You Should Experience Tarkwa Bay At Least Once In A Lifetime And Here's Why???

Tarkwa Bay

Tarkwa Bay is an artificial sheltered beach located near the Lagos harbour in Nigeria.

My journey to Tarkwa Bay was not my first time on water but it was definitely my longest trip on water. A whole 30 minutes on water and the engine going off 4 times before we arrived at our destination.
I don't like solo trips but this one I had no choice than to go alone but I met people who would later be my friends.
It was my first time in Tarkwa Bay and I must say the Beach is tranquil and neat for me, it was not even about the water or having fun but more of the joy the sounds of the waves gives. Tarkwa Bay has that special features.

Getting There.

I got on a boat at the Marina and paid N500  for the 30 minutes ride. I guess that was the cheapest but I made a mental note to try out other Marinas to check what other boat options they have.

Click Here to see the video of my boat ride to Tarkwa Bay Beach

On arrival, I met with a guy (one of the vendors there too) whom after I told him I would be coming with a group of people at the end of the month turned my partner for the day  but that was after haggling and agreeing on prices for our chairs and tent for the number of people I would be bringing. 

Note: You have to haggle your way out in Tarkwa Bay, there's no definite price.

I begged him to take pictures of me👇👇

Rate the picture over 100😉

I was tired of sitting alone so I took a stroll to the end of the beach and to also check out hotel options in case of a sleepover. Firstly the stroll was therapeutic and I recommend it for meditation. 💯

Just imagine being clad in your bikini or your shorts and strolling on a white sand, cool breeze slapping your face,  kids surfing on the beach, a white man racing on the beach with his quad bike and children running after him. It definitely would be one beautiful sight to behold.

Also it is interesting to know that Tarkwa Bay has quite a lot of hotels that has the resort feeling. Sadly I don't have quite a lot of pictures as my phone decided to act up hence I could not take pictures of beautiful scene

Then again, to enjoy Tarkwa Bay beach to the fullest, go with your food & drinks.

Tarkwa Bay will be amongst my top 5 destinations to visit in Lagos. It houses a variety of interesting characters like the Rasta man playing guitars and fun activities like beach volleyball. I dare say it’s one of my favourite public beaches in Lagos.

RECOMMENDATIONS
Well, after this fun-filled and most exciting visit to Tarkwa Bay, I actually do not have any recommendation than to encourage you to make it a number one on your get-away destination list if you are yet to experience the Tarkwa-Bay fun. I love it that much. But I know it definitely can be better

Have you been to Tarkwa Bay? Kindly share your experience in the comment section.


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 (@damiehindero).

 ‘Damilola is available for writing or travel expo opportunities.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT IYAKE LAKE ON ADO AWAYE MOUNTAIN

Exploring Ado-Awaye Mountains has been on my bucket list since I was a teenager when I was staying with my maternal grandmother in Oyo town. She was the one who told me about the mountain and its wonders but I never made any attempt to visit the site as I knew that no matter how I tried, I would not be allowed to go on a visit, anyway. Fast-forward to some years later, the destination’s rave started going up again. Then I said to myself, this is the perfect moment for me to explore this mountain. During one of my calls to Oyo to spend some time with my grandma, I seized the opportunity to visit Ado-Awaye as Oyo is closer to Ado-Awaye (1hr 20mins drive) than from Lagos.
When I informed my grandma about my proposed visit to Ado-Awaye before leaving for Lagos, she expressed her surprise at my unrelenting desire for travels and tourism. I told her that is where my passion lies; and then she went into a session of prayer (I love that woman)...

Now to business

I set out with my not-so-young younger brother- Adewale.
Oyo-Iseyin road is pretty much bad. (Oh scratch that!) I meant worse, but the driver seems to know his way perfectly, so when we are not flying over a curve, we are either avoiding one pothole or we are hitting another. I almost passed out! However, Iseyin to Ado-Awaye road was a deserving compensation for all our earlier troubles, it was all tarred and smooth down to our destination. We slept off immediately the Ado-Awaye car moved only for one of the passenger's to wake us after sometime that felt like just 10 seconds "Eyin tourism, e ma ti de be" (tourism people, you have arrived at your destination).

