AGODI GARDENS; GREEN BEAUTY TO BEHOLD IN IBADAN

This post is long overdue but you know what they say about procrastination; its a demon😎 "

Procrastination is the thief of time, collar him.

"Don't leave till tomorrow what you can do today" 

This is how you should frown & look away from procrastination

To the gist of the day, I was in Ibadan couple of weeks ago and I got to tick Agodi gardens & UI zoological gardens off my bucket list. I'm going to share both experience in first & second part. 

Going solo to a destination is not really my thing, I guess that's what brought about Tourers NG in the first place. So on this one, my friend (Abolade) who's currently doing her masters in Ibadan on " Tourism" of course is my travel buddy.

Let's get to the breakdown, shall we?

AGODI GARDENS AKA AGODI BOTANICAL GARDENS

History first?

History has it that  Agodi gardens has been in existence since the 90's but it was destroyed by the Ogunpa flood disaster in 1980 as most of the animals were swept away by the raging water. The garden was renovated in 2012 by the Oyo State Government and the new Agodi Gardens was reopened in 2014 .

 I had high hopes for Agodi Gardens which was dashed, though not completely as I really looked forward to the zoo, but the supposed zoo is now a forest. I didn't get to see the lake also, because what i saw was not a lake, just a small body of still water which is actually beautiful. 

But apart from all that Agodi Gardens is a beauty to behold, the grass is so green & lush. 

You would want to take picture till you drop because i sure did and Abolade made it pretty much easier

 I didn't swim but the pool actually lived up to expectation and i didn't get to take a picture because it was already closed when i thought of it. Its so beautiful and inviting.

Need I mention Agodi Gardens is also a spot for children as there are many facilities provided, I didn't check it out but I saw the kids were having a swell time.

 There's also a pub called GQ(Gentlemen's Quarter) . they serve drinks, barbeque fish, varieties of pepper soup  and also their music liven up the whole garden.

Horses & Donkeys are another attraction to look out for in Agodi gardens as they are all over the grass eating, the view is going to leave you basking in the euphoria of a ranch and its something you're gonna love💯. 

Meet Governor, the celebrity horse of Agodi Gardens.

In conclusion, 

AGODI GARDENS IS BEAUTIFUL!!! And it should make it to your bucket list

The next post will be the highlight of my visit to UI zoological gardens. Please do come back and read.

Thank you for reading and make sure you like, share & comment. Ciao!

TEN INTERESTING FACTS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT FREEDOM PARK

Freedom park is a memorial leisure park with the aim of preserving Lagos colonial heritage and history of the Old Board Street prison. Today, the park is a  venue  for events and recreational entertainment.

Here are ten things you probably don't know about freedom park:


1. Freedom park was once a prison. A prison which was known as "Her Majesty Broad Street prison"

2. A  former prison turned centre for creative expression.

3. Freedom Park provides a much needed green and serene space in Lagos Island as well as beautifully landscaped gardens to make it attractive to both tourists and the general public.

4. Freedom Park Lagos is a National Memorial, a Historical landamark, a Cultural site & an Arts and Recreation centre.

  5.I didn't get to eat the food in there but I heard they have a lovely food especially their fish pepper soup got the best reviews.

6.There's a beautiful night life in there everyday.

7. Did I mention its a great place for kids also, as they have swings, bouncing castle and all.

 8.The tranquillity in there is one to die for, you could actually go there for a quiet time.

9. There's a also swimming pool and a amphitheatre for all sort of performances .

10.And lastly lovers of art would actually love the museum as there's art all around the down stairs section but the upper part might make you little bit mushy if you're fainthearted because there's the cell room, the executing machine, die by hanging device and also the executing gallows.

It's a place to take good pictures also, check these out👇👇👇

You/your group can book this trip with @tourersng
Call 08160787914
Send a mail :theworldtourers@gmail.com

TOURERS NG  organizes private/ group tours to tourist destinations in Nigeria/ Africa as a whole. You can also book a private/ group tour   with TOURERS NG(@tourersng)

Follow Damilola discoveries, travel stories and guides on Instagram (@datgalebony).

 ‘Damilola is available for writing or travel expo opportunities.

Thank you

IDERE HILLS; UNPOPULAR BUT GIGANTIC

MEMORABLE TRIP TO IDERE HILLS
Idere Hills is one of the notable tourist attractions in Oyo State.

Idere Hills has no defined steps as the destination is not being developed. Though some tourism lovers in the community are doing some development works. It consist of forested paths and bare rock that will give you mountain envy. If mountain climbing & hiking is one of your hobby, you'll love this.

