Right from the premises of Bobo Food and Beverages Ltd, sponsor of the three-day excursion, the children were in high spirit, obviously in anticipation of what laid ahead. Not even the teary eyes of a mother, who perhaps was seeing either a son or daughter off on such an excursion for the first time, could stop their excitement.

Destination was the legendary Idanre Hills in Ondo State. Remarkably, nothing prepared them for what to except in the definition of hills as sketched by their teacher during social studies classes.

The aim of sponsoring the children on the excursion, according to Curtis Adekunle, managing director, Bobo Food and Beverages Ltd, was to make the children know the country as well as help them appreciate the potential of tourist centres in the country.

"Children should be made to know and appreciate their country. Nigeria is endowed with beautiful tourist sites that have not been appropriately explored. We want to draw their attention to what stuff the country is made of," he said. Not only did the children get exposed, they also got some forms of education from the ancient town.

Nigeria is indeed a potential tourist paradise. Nigeria, therefore, is a fertile ground for both local and foreign tourists who want to visit her (Nigeria) tourist attractions in order to appreciate the extent to which nature has blessed her. And over the years, successive governments had given its development the pride of place it deserves.

One of such potential tourist hubs is Idanre Hills in Ondo State. The hills are located in the ancient town of Idanre, about 20 kilometres from the state capital, Akure.

Indeed, Idanre town is surrounded by hills, but the most visited of the hills is the 'Mother Hill.' At the foot of the mother hill is a signpost welcoming tourists with information on cultural relics and places of interest one is likely to come by on top of the hill. These include, "great steps, Arun River, Aghagha Hill, Agbagun Footprint, the Wonderful Mat and the Ancient Palace. Others are The Ark of Noah, the Unreadable Letters of the Flood and the Tourist Chalets.

Anyone desirous of reaching the top, however, has to climb about 676 steps, which can be momentarily tasking! However, the sublimity and the tranquility with the rich natural balance of flora and fauna can be ultimately rewarding. The tasking nature of climbing the steps has, however, necessitated, in addition, the construction of five resting posts along the steps to the top.

Findings revealed that it takes three days to climb and go round the hill to get its full potentials.

Historical records have it that the people of Idanre lived on the hills for over 800 years before the advent of Western civilisation forced them down in 1928. It must, however, be mentioned that prior to the incursion of Western civilisation, Idanre indigenes had a rich cultural blend which largely informed and reinforced their worldview. The sights on the hills are representative of the peculiar marks of civilisation that the earlier settlers, up the hills, had.

At the top of the hill, the uniqueness of the hills can be seen, beautifully on display by nature.

First, you come across the Arun River that can well be described as a haven of therapy for individuals with ailment. Uniquely, the therapeutic potency, which the river is noted for since the early Idanre dwellers lived up the hills, is still strongly sacrosanct till date. According to one Samuel, a 27-year-old indigene, who acted as a guide, "The Arun River is unique in the sense of the therapeutic effects it has on the human body. It is believed that it heals. You only have to go in and deep in yourself. Worshippers are not, however, allowed to hold extended retreats and camping programmes up the river."

The mystery surrounding the source of the river and its strategic location add to the reverence with which it is held. The serenity and the "deafening" silence around the rocky formations that surround the river have a psychic impact on any tourist.

Then there is the Aghagha Hill, which is as captivating as well as compelling to the human sight. It has the shape of an umbrella. The gigantic size of the rock can be described as a hill of itself. It rests its entire mass on another rock while giving shade to any tourist who sits under it. It situates itself like a boulder, yet suspended by very small rock sediments. The sight of the Aghagha Hill is slightly frightening as any tourist who sits under it may be tempted to entertain fear of being crushed by the rock should it tilt a bit.

The Agboogun Footprint is still held in immeasurable awe, because of the mystical powers it possesses in detecting individuals, considered to be either witches or wizards. It is as well believed that anybody whose foot does not exactly fit into the footprint is considered to be a witch or a wizard. Samuel says, "Agboogun Footprint is a magical footprint on the rock. When you place a foot into the print, it immediately takes the exact size of your foot. Whoever's foot that it is unable to fit in is adjudged possessed by some familiar spirits inimical to the well being of the whole community. It is still effective till date, only that the coming of western civilisation and the Western religion has eroded it."

