked refreshing and the kids and adult alike were having fun 🙂
I can’t believe Nigeria has over 300 dialects! Thats quite impressive. The waterfall seems quite impressive as well!
Yeah..it’s insane. It might be actually closer to 500! We loved the waterfall.. I just had no clue 🙂
What an adventure. I would love to visit this waterfall in Nigeria. I am saying I would call it a day by Level 2, but I dont know maybe I might push through and keep going!
I might have pushed through to one more level if l had sneakers on probably but not more than that for sure. I’m not a huge fan of climbing in the heat :-).
Waterfalls are always great places to visit, even if you don’t make it to the top. This one looks beautiful and we really appreciate learning more about Nigeria through your posts. It’s interesting as well that the same exodus of the rural areas by young people is a worldwide phenomenon. It is becoming a real challenge for many of the towns and villages to survive.
Thanks for reading. Really appreciated. I hope to able to share more whenever l go back. The exodus is real for sure. It’s kind of sad. There are no answers. The governments ignore the rural areas and the resources are so slim. The waterfall was really nice. I just wish l had known ahead of time and wore sneakers but my whole resolve the whole time there was to wear just gowns as they are so cooling in the heat :-).
Hi, I have climped to the last level which is level 7 n u would find urself in Ekiti state where the fall is a cold flowing stream……nice experience to embark on over and over again……
You are one brave soul! Imagine setting foot in another state haha! I think next time we visit, we will go and l will be more prepared. Either that or we seek out another waterfall since there are many other lovely ones. Thanks for the comment.
Hi, have you heard of the button less lake mountain in Ondo state…..try and visit that place and experience the love of nature
Nope! I am however putting it on the list. Thanks for the suggestion :-).
You welkom
I’m happy you had a great time and were able to take these beautiful photos of Nigerian waterfalls, Erin.
Thanks for reading and for the compliment. We had such a good time and learned something new 🙂
I love your pics and this post. I have learned so much from your journey. Keep on posting.
Thanks Ty. I certainly will. It’s nice to be able to share good things instead of only the rubbish that the media feeds us.
Wow it looks lush & green. Really enjoying your highlights of beauty spots in Nigeria. I have been to Olumo rock years ago and I think its actually been upgraded to function properly as a tourist destination. There are quite a few other spots in the North, Calabar (Ogudu ranch I think?) & there is a Lekki conservation centre too. The Government could do more to promote these places but at least there is some effort.
Haha! So fun you mentioned Olumo Rock. I was just putting the finishing touches on the post. It was our last stop. I planned our time a little bit wrong. I was loving spending time with mummy in Ibadan that Lagos got squeezed during the end and we never made it to Lekki except to visit my cousin. The government should do more to protect but l fear their corruption would get exposed somehow. We weren’t even allowed to take pictures of the Lekki bridge. Quick as you will, there was the army who said we needed a permit 🙂 ;-).
‘Love the post and the really cool photographs. Such a lovely waterfall!
Ha! Ha! I wouldn’t attempt the upper levels, but then again, I’m an idiot and even though I hate going up the stairs. Really I do! I would insist on going further, just because it’s there, although I don’t like the sound of no rails…
p.s. You’re wearing a dress. And going into nature. Eeek!
You’re braver than me, especially after seeing the picture where those people were coming down!! Fear of breaking my legs in old age would keep me grounded ;-). Haha! I mostly wore dresses the whole time. To keep cooler. Yeah..me..nature.. :-). It had to happen. 🙂
The falls are beautiful! The adventurer in me would have aimed to make it to the top.
My prodigal sister! How are you? :-). I can totally see you going for the top..haha.. No, thank you!!!
What a great experience !
It really was :-).