Idanre Hills, also known as Oke Idanre, is one of the major tourist destinations in Nigeria. It is located in the town of Idanre, about 24 km southwest of Akure, the capital of Ondo State in Nigeria.
The magnificent hills of Idanre have been home to the people of Idanre for over 150 years. The history of Idanre says that its first settlers lived high on a hill now known as Old Oke Idanre. The Hills of Idanre are a collection of inselbergs surrounding the rustic town of Idanre and cover an area of approximately 900km2.The town of Idanre is full of numerous attractions including the wonderful Orosun festival where the locals of Idanre go to the hill to pray to their ancestors and celebrate.
The hills of Idanre are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Its physical features include shrines, a palace, an old mansion, the footprint of Agboogun, etc. In, Agboogun’s footprint was mysteriously engraved on the hill; The footprint is said to correspond to every foot except those of witches and wizards. Tourists who want to reach the top of Idanre Hill have to climb 660 steps with five rest points. The entry fee to Idanre Hill is N1,000.
Another secret of the Idanre Hills lies in the illegible inscriptions scrawled in an unknown language on a steep rock in ancient Oke Idanre. This writing is called “The unreadable letters of the flood” and ingeniously known as “Adiye kowe, Oyinbo kaati” which is translated as “a white man cannot read the writings of a hen”.
Idanre Hills is a wonderful place that tourists and nature lovers should visit during their lifetime.
