Exploring Ikogosi Warm Springs, Nigeria, Discovered By Southern Baptist Missionary, Reverend John S. McGee

The Ikogosi Warm Springs is a famous and interesting tourist attraction, located close to the town of Ikogosi, in the State of Ekiti, within the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

This site is interesting due to the flow of warm and cold water from the spring that create a confluence, while in the same time maintaining its thermal properties.

The first European to discover the source of the springs was the Southern Baptist missionary, Reverend John S. McGee, when he went to the beginning of this alluring attraction in 1952 without taking into consideration the warnings from the local Ikogosi people warning him about the supernatural forces.

There he witnessed what can be also seen today, a warm and cold springs that originate from a close proximity, which then continue to a meeting point, and flow onward together with each spring retaining its thermal activity.

After the official discovery, a swimming pool which was fed by the warm springs was built in 1962, together with a combination of dining hall, large kitchen and storage areas, eight small cabins, bath and toilet facilities, and a small chapel.

By 1972, the whole ground was completed and soon after, groups of Baptist young and adults, missionaries and other visitors began coming to the Ikogosi Warm Springs.

The temperature of the warm spring is measured of up to 70 degrees Celsius (158 degrees Fahrenheit) at the source, and after the confluence with the cold spring is somewhere around 37 degrees Celsius (99 degrees Fahrenheit).

Nevertheless, the grandiose attraction for every visitor is definitely the meeting point, but during the Biafran Civil War, also known as the Nigerian Civil War, somewhat made it difficult for visitors to come here.

Nowadays, there is the Ikogosi Resort, which is one of the nation’s finest tourist destinations with enchanting natural beauty that stands out with stunning visual spectacle.

Still, this sometimes mysterious place is gaining more and more popularity, as the water is considered to be healing as well, making it perfect cure for all forms of skin ailment, aches, hypertension, arthritis etc.