Ekiti State offers some finest tourists’ attractions you can’t ignore says BEATRICE ISOLA.

How To get there

Travelling to Ekiti is not difficult at all. You can travel by road from Lagos or any other part of the country. If you an international visitor, you can arrange with a local travel company or tour operator to do a tour package to Ekiti. There are local flights available at the Lagos Airport. Also, there are private chopper services in Lagos for VIP guests.

Where To Stay

There are quite a few hotels to stay in Ekiti.  The Ikogosi resort is one of the state’s finest tourist hotels with enchanting natural beauty that stands out with stunning visual spectacle as well as globally-acclaimed earth science and hydrological site, clear skies, the undisturbed sights and sounds of nature, thick and green plantation, rolling hills and a warm spring that fires human curiosity in its healing powers as a good cure for all forms of skin ailment, aches, hypertension, arthritis amongst others.

The resort boasts of ninety-one rooms, four restaurants, two revolving cocktail bars and non-static warm swimming pool. You will enjoy 24-hours parking and security and airport pick up with the 24-hour front desk staff.

At the resort, you can enjoy an elegant and classical accommodation in the historical centre of Ikogosi. At the restaurants, you can be assured of healthy food with African, continental Cuisines, and with varieties of snacks served. Also therapeutic diets are available on request. The accommodation comes in deluxe standard, exclusive lodge, presidential lodge, exclusive suite, deluxe single and exclusive suite.

At N8, 280 a night you can stay at the Pathfinder Hotel located at the state’s Ado Ekiti, Ekiti – University of Ado Ekiti Road, Iloku. Midas Hotel located at 15-19 Midas Avenue, Iwokoro Road Ado Ekiti is also another hotel to stay. Midas hotel provides luxurious lodging in a serene environment. You can experience lodging tailored for comfort; standard room rate is N12, 000 per night with free Wi-Fi.

Eating Out

You can have a good meal at A La Carte restaurant located at 107, Adebayo Road, Ado Ekiti, Ekiti. It is a place to enjoy tasty local African dishes like Pounded Yam, Amala, Ofada Rice, or taste the local Ewedu or Gbegiri soup in a good ambience. You may also eat local dishes at Dee Bukateen Restaurant situated at 120, Adebayo Iworoko Road, Ado Ekiti. To experience a very traditional setting, you may try Mama Junior Food Canteen at 56, Ajilosu Street, Ado-Ekiti. Here you will taste original Ekiti flavours.

Where To Shop

There are no big shopping malls yet in Ekiti but there are many supermarkets and stores where you can shop for toiletries. Olamide International Ventures located at 10, Bawa Road, Ado Ekiti, and Jummy Kay Supermarket at 25/29, Shopping Complex, Ado Ekiti, are places you can shop. The open local markets are good places to get good bargain, however, you will need a guide to do this.

Where To Visit

You can have an intimate outing with nature at the Ikogosi Warm Springs, a tourist attraction located at Ikogosi, a town in Ekiti State. What is surprising bout the Ikogosi Warm Spring is the fact that, flowing side by side the warm spring, is another spring, a cold one.

Flowing abreast the warm spring is another cold spring which meets the warm spring at a confluence, each maintaining its thermal properties. These attributes make the spring a tourist attraction in Nigeria.

Research suggested that the warm spring has a temperature of about 70oC at the source and 37oC at the confluence. You can equally visit the popular Erinta Water Falls at Ipole Iloro, a few kilometres to the Warm Spring.

The Erinta Water falls is located at about 6km North-West of Ikogosi. It could be reached only through a secondary road from Ikogosi. The road leading to the fall passes through the Ikogosi Tourist Centre. Why not visit this resort centre and marvelled at the work of nature? You can feel the cold effect of the fall about 10 metres away. It has three pronounced escarpments. You can also enjoy the thick and evergreen forest.

The Olosunta and Orole hills of Ikere are a tourist’s delight any day. These two hills are located at northern and southern parts of Ikere Ekiti town respectively. They are both steep-sided hills.

Another interesting place to visit in Ekiti is the modern Ero Dam. Ero dam and lake are man-made tourist attractions. This dam is located at Ikun Ekiti in Moba Local Government of the State. The lake covers some kilometres. This dam supplies three Local Governments drinkable water. The Egbe Dam is constructed on Ose River at Egbe Ekiti in Ekiti East Local Government. The dam supplies the whole Local Government regular pipe-borne water. Both dams and lakes are good resort centres for tourists visiting Ekiti.

You can bask in the hot Ekiti sun at the famous Adekunle Fajuyi Park. Named after the late Adekunle Fajuyi, the Governor of the Old Western State, the triangular park is located at Ado Ekiti, the heart of Ekiti-land in Ekiti State.