Ikogosi warm spring is located in Ekiti west Local
Government area of Ekiti state Nigeria in a valley from the surrounding hills
at the warm spring.
The Vegetation at the spring which is highly thick forest
with natural and rich vegetation that is closely maintained and protected from
arbitrary deforestation. The area covered by the spring is about 31.38 and it
is highly protected from erosion by tall and evergreen trees. The trees also
serve as a sort of canopy under which tourists could stay during the dry season
and sunny days. The undulating topography of the area and the symmetry of the
surrounding hills add more to the aesthetic beauty of the spring.
Historically, there has being many version concerning the
history of the spring and one of such version is that both springs (Warm and
Cold) were wives of the same husband who turned to springs water in the wake of
rift and rivalry between them. The hot and ill-tempered first wife believed to
have turned to the popular warm spring while the cool-tempered second wife
turned to cold spring water. The husband became the undulating hills that
encompass the springs. It is well established that some of the Villagers still
worship the springs as their deities.
Another version of the history has it that a hunter
discovered the spring during his hunting expedition. After that the people of
the community then discovered that the warm water is therapeutic and that it cures
many diseases.
That made them to start worshipping the water and it continued
till 1960s when the late Nigerian educator and author Tai Solarin heard about
the spring and he brought his student to the site for a tour. After the tour
Tai Solarin started publicizing about the warm spring before Rev. MacGee of
Baptist church arrived to build student camp near the area. It was Rev. Macgee
who built a chapel which is the conference hall and the hostels which is now
the camp chalets at the resort.
The scientific proof could not be wished away in favour of
the traditional belief. The possible and plausible scientific explanation is
that the deeper a body of water goes underground, the hotter it becomes and if
by chance it is forced back to the surface through some earth fault, the
temperature will be relatively high.
The Baptist mission in the early 50s established a youth and
conference centre and other conveniences on a hill adjacent to the warm spring
area. This started attracting different people from far and near, even
foreigner started visiting the centre as nature demands. At the wake of 1978
however, the Ondo State acquired this popular tourist centre from Baptist
Mission. A few infrastructures were put in place by this Mission before the
resort centre was acquired from them by the State government, but after the
acquisition of the centre, however, both the federal and the state government
has now focused attention on how to develop the centre to a modern tourist
resort.
The warm and cold spring of Ikogosi flow parallel, and meet
somewhere to form a confluence, with each maintaining its thermal quality. The
warm spring has a temperature of 70o c at the source and 37oc after meeting a
cold spring. The meeting point of the warm and cold spring is a unique
attraction to tourist. Adding to natural beauty, there is a tree and a palm
growing from the same source at the meeting point area of the warm and cold
springs
In the heart of Ikogosi, a small, quiet town with rich,
local customs, in the Western part of Ekiti State (Ekiti Tourism Corridor),
lies a warm spring which has now catapulted Ikogosi-Ekiti to national and
international limelight.
What is mysterious about the Ikogosi Warm Spring is
the fact that, flowing side by side the warm spring, is another spring, a cold
one. According to experts, it is a geological wonder to have such occurrence
out of the same rock formation and this Ekiti flagship tourist destination is
said to be the only one of its kind discovered anywhere in the world. The warm
and cold springs of Ikogosi originate from a close proximity, come to a meeting
point, and flow onward together with each spring retaining its thermal
identity.
It represents another uniqueness and is the first of such occurrence
in the world. The warm spring has a temperature of up to 70oC at the source and
37oC after meeting the cold spring. The meeting point of the warm and cold
springs is a unique attraction to tourists.
The springs sprout out and flow with a constant temperature
and volume up to 150 litres/seconds from morning till night, at all seasons,
all-year round. The whole environment of the spring has been deliberately left
untampered with, for eco-tourism appeal while the source of the warm spring has
been provided with a viewing structure for easy spotting by tourists. Strangely
also, there is a tree and a palm growing from the same source at the meeting
point area of the warm and cold springs. A wonderful work of Mother Nature!
Another unique quality of the Ikogosi Warm Spring is its
acclaimed curative power. It is widely-believed to have some kind of
therapeutic effect which relieves body aches and all sorts of ailments. A lot
of tourists visiting the place take advantage of the large warm water swimming
pool provided for this purpose and other recreational needs. It is also the
home of the 5-star Gossy Brand Spring Water bottled by UAC of Nigeria.
THE HISTORY
There are a few legends surrounding the origin and discovery
of the Warm Spring and have been passed down generations for centuries. One
such myth says that the warm and cold springs were the two wives of a great
hunter. One of his wives was said to be temperamental while the other was a
quiet woman. One day, the two wives had a fight and after being rebuked by
their husband, the temperamental wife changed to the warm spring while the
quiet one turned to the cold spring.
Another legend has it that a powerful hunter, while hunting
for animals in the forest, first found the warm spring. After the discovery, he
went to town with the story and the townspeople on learning about curative
powers of the spring, started to worship the spring.
Whatever is the true situation remains to be found out as
the story of the Ikogosi Warm Spring is told elsewhere and nothing might be
compared to taking a trip to this serenity place to see things for oneself.
FACILITIES
In order to give tourists and visitors a long-lasting
experience, a well-landscaped 116-hectare resort is located around the warm
spring at Ikogosi-Ekiti. The resort has one (1) Executive VIP chalet, three (3)
VIP villas, twelve (12) western suites, seventy-five (75) standard rooms of
different styles, themes and offerings and seven support staff quarters. All
accommodation facilities are currently undergoing redevelopment to turn the
place to an international standard resort.
Work is in progress on developing the following facilities
at the Resort:
1. 75 standard room
chalets with varied styles, themes & offerings;
2. Twelve (12) suite
apartments;
3. Restaurant/Bar;
4. Warm water
swimming pool;
5. Nature spa /
beauty centre;
6. Gym/Fitness shop;
7. Herbal shop for
local medication;
8. Arts & Crafts
shops for souvenir items;
9. 300-seat
multi-purpose conference hall, 120-seat and 50-seat meeting & function rooms;
10. Variety/shopping mall;
11. Amphitheatre;
12. Double standard
rooms for students on excursion and campers;
13. 300-car parking facility.
Other features include open green areas, brook walk lanes,
waterways, relaxation spots, external area beautification, gated exclusive
areas, secure general areas, etc.
The second phase development includes:
1. 150 room, branded
international standard 3-star hotel
2. A heliport;
3. Cold water
swimming pool;
4. An 18-hole golf
course;
5. Children’s
playground and amusement park;
6. Sports centre
(lawn tennis courts, squash court, etc);
7. A football pitch;
8. Laundry for local
and foreign attires;
9. Perimeter fencing
with CCTVs, control room, security surveillance systems;
10. Administrative buildings for resort staff;
11. Water & sewage treatment plants.
The State government now seeks highly-discerning local and
international investors to partner with, towards a choice destination providing
quality services on a sustainable basis. A location where the whole world seeks
to go.
Source: logbaby.com
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