The Erinta Water falls at Ipole-Iloro 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 Center. I paid a visit to this waterfall and stared with amazement at the beautiful work of mother nature.
This resort centre is naturally endowed with thick and evergreen forest.The Arinta waterfalls are a wonder spectacle to behold, cascading down rocky hills from a great height to form a flowing pool of spring water amidst natural forest vegetation. They are located in Ipole-Iloro Ekiti and are a popular tourist site that draws local and foreign tourists to the State.“Arinta… ever wet ever flowing, the obsession of Ipole people, ever plunging ever splashing”
The steep slopes of the overawing ridge, panoramas of a beautiful valley trapped between two ridges meet the eyes. The landscape features a sprawling expanse of plush vegetation set with a patchwork of rust-brown ‘tabs’ at a distance, and a sky-line bedecked with gently undulating ridge tops on the other side. The noon-day sun energized the verdural flavour of the valley below, casting it in a harmonious romance of bright and dark shades of leaf green. The tarred road descends down the other side of the ridge to meet the sleepy enclave of Ipole-Iloro. A small stream meets the road at the village entrance. It is called Oluwa stream, and being highly-revered by the people, it is said that the water can cure any kind of diseases.
The enclave holds a total human population of about eight hundred people. Aayo spring can be seen winding its way across the village, dividing the village into two parts. The first part towards the south, holds the area where the ancestors of Ipole-Iloro people first dwelt before expansion took the boundaries of the village beyond the river to the other side. This cultural landmark constitutes a major landmark in the enclave and it’s highly treasured by the people.
People in Arinta Waterfalls
The muddy path bursts into an open area within the enclosing forest canopies. Giant rock boulders lie strewn everywhere. The noise of heavy rain and the smell of dense moisture imprison the air. I look around to catch my first glimpse of the alluring deluge. The large boulders and surrounding giant ferns obstruct my sight
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In an instant, my captivated soul is sated as I behold one of the most beautiful sights in Ekiti land- the seven cascades of Arinta Waterfalls. The first/basal cascade leaps from rocky ledge above, brushes a polished slope and hits the rocks below with in deafening deluge. The crystal clear waters belch a cloud of water vapour on the vicinity. Sharp rays of sunlight pierce the air and refract a rainbow at the plunge pool.
Located in Ipole-Iloro, in the same Ekiti Tourism Corridor/Belt/Axis as the Ikogosi Warm Spring (10 minutes’ drive from each other), Arinta Waterfalls is a spectacle to behold, watch and marvel at. The falls cascade down the rocky hills from a great height, amidst natural forest vegetation to form a flowing pool of spring water. It is a popular tourist site that draws local and foreign tourists to Ekiti State. The place is ideal for relaxation, picnics, mountain-climbing, hiking, bush trails and religious retreats.