Photograph the warm and cold springs meeting at Ikogosi

Akure's markets and shops also shut for the Amole festival, not only for Aeregbe. In 2025 the Deji ordered a closure in late August, and in 2026 the palace announced two closure days, one in August and one on 1 September, covering markets, stalls and shops. Only registered pharmacies stay open. Ask your host or hotel…

The federal road from Akure toward Ado-Ekiti, the usual way to Ikogosi, has only one rehabilitated carriageway so far. Reports in August 2026 said the second carriageway was still outstanding and that contractors had been told to return to site. Expect a slower drive than the map suggests, leave early so you are back…

Sunshine Stars, the Ondo State club, play in the Nigeria National League with home games in Akure. Sources name two grounds, Akure Township Stadium and the Ondo State Sports Complex, and a November 2025 home match was reported at the Sports Complex. Ask the club, your hotel or a taxi driver which ground hosts the…

Nibanola Motherland Resort lies at Km 7 on the Ondo-Ore road in Igbado, a golf and leisure stop on the way to or from Lagos. Its golf club held a captain's tournament in August 2024, and the grounds are described as well kept and quiet. Ask ahead about visitor rounds and check recent reports on the Ondo-Ore road…

Smokin Hills Golf Resort in Ilara-Mokin sits about 20 minutes from Akure and has an 18-hole course on hilly, tree-lined ground. It is a private facility, so ask your hotel or the club to arrange visitor access and a tee time before you drive out. It also hosts business tournaments, so check whether a field is booked…

If one day feels rushed, sleep at Ikogosi Warm Springs Resort in Ekiti State and see the springs at a calm hour. It has standard rooms, suites and villas in several camps, and its pool is fed by the warm spring. Book ahead and ask which camp suits your group, since works were under way on parts of the site in earlier…

In Owo, the Igogo festival runs for more than two weeks, usually starting in September. It honors Queen Oronsen and the new yam season, and the Olowo and his chiefs dance through town in women's attire. Drums are banned during Igogo, so you hear metal gongs instead, which gives the festival its name. Dates shift every…

Owo, east of Akure, holds a small museum founded in 1968 for antiquities once kept in the Olowo palace. Its displays cover terracotta and carved ivory from the area, with excavated finds dated to the 15th century and linked to both Ife and Benin styles. Ask in town about opening times before you go, because none are…