Ado-Awaye Mountains
  We met Mr Wasiu at the foot of the mountain and we explained our mission to him, then he told us he's the man for the job. We heard his colleague mocking him "iwo ati oke yi sha" (you and this mountain)but I assured him not to worry as they will envy him when he starts reaping the fruit of these numerous tour guides. Well, he requested for a sum of N1000 for his service, which in my opinion was too cheap for such an amazing tourist hub.

  Mr. Wasiu said that I will not be able to get to the top of the mountain. I asked him why and he said It’s a long crooked way to the top and that he doesn’t think a woman would have the vigour to climb it to the top. Well, I told him never to underestimate the power of a determined woman. Although, he still raised his nose in mockery. That was actually enough motivation for me, as I ensured that I made it to the top, just so I can drive home my point. Mountain hiking is not for the weak hearted, I kid you not.  With a stair of 369 steps through a bush path, we got to the plains of the mountain top.

  I will share notable attractions I came across on the mountain. Although there were more but I'm going to discuss just the ones I was able to capture in pictures. Shall we?

NOTABLE ATTRACTIONS ON ADO AWAYE MOUNTAIN

IYAKE LAKE
This is the only recognized suspended/hanging lake in Africa. One of the only two in the world (the other is the Hanging Lake in Colorado). The depth of the lake is reportedly unknown and it is said to have swallowed those who have tried to measure its depth (superstition, I guess).

I asked Mr Wasiu (our tour guide) if there was any particular story behind Iyake Lake. He said of course. OK then let's hear it. 👇

He said a woman was angry and she stormed up the hill with people running after her & begging her to take it easy but the next thing they discovered was that she turned to a large body of water and was screaming so the people behind her has to go back & tell the people in the village that Iya n ke(Old woman is screaming) so that was how "Iyake" was formed.

ISHAGE ROCK
This is a large elongated boulder of rock, balanced and standing upright on one of its small edges. This is quite mysterious that this rock has not fallen off despite standing with a small hedge on another rock. Ishage rock is regarded as a powerful god. It is said that it grants the wishes of people who prays at its foot. Our tour guide was so convincing that my brother had to stay back & pray.

ÌYÁ-ALÁRÓ LAKE.
This is a prominent lake out of the many lakes on the mountain. The lake was said to be named after an old woman in the Ado-Awaye village, who specializes in clothes dying. It is said that the old woman, known as “Iya Alaro”, worships the lakes and sacrifices to it at specific times during the year. The lake is filled with overgrown colourful vegetation.

THE ELEPHANT TREE
This is also a notable attraction on the Mountain. It is a collection of many coiled trunks or probably roots of a fallen trees which mysteriously takes the form of the head and trunk of an elephant. I was too tired to climb on the tree and snap pictures but here's my brother's picture on the tree.

ESÈ ÀWON ÀGBÀ TRANSLATES TO “THE FOOTPRINT OF THE ELDERS”.
These are some large “footprints” found all over the mountain. It is believed that the footprints belonged to the gods who surveyed the mountain to protect the indigene.

 Of course it ended in Amala😉 The trip isn't complete yet if you didn't have this sumptuous meal

RECOMMENDATIONS
Firstly the stairs leading to the mountain is dilapidated and nothing to write home about. So proper renovation of the stairs is needed.

Secondly, there is the need for promotions and publicities of the destination to create awareness for tourists both in Nigeria and beyond.

Furthermore, Side attractions should be put in place to make the tourists’ journey well fulfilled.

Lastly, the road leading to the destination should be rehabilitated for easy access.

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

 ‘Damilola is available for writing or travel expo opportunities.

Thank you

To book tours & experience to Ado Awaye & other destinations, Kindly CLICK HERE

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