There are so many travel destinations in Oyo State. It is among the five states of the South-Western States Nigeria and is capital is Ibadan. It is a Yoruba state that is largely made up of Yoruba-speaking people from Oyo, Ibadan, Ibarapa, Oke-Ogun and Ogbomoso areas.
Notable town and cities in the states are Oyo, Iseyin, Ogbomosho, Okeho, Kishi, Saki, Lanlate, Eruwa, Sepeteri, Ilora, Awe, Igboho, Igbeti, Ilero, Igbo-Ora, and of course Ibadan. In all these cities we have notable travel destinations in Oyo State.
The state was formed from the old Western State in 1976, but Osun State was formed from Oyo State in 1991. There are 33 LGAs and is situated on about 28,454 square kilometers of land, and with a landscape featuring rocks and hills in several points of the state, its main rivers are Ogun, Oba, Otin, Oyan, Sasa, Oni, Ogunpa, Erinle, Ofiki, and Osun rivers. It is rich in tourist attractions, and there are a lot of travel destinations in Oyo State that would prove a fascinating delight to tourists and outdoor lovers.
5 Travel destinations in Oyo State
- Travel destinations in Oyo State #1 IITA Forest Reserve
The IITA Forest Reserve is possessed by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA). Natural Resource Management department manages IITA. It is situated in Ibadan, between Ojoo and Moniya town. The forest reserve covers 350 hectares out of the 1,000 hectares possessed by IITA. The forest reserve is highly wooded and also comprises natural landscaping features like farmlands, wetlands, reservoir, and eight lakes and ponds.The forested reserve is highly expanded and extremely rich in exotic plants and birds and butterflies. There are over 200 species of bird, 220 butterfly species, with 440 plants that have medicinal purposes throughout West Africa. The rainforest also has sporting facilities like a 9-hole golf course, badminton court, swimming pool, football pitch, and a lawn tennis court among others. All these make IITA a suitable place for a travel destination in Oyo state.
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- Travel destinations in Oyo State #2 Bower Memorial Tower, Oke Aare
This tower can be found at the top of Oke-Are in Ibadan. It is a significant monument put up to pay homage to Captain Robert Lister Bower in 1936. Captain Robert, was the first British that stayed in Ibadan, and he was selected by the British government to control the ancient city, which he did from 1893 to 1897.The design for this tower was done by Taffy Jones, the same engineer that designed Mapo Hall. The tower is 60 feet high and 11 feet square with two entrances and a curved staircase that goes to the top of the tower. The Bower Tower is among the good travel destinations in Oyo State and it is a place to check out.
- Travel destinations in Oyo State #3 Agodi Botanical Gardens
The Agodi Botanical Gardens is situated close to the Government Secretariat in Ibadan. The State Government just renovated it earlier this year. The tourist center is located over 13 acres of land and can be used for forestry, leisure, and entertainment purposes.It has a botanical garden and plant nursery for rare plants, a mini zoo and Animal Park, and an arboretum. It one of the travel destinations in Oyo State that must be visited for vacation purposes during social festivities or during cultural events and holidays.
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- Travel destinations in Oyo State #4 Old Oyo National Park
The Old Oyo National Park is about 2,500 square kilometers. It is located at the north-western axis of the state. Just 160 kilometers from Ibadan. it is a wooded forest that comprises hills and a wide diversity of wildlife. This habitat contains endangered African wild dog, lion, western kob, roan antelope, western hartebeest, Grimm’s duiker, oribi, crested porcupine, Anubis baboon, tantalus monkey, buffalo etc.Over 30 bird species have been seen within the forestry, and these include African fish eagle (Cucumber vociferous), Yellow-mantled Whydah (Euplectesspp), Bush fowl (Francolinusbicalcaratus), Senegal Fire-finch (Lagonosticasenegalus), Grey Hornbill (Tockusnasitus) Grey Heron (Ardeacinerea) Bannerman’s Weaver (Ploceusbannermani) Crossley’s Ground, Thrush (Zootheracrossleyi).
- Travel destinations in Oyo State #5 University of Ibadan Zoological Garden
This is found in the Department of Zoology of the University of Ibadan; the UI Zoological Garden is a beehive of activities during festive periods. It a zoo that is being ranked among the best in Nigeria, even though it cannot compare to the wildlife parks in Jos, Bauchi, Obudu, and others – but it remains the best zoo within an academic institution in Nigeria. Many people visit these travel destinations in Oyo State during holiday and festive periods. The Zoo is always open the year round for everybody. Just a token of N200 you can gain entrance into the Zoo to see the lions, gorillas, monkeys, baboons, duiker, crocodiles, alligators etc.
