The Iyake Lake
The lyake lake is located at Ado Awaye in Iseyin local government area of Oyo State. The diameter-shaped lake, which has clean turquoise coloured water, settles at the top of the Iyake mountains. This makes it a suspended or hanging lake.
The Iyake lake is said to be bottomless, as a result, no one has ever swam in it, and no one has ever successfully measured its depth. The lake has never dried; not even in the dry seasons, and the water level remains the same in the raining seasons as well.
Many folktales surround the lake. It is believed that the lake leads to another world, and that it possesses mysterious powers to solve personal and health problems. This makes it a favourite venue for spiritual activities. Many visitors go away with bottles of the water which they believe contains medicinal properties and magical powers.
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The journey to the lake on the mountain top is an adventure indeed. A stairway consisting of 369 steps leads through a bush path to the plains on the mountain top. It takes about one hour of rigorous climbing to get to the mountain top.
A litany of artifacts and earth shards are evidence of human habitation of the mountains in the past. History has it that the mountains served as homes to immigrant Awori dwellers that chose the mountain top as refuge from rampaging Dahomey Armies in the 19th century. They were the Ado people. When they relocated to the mountain foot after the wars, they met the inhabitants of Awaye. The two communities then chose to live together,
hence the compound name of the town, Ado Awaye.
The Iyake mountain serves as a heritage and center of unity for all and sundry. The people celebrate Oodua festival at the site on a yearly basis. The ancient community also welcomes tourists from all over the world to explore the beauty and uniqueness of Iyake suspended lake.
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