Ikogosi is a small quiet town in Ekiti West Local Government area of Ekiti State, which has been catapulted to national and international limelight because of the presence of warm and cold springs flowing side by side in the town. IKOGOSI WARM SPRING RESORT …Nature’s Gift to Mankind
In the heart of Ikogosi, a small, quiet town with rich, local customs, in the Western part of Ekiti State (Ekiti Tou
rism Corridor), lies a warm spring which has now catapulted Ikogosi-Ekiti to national and international limelight. 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. 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.
