By Sarah Dossa
The Erin Ijesha waterfall is an excellent tourist attraction and a wonder to behold. Do you know what they say about believing social media at your risk? Yeah, that almost happened when I visited the Erin Ijesha waterfall. I don’t mean that badly, but what I saw people post, and what I expected and experienced were totally different.
Well, let’s start from the beginning. I wanted some fun and excitement and desired to capture the waterfall with my camera. So, I started planning to visit the tourist destination. I was in Osogbo at the time, and the drive down was about an hour and 20 minutes. But there are affordable hotels close to the area if you’d rather lodge, like Spring Hill Hotel and The Old Network. Anyway, I was ready for all the fun I planned to experience. I knew I’d do a bit of walking; I just didn’t know how much, so I wore jeans and sneakers.
I’d better mention here that outfit is key. I didn’t know and didn’t prepare for it because I didn’t know what to expect. Anyway, when the car dropped me at the gate, I saw the tall mountain, and I was already feeling excited. I met some people at the gate who had been there before, which was a good thing because it made the experience easier, and we proceeded to go in. We had to pay a ₦1,000 gate fee.
And the journey began. The people I met said something about the place having seven floors, and if you make it to the last one, you’re already in Ekiti State. Well, I wasn’t aiming for the seventh floor, but I did think of getting to maybe the third floor. Ascending the stairs isn’t for the feeble, but the views are amazing and totally worth it. The first step you take has an amazing view. There are also nice sheds where you can stay to hang out with friends and family. I didn’t come for a hangout, so I didn’t wait in the area. I started the journey to the first floor, and it wasn’t very easy. Was it because I haven’t been active in a long time? I still don’t think so.
Experience healthy hiking at Erin Ijesha
Good thing I wore sneakers to the place. I have read and written about hiking for a long period, but nothing prepared me for what I experienced climbing up. When visiting, ensure you wear hiking shoes, sneakers, trail walkers, or shoes that fall within the category. Basically, sports shoes. They make climbing easier.
My first stop was at a mini waterfall. I had to stop and take some nice pictures of the bridge. It was at this point that I started regretting my outfit choice. Not because of what I wore but what I didn’t take. Remember, I said something about believing social media, that’s almost what happened to me, but I’m not hurting much because I promise to return and right this wrong.
How could I forget to take a swimsuit or maybe a bikini? All the pictures I saw were just people posing in front of the water with their legs only ankle deep. But the companions I met at the gate asked what I brought. When I said nothing, they knew it was my first time there.
So, when you’re going, you can take a swimsuit or clothes you can change into and enter the water. Anyway, you need to capture some badass moment there, and selfies aren’t enough. After taking a few shots here, we resumed climbing the stairs.
You should go with your bottle of water. If you forget to take it from home or your hotel, they sell some at the entrance, which helped.
I would advise you don’t drink too much water because it can make you tired easily. That I later learned on the trip up. After climbing about 50 more stairs, we were on the first floor. Then, we needed to climb the rocks down to get to the waterfall and ‘pool.’ At this place, there’s a lot of climbing and descending—hardly any flat trails around.
You would need to be careful descending the rock, so you don’t fall. A few people were there in the water and sitting on rocks directly in the waterfall. Before I knew it, one of my companions changed his outfit and went to sit in the waterfall with the water washing over him. I envied him so bad, but I didn’t want that to spoil my mood and decided to enjoy myself in the shallow waters.
Therapeutic experience of the Waterfall
Stepping in the water was therapeutic, and you should definitely get in the water. It’s somewhat overwhelming, and it gives you a soothing feeling. You can only imagine what it would feel like if you entered the waterfall. We stayed, played in the water, and took more pictures for the gram. All my ambitions of climbing to the third floor had flown out of my body immediately after I stepped in the water.
Some people proceeded to the next floor, and I admired that, but I just couldn’t go again. First, it was getting dark, and staying there till late was dangerous. However, the park closes by 6 pm before it gets too dark.
After taking satisfactory pictures, I decided it was time I returned to the beginning of the trail. Descending the stairs was as stressful as climbing up, and if you aren’t careful, you can miss your steps. You need to take it one step at a time.
I took more pictures on the stairs till I felt I had had enough and focused more on descending. I thought my day here had ended, but other people’s own were just getting started, and I smiled. Before stepping outside the gate, I made sure I took a picture of the fountain or “water-spitting” statue close to the gate.
Then I stopped by the ping-pong room at the gate because I didn’t notice it when I got there.
In the end, I was happy I came because it was a whole new experience. The only thing I regretted was the clothes, but I promise to do it right on my next visit. I hope you have a fun time when you visit on my behalf.
Sarah Dossa is a freelance and creative writer. She lives in Ibadan, Oyo State.
Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
