What to do on a 2-day trip in Osogbo, Osun State, Nigeria.
A detailed experience of a time I traveled to Osun State. I explained the event of each day and places visited, the cost implication of the trip, transportation and what to expect when you backpack to Osun State.
Attractions
Nike Art Gallery — Osogbo
Osun Osogbo Grove — Osogbo
Erin Ijesha Waterfall — Erin Ijesha (aka Olumirin Waterfall)
Cost Implication
Bus ride from Lagos to Ede — ₦3000
Commute within Osogbo — ₦1000
Gate fee at grove — ₦1000
*My contribution to the drive to Erin Ijesha — ₦12000
Gate fee at Erin Ijesha —₦1000
Paid parking at Erin Ijesha — ₦200
Bus ride from Ede to Lagos —₦2500
There were miscellaneous incurred along the way that I can’t accurately quantify mostly on food and convenience.
In summary, total spend falls between ₦25,000 — ₦30,000.
Essentials for the trip
Snacks, biscuits, pringles, or anything else that rocks your boat
Slippers or waterproof joggers with a firm grip. Needed for the hike and most importantly at the waterfall.
Swimsuit or whatever clothing you can covert into swimwear.
A waterproof bag to keep your personal effect at the waterside.
Hairnet for the ladies
Whatever you do, pack light for the hike. There is no designated place to keep anything so people kept their phones, cloth, and shoes on wet rocks while others hung their bags on nearby trees.
The not- so sexy part of the trip.
I planned to arrive at the bus park early enough to board the
first bus out of Lagos. This is for obvious reasons; Lagos is highly susceptible to gridlock such that getting in and out could take hours, and I want no such thing. Secondly, going to a new place for the first time, it is only reasonable to arrive during the day. However, being the 2nd passenger at 8:20am in an eleven-seater bus quickly headed for Osogbo/Ikirun Offa quickly put that plan to dust. The long wait for the 9 other passengers to fill up the bus seemed to take an eternity. Although I have been briefed on the distance between Lagos and my destination still, I couldn’t help calculating my arrival as the hours went by.
There is a much bigger park in Ojota so, I alighted at a point to try an alternative park. The pedestrian bridge located in Berger is 2min walk from the bus where I just alight. I kid you not when I say that 2 mins walk was how long my attempt to find an alternative lasted. The sight of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway (inward and outward) visible on the pedestrian bridge
was all the conviction I needed to retake my seat in the park. No wonder, the agberos didn’t try to persuade me to stay in their usual way when I stumbled out earlier. At 9am, it took all the resolve in me to not start calling out passengers myself when I saw the drivers and agberos huddled in one corner gisting away unbothered.
After what seemed like an unending wait for other passengers to trickle in, the driver removed the wooden signage that has Osogbo/ Ikirun/Offa inscribed on it in readiness for the trip. When the bus finally made its way out of the park at 10:15 am, the vacation ginger I brought from home had drained out during the wait nevertheless, the newness of the experience kept me alive.
Luckily, I had a gist buddy on the bus whom I later found out
loves traveling and was delighted to point out landmarks and name each
town as we drove by.
Lagos to Ede.
Ede is a historic town in Osun state, southwestern Nigeria situated along the road leading to Osogbo. Ede is home to tertiary institutions such as The Federal Polytechnic Ede, Adeleke University, and Redeemer’s University. My stay in Akoda Ede during my trip allowed me easy access to my itineraries. The drive to Ede was hitch-free saved for the poor state of some roads after Ibadan. We passed through a town called Ikire, famous for a delicacy made from fried mashed plantain. I got some to snack on the drive down south.
Day 1
The first two destinations are situated in Osogbo. so, it only took a 20mins bus ride to meet Funmi — a super energetic company that is familiar with the Osogbo. Thanks again Funmi for helping me navigate my itinerary. The town was bustling with activities despite the heavy cloud when I met her at Iyana Golf from where we proceeded to the mall for our first meal of the day. Commuting with Korope (a type of minibus used for public transportation in Osogbo) was convenient not only because they are readily available but because the town is well laid out, we only had to come out from one location and hop on the next one. In terms of price, each stop cost ₦150 at most. A plate of Jollof/fried rice and sumptuous ponmo later, we were ready to take Osogbo.
Nike Art Gallery
The drive from the Mall to Nike Art Gallery was quite a stretch. Funmi pointed at landmarks, spots, and locations along the road as we drove by and I couldn’t stop thinking about how transportation in Osogbo is very different from Lagos.
