5 culturally or spiritually significant sites you can visit across Nigeria.

As the days into my trip progressed, I realized that a lot of the natural sites that survived or where maintained either had some spiritual or cultural ties to them. Now whether I believe the stories or not, were irrelevant. All that matter was that thankfully, they were being preserved, and I could visit them. Here are my favorites from the sites I visited

Awhum Waterfall is attached to a monastery. The water is believed to be scared. So much so that women are not meant to visit the fall wearing trousers. The waterfall is about an hour to a 90 minutes’ drive from Enugu city depending on where you are. 

The whole tour is 6.77 km and it took us 2 hours 27 minutes to complete with stops for photos and breaks. It is absolutely beautiful. First you start on an open stretch, then the path starts to go downhill till you get to the stream that flows out from the waterfall. At this point we took off our shoes.

Next stop was a cave with a statue of Mary. Interesting enough, we were joined by some religious travelers going to get water. They were visiting from another state. They stopped to pray at the cave. The path progresses through a stream as the high walls of the fall start to rise around you until you reach the main waterfall. Walking between the high walls through the water is an amazing experience. It is just a must see if you are in Enugu.

Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove – I have been to a couple of UNESCO World heritage Sites, but I think its something special to visit one in your home country. I couldn't have imagined how much landmass the grove covered.

The grove is a primary high forest with the river Osun flowing through it. It is said to be the home of the river goddess Osun. On this premise, you will find over 40 shrines and sculptures erected in honor of Osun and other Yoruba deities.

Restoration works on the grove by artists began some 40 years back. With that the grove has now become a sacred place again and acts as symbol of identity for the wider Yoruba diaspora. It is an active religious site where daily, weekly, and monthly worship takes place. It is also a natural herbal pharmacy containing over 400 species of plants – 200 with medicinal values. Every year in August the Osun Osogbo festival is celebrated to remind the people of the promise and pact they have with the river goddess Osun.

Ogbunike Caves - Underneath a valley covered by tropical rain forest lies Ogbunike Caves, a collection of #caves that has #spiritual significance to the locals. Descending 317 steps takes you to the main entrance of the caves. Visitors must take of their shoes before entering and be prepared for the experience of stepping on moist #earth.

The main cave consists of a massive area and structure with a big open chamber. At certain parts of this chamber, depending on how tall you are, you can stand erect. There are different tunnels at the main chamber leading to different directions.

The tunnels end up in big chambers. These chambers vary in lengths and some are interconnected.  You will find large colonies of #bats and streams in the caves. One stream flows out from one of the tunnels into #River Nkissa
There is also a spot beside the river used as a relaxation spot by visitors to the caves. The #rock at the entrance is said to grow so I have taken a picture to mark the level so if do ever comeback I can cross check if the legend holds true

Olumirin  (Erin Ijesha) Waterfall – according to tales told Akinla the first daughter and a princess of Oduduwa had to leave Ife after a violent dispute occurred with regards to sole ownership of the yourba goddess Iro, the goddess of fertility. She and her followers embarked on a 17 day’s journey from Ile Ife that ended up at Erin Ijesha where the gods instructed her to settle. Making the founding date of Erin Ijesha to be around 1140AD.

The initial settlement had a water scarcity problem because of this a search for a place with suitable water source started. It is said to be that during that search, Olumirin the ceaseless waterfall was discovered. Olumirin or Oluwa miran’ means in yourba "another god," They named the waterfall as such because they believe it to be mystical and have spiritual powers.

Some people still believe in the powers of the waterfall, they come to say prayers and bring offerings. For most people however it is a beautiful and physically engaging exercise to hike the 7 levels of the Olumirin waterfall. A bonus of getting to the seventh level is that you end up visiting two states in Nigeria, Osun and Ekiti. The lower levels of the waterfall are in Osun state whilst the seventh level located in the Abake village is in Ekiti. The hike to the seventh Level and back took us 4 hours and covering 10.3 km. This included a 30 - 45-minute break at the level 3 waterfall. This area is good for swimming. Be sure not miss out the lookout point at the 3^rd level

Olumo Rock is a historical site located in the city of Abeokuta not far away from the Olusegun Obasanjo presidential library. It is easy to combine both attractions for a day whilst visiting.

The Rock which stands at 137 meters above sea level, served as a natural fortress to the Egba people. They sort refuge there during the tribal wars. In the past you could access the rock using the natural footpaths at the base which required climbing in some areas. There are different sections of the monument that can be visited. The main shrine, the garden lookout point, the Egba wartime hideout and some of the chambers. In recent times a staircase and lift have been added making it more accessible to visitors. Unfortunately the lift construction obstructs the frontal view of the rock from the base.

What makes this place even more special is the natural arrangement of rocks and tunnels that created hiding places for the Egba people.The greenery around including some old trees, add to the flair of the environment. You get an amazing view of the city including views of other tourist attractions such as the first church, the first mosque and the river Ogu.

At the base you have the option of getting a tour guide - its advisable to do so as mine was quite knowledgeable with regards to the site and the history of Abeokuta - which means Under the rock in Yourba language.

Be rest assured the country still has a lot more to offer and I am looking forward to seeing more of these sites

Yours Truly
Liesel81