Post by Her Highness on Jan 7, 2016 1:23:04 GMT
The Cascading Arinta Waterfalls, Ekiti
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.
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.
“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 ridgetops on the otherside. The noon-day sun energised 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.
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. In an instant, my baited 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 defening deluge. The crystal clear waters belch a cloud of water vapour on the vicinity. Sharp rays of sunlight pierce the air and refracts a rainbow at the plunge pool.
Divinely located in the uniquely salubrious environment adorn with green thick vegetation that has not been corrupted by any burning and tilling engineered by man. She tumbles and rumbles from an Olympian height before landing frighteningly on some rugged rocky surfaces and in turn disperses swiftly into the stony river beds.
Her torrential descent from an unfathomable fountain could in the mildest language be deafening while her supersonic speed coupled with the dispersal could be described as terrifying.
The tidal waves and breezes generated by the intrepid fall are soothing and gratifying. It is doubtlessly a statement of fact that the atmosphere is heavenly but the awesomeness of its physical ecosystem is greatly horrifying.
Her consistent rapidity could effortlessly knock down an unprepared but daring world heavyweight wrestling or boxing Champion! Ultimately, the falling water disperses into the river valley that facilitates tumultuous conveyance which gradually transforms to serpentine flows with milder, gentler and more graceful speed as it flows further from the source.
Unhm… She is a rarest gem deliberately abandoned in a dunghill; a jewel of inestimable value deliberately hanged on the neck of a stinking pig.
Arinta Waterfall is located in Ipole - Iloro Ekiti ,6km away from Ikogosi Warm Spring Tourist Centre, Ekiti State of Nigeria.
