Overview
The Erin Ijesha waterfalls, also called Olumirin, are near Erin-Ijesha in Osun State, in the South West zone. Water falls in a series of steps down a wooded hillside, so the site is a sequence of drops and pools rather than a single fall.
History
The falls are on the eastern edge of the Ijesa country of the Yoruba, in hill terrain that formed part of the frontier between Ijesa and neighbouring polities during the nineteenth-century wars. Local tradition connects the discovery of the falls to settlers from the area, and the name Olumirin is understood locally to mean another deity. The site was developed for visitors in the later twentieth century as roads reached the village, and steps and handrails were added to the lower stages.
What to expect
The lowest fall is reached on a short walk from the village, and a stepped path continues upward past further stages, each with its own pool. The climb becomes steeper and rougher higher up, and rock beside the water is wet and slippery. Flow is strongest in the rains. Path condition changes with weather and maintenance, so current visitor information should be checked rather than assumed.
Connected history or culture
The falls sit in Ijesa Yoruba country, in the same state as the Osun-Osogbo Sacred Grove, and the hill frontier around them belongs to the period described in pre-colonial Nigeria.