THE JOURNEY

I do sleep on every road trip but if it's a new route, i will not even doze a bit cos I'll be filled with the excitement of the new place I'm going to visit. That was my experience on this journey too, as I've never been to Igbo-Ora before, so i was fully awake all through.


It was an approximately 3 hours drive, 2hours40minutes from Lagos to Igbo-Ora and about 5minutes drive from Igbo ora to Idere. 

So I get to know about Idere hills from a friend who's an indigene of Igbo-ora; he told me there's a mountain you'd love to see in Idere, I asked if its worth going from Lagos, he said 500%...."O ti ya niyen"
I typed it on google and its not even amongst the top ten the search engine brought, Just an interview of a guy that went there with his friend, though the picture got me salivating but then I thought if this mountain is actually what they called it, it should be on the cyber space but all the same I was eager.
.
Bags packed on Saturday, I set out ; I didn't go through public transport but the journey was stress less except for some bad roads in Sango, Ogun state (,you know the story) and a zillionth partial roadblock mounted by the security officials from Abeokuta to Igbo ora

I got to the mountain in the afternoon due to some other things my driver for the day had to do in his hometown.

We just approached the mountain but we met some corp members descending with an old man who speaks a very good English, I later learnt his name was Mr Lawal, he asked where we were going, to climb of course. He smiled & told us we have to pay moreover we can't climb alone , I disagreed with him over the payment that this place is not even on the map bla bla but he made me see reasons that they have to pay the guide & all so they can be motivated, I ended up paying 600 for two persons ( they call it student fee).
So we agreed & the tour guide was called upon the person of Mr Mayowa ....We embarked on the mountain climbing quest by 12.30 Our guide was extra, he took his time to explain each landmark to us.
The Mountain climbing is not for the weak though but it was worth the climb 200%

You'll need the following for a successful climb👇👇👇

*Its Mountain hiking, so come along with your water, energy drinks and snacks; I snacked on Minimie chin chin all through the climb and i highly recommend it because its not heavy and it'll give you the required strength all though the quest though you can also make the purchase at the village

* If you're going from Lagos, make sure to leave as early as 6am so as to be able to return on time

* A good footwear is also advisable because of some slippery surface

RECOMMENDATIONS
I'm really excited about this, as i didn't know such edifice exists in Oyo State. I look forward to seeing the destination being fully established as a tourist destination and source of income for the community.

Firstly, steps should be constructed as there's no defined path to climb the mountain

Secondly, cable cars should be implemented as the hill is a wide stretch of space so people can be able to see wonders from the comfort of the cable cars

Furthermore, the natural swimming pool was dry when I went there because its during the dry season so I think the pool can be artificially supplied during the dry season so people will be able to swim

In conclusion,these hills & caves has deep historical backgrounds which I strongly believe if well developed will attract people from all over the world.
Here are some pictures;
Mountain top

 One of the caves that has a little stream of cold water

 ODO EjA(FISH POOL) ; Because its shaped like a fish

 Ori Oke Gbekanlekan(Hills mounted upon each other)

 "Yara leleyi", the guide said(this is the bedroom😱)

 One of the caves in Idere Hills

 Leap of Joy

You/ your group can book this trip with @tourersng
Call 08160787914
Send a mail :theworldtourers@gmail.com

TOURERS NG  organizes private/ group tours to Idere hills  and surrounding tourist destinations in Nigeria/ Africa as a whole. You can also book a private/ group tour   with TOURERS NG(@tourersng)

Follow Damilola discoveries, travel stories and guides on Instagram (@datgalebony).

 ‘Damilola is available for writing or travel expo opportunities.

Thank you

Welcome to the tourers blog post!!!

FIRST OF ALL; INTRODUCTION!!!😉

Yaay💃💃💃  I'm glad that I'm finally doing this... Oh I'm sorry, forgive my manners, my name is Ehindero Damilola, the founder of tourers ng but for the purpose of this writing that'll start coming in subsequently, you can call me Dammy.
Tourers NG is a tourism brand created to ease off travel stress from people either locally or internationally... Over the years, people are beginning to show more interest in travelling but there are little information & help to go around so tourers ng should come to mind when you're thinking;

Group/private tours
Honeymoon
Destination proposal
School tours

Kindly connect with us on our social media platforms @tourersng & my personal page @datgalebony
Watch out for the next post to know more about my trip to Idere hills in Oyo state