The Wonderful Mat is hung mysteriously about 2,000 meters above sea level on one of the rocks. The mat, which has its existence shrouded in some form of symbolic obscurity, is believed to have been met by the people of Idanre, who lived up the hills in days gone.

Reflective of the era in which it was built and the various succeeding monarchs that lived in it, the Ancient Palace built over 800 years ago is still intact as it is kept with close and reverenced vigilance at the hill top. The Owa of Idanre is expected to spend three days in a week up at the palace. In order to maintain cosmic balance among the three worlds which include the world of the unborn, the living, and the dead, the Oba while at the hill top retreat, communicates with his forebears. This interaction holds significant spiritual implications.

Up at the Ancient Palace are skulls of cows displayed at a corner located at the middle of the palace. Findings revealed that the people, in their bid to know how many years the Oba had spent on the throne after his demise, had to kill a cow once every year and keep its skill. This, they did every year. After the Owa's death, the indigenes would count the number of the skull to ascertain the number of years that he spent on the throne. Uniquely, despite the advancement in technology, the present Owa of Idanre still does same as he climbs up the hill once every year to perform the same ritual. Before an Owa is installed, he is expected to stay in a house close to the ancient palace for a period of 90 days. After which he goes down the hills and the coronation then takes place.

The present Owa was, however, not in the palace during the children's visit, as he was said to have gone out to attend meetings bothering on the state of security of the domain under his jurisdiction. Samuel, however, took us on a trip round to feed our eyes on the geographical luxury that defines Idanre existence.

Aside the cultural relics in term of gods, goddesses and traditional arts that can still be seen in addition to the old palace built around the 17th century, one also sees the refurbished first primary school building established by the first missionaries. There is the refurbished court building where offenders of old were tried. If they were found guilty and sentenced to prison, there was also provision for it. Evidence of the remains of prison is there. There are also remains of court official's residence.

Interestingly, the various natural phenomena have ties to the overall cultural aesthetic values of the people of Idanre. The uniqueness of the hills can be seen, elegantly, on display by nature.

From a vantage position atop one of the rocks, one can view with utter amazement a formation of rocks artistically crafted by nature popularly referred to as the Ark of Noah. This formation is named after the Biblical Ark of Noah. The rocks are depicted as a ship sailing on the sea. It is as remarkable as it is awesomely crafted.

On one of the rocks, massively taller than the other, has an undecipherable inscription in form of alphabetical letters. These inscriptions, for lack of appropriate description, are referred to as paleography by the people in scientific studies. These writings on the rock were met by the early Idanre dwellers and are referred to as the Unreadable Letters of the Flood.

Also on the hill, one could hear the church-like beats from afar, an indication of the presence of a church holding a revival. Further inquiry indicates that there are two churches that have established there, holding regular services there.

Down the hill is the Idanre town, which is an offshoot of the old settlement on the top of the hills. The town is divided into three major settlements, Alade with Alade Okun of Alade Idanre as her traditional ruler; Otosin, led by Oba Gilbert Olakunle Ogunlowo, Awoshunye of Atosin Idanre and Odode, led by Oba Frederick Aroloye.

The people of Idanre are mainly farmers, specialising in planting cocoa, plantain, and timber. Because of these, Idanre boasts of rich cocoa, the old timber shed and plantain plantations. The town also boasts of Alade International Golf Course.

The people of Idanre had some measures of indigenous civilisation before the advent of the missionaries that introduced western civilisation. This is exhibited even in the warm manner they relate to tourists, who throng the town regularly. Children also seek the opportunity to provide essentials for tourists going up the hill and on their return by selling soft drinks, sachet water, groundnut, and walnuts. Some smart ones even offer to carry bags of sachet water along in case anyone may need it.

The panoramic view of the new Idanre never fails to fascinate first time visitors. Unfortunately, the hills demand urgent investment in terms of making it a more beautiful and attractive for tourists. There is also the need to install escalators or cable cars to make the journey less cumbersome and ensure that tourists get full view of the magnificent piece.

Nigeria is a fertile ground for both local and foreign tourists who want to visit her tourist attractions in order to appreciate the extent to which nature has blessed her.

For the children, most of who were visiting a tourist attraction of such nature for the first time, and even adults who accompanied them, this nature's gift to humanity is acknowledged as sure a place to visit again. Its awesome natural craftings are representatives of the perfection that man had attained earlier, successive tourists admit.