Nigeria is blessed with so many tourism potentials. Each
State in the country has interesting tourism sites to offer to visitors who are
bound to enjoy not only the hospitality of the people but also the physical
beauty of the land. For instance, Enugu State is a tourist delights because of
its rich natural endowments. The State popularly called the Coal City State is home to several
historical and cultural attractions that have put its name on the world tourist
map. The State also has a large number of attractive landscapes. One of which
is the SILICON HILL.
In Nkalogu Ozuala
Community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State lies one of the
nature’s wonders calls the Silicon hill. You may be puzzled why the hill is
known by that name. It’s simply because the hill is made up of a large deposit
of the mineral calls Silicon.
The Silicon hill was discovered by some people on excavation
work and research. But prior to the period of this discovery, the people living
around the hill were first digging and using the sand for building houses and
other masonry works. When the team of researchers got to the site, they took a closer
look of the sand and notice that the sand was somehow shiny and different from
the normal sand they knew. They decided to take some samples to the laboratory
to test, where they finally came up with the result that the sand at Nkalogu is
not ordinary sand but Silicon which can be used for glass making. Even at the
National Institute of Scientific Research and Development in Enugu, there you
will see how some of the sand from the hill was used to make the glasses and
other glassy equipment used for laboratory work.
The Silicon hill is one of the highest hills in Enugu State.
It offers an attractive stand point for people who want to have a panoramic
view of Enugu Metropolis especially at dawn and dusk. The surrounding
environment of the hill is also very appealing. The hill is a nice place to
visit. The environment is very greenish. It has two hills; each standing
opposite the other with a footpath in-between leading to the community.
Standing at the summit of the hill, one can see beyond Nsukka and Uzo-Uwani
Areas.
The Silicon hill has a variety of topographic features that
differentiate it from other landscapes. The miniature rocks found at the base
of the hills are beautiful to behold. Also the springs ousting out from those
miniature rocks are sparkling. It is a beautiful and attractive place nature
gifted to the people of Nkalogu.
There is no shortage of things to do and see at Silicon
hill. The rocky topography of the hill makes it a good site for mountaineering
and other sports. The hill also offers visitors the chance to enjoy cool and
refreshing breeze. The Serenity that connate the atmosphere around the Silicon
hill provides visitors with the opportunity to enjoy nature in its true