As of today, in season, building toward peak (~November 1). Earth Exhibit tracks the live conditions and flags it the moment it is on.
Rising abruptly from the forests of Ondo State in southwestern Nigeria, the granite domes of Oke Idanre form a dramatic inselberg landscape of ancient rock, shrines and caves.
Within them — most famously the revered Owa and Ojomu caves — live large colonies of Egyptian fruit bats, single roosts numbering in the thousands.
At dusk and dawn the bats pour from the cave mouths in streaming ribbons, wheeling out over the granite slopes to forage and returning in waves, a churning aerial spectacle against the bare rock.
The hills themselves are extraordinary: a near-vertical 660-step staircase climbs to an old settlement once perched atop the rock for safety, threaded with shrines, a centuries-old court and strange features carved by water and time.
On Nigeria's UNESCO tentative list, Oke Idanre pairs a living wildlife spectacle with one of West Africa's most striking cultural landscapes.
Where to see it
A taste of where to see it. The full map, exact coordinates and the best timing for each spot live in the app.
| Viewing spots |
|---|
| Owa and Ojomu Caves, Oke Idanre |
This is the short version
This page shows a taste. The app has the full list of where to see this, the exact timing, and live conditions for 1,000+ natural phenomena worldwide, so you know the moment one is genuinely worth the trip.