Appraisal of the Geotourism Potentials of the Idanre Hills, Nigeria

Abstract

The Idanre Hills comprise many elongate, steep-sided, and dome-shaped porphyritic granite inselbergs with an average elevation of about 3,000m asl. The area is part of the many batholiths and stocks which intruded preexisting metasediments during the Pan African Orogeny (550 ± 50 Ma). Apart from the existence of massive rock outcrops, field studies indicate the occurrence of minor intrusions and fractures on both mega- and mesoscales. The district has been regarded as attractive to tourists more for the Orosun festival celebrated as part of the residents’ heritage than for the geology and landscape. The former is the reason for efforts at listing the Idanre Hills among UNESCO’s World Heritage Sites. In the rich tourist potential of the hills, 16 geoheritage sites were listed and evaluated based on previously studied sites of geological and geomorphological value. The assessment showed only 10 of them to be of significant geotouristic value representing 8 out of 15 thematic groups. These identified geosites and geomorphosites have been described in this paper. Infrastructural facilities such as a balustraded stairway, rest points, pipe-borne water, and chalets had earlier been provided to attract tourists to some parts of the hilltops. Nevertheless, the development and effective management of the Idanre Hills’ geologic landmarks as tourism and educational resource have the ability to improve the local economy through job creation and revenue generation, as well as attract more local and, especially, international tourists to the site.