It was past midday when we arrived at the serene, one-storey building that houses the famous Nike Art Gallery. We were taken on a tour of the facility starting with a brief introduction delivered in Yoruba downstairs. Paintings on large and small canvas were hung from top to down. While the gallery is a collection point and infact a market place for the works of various artists, it turns out, you can’t just come in and dump your work without some form of vetting from Madam Nike herself.
I was shown a painting and asked to identify other details that I could see. Minutes passed, I took off my glasses, walked back and forth, and still
couldn’t see the faces painted into the artwork until they were pointed out. Apparently, there are 6–7 faces dotted into the colourful representation of a plantation. Art!
We were later joined by 2 more parties and we began our guided tour of the facility. We saw more paintings, woodwork, sculpture, adornment, and accessories made out of recycled or local materials on display and utilities that were used decades ago.
The tour guide was patient enough to explain the importance of some of the exhibitions while educating us and correcting some myths.
The group moved upstairs using a staircase made of hardwood where even more stuff awaits on display in a dimly lit space. Funmi was too excited to jump on the cold cemented floor. One of the rooms displayed adire and batik fabric from the Nike Art Workshop ranging from ₦15000 to ₦30000.
We saw an indigenous dining setting said to belong to Suzanne
Wenger. After her death, it was brought to the gallery for exhibition. So were other things to preserve the Yoruba culture.
The tour finally ended or more like we were occupied with
pictures at the exit of the first floor. time went by quickly.
Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove
With Nike Art Gallery in the bag, we hopped on a bus to Isale
Osun where the dense forest of the Osun Sacred Grove is situated. Typical of a thick forest, there are monkeys ready to pounce on anyone holding a banana or any brightly coloured. The gate dividing the grove from the community gate is left open and I stole some pictures here before taking a walk to the place of interest.
There are representations molded on the cemented barricade
that was used to secure the forest on both sides starting from the gate. We took in as much as we can from the story told by the sculptures on the walk leading to a second gate.
After paying the gate fee, we were left unguided to tour the
vast forest alone. See the two of us trying to make sense of the sculptures and art works done in honour of Osun and other deities
on the wall as dem no give us guide.
We went to the suspended bridge but the shrine was not accessible. More accurately, we didn’t bother going near the shrine and sanctuaries because we saw prayer activities going on the road leading to that aspect of the grove.
At the arch leading to the suspended bridge, we found one of the priestesses stationed there who insisted on seeing the prayer money in our hands before dropping it in the bowl.
Apparently, she reviews and when she is not satisfied, dictates an
acceptable amount before letting you through. I don’t know if this has always been but that was my experience.
I would rather the management organizes the billing system better.
Make it central and itemize service offerings and pricing available rather than an arbitrary billing at every entry point in the shrine. And yes, they should bring back tour guides. Without a guide, looks like we just jogged down and back up again.
Day 2.
Erin Ijesha aka Olumirin Waterfall
Assisted by GoogIe Map, Funmi and Dominic, we drove to Erin
Ijesha waterfall in Oriade LGA of Osun State.
There is signage by the roadside, although a bigger one will be alot appreciated. The road leading to the gate of the facility is narrow and part of the road is untarred hence driving up there during the rainy season is tricky. It is advisable to pack food and water in the trunk of your car for this trip. Upon arrival, we paid the dictated gate fee although the gatepass
given to us had a different figure printed on it.
The hike was quiet because everyone was preoccupied taking in
the scenery. The downpour made the steps slippery
There are 7 layers of waterfall but I only made it to 2. Accessing
level 2 was unceremonious for the most part. I literarily crawled my way down to the scene. Once we got down, we met other tourists and soon everyone was in the water. I can hear the sound of the water
hitting the rock and how the water felt hitting my skin as I type this. Such a
memorable experience.
At first, I was unsure of the depth of the river or if there are foreign
objects in the water so I stayed at the bank watching other people. Then I saw other people boldly doing stuff like climbing the rock around the waterfall and going close enough to allow the water to fall on their faces, I threw caution to the wind and joined in the scary fun too.
For choice of clothing, I will suggest wearing swimwear under and covering it up with a bubu for the hike. Alternatively, wear a cloth you don’t mind dipping into the water because There is no changing room, we hid behind a tree and hurriedly changed.
- Getting the car in good shape for the long drive
and fueling is how we arrived at my contribution to the trip.
I hope you enjoyed the read and gingered to go on a trip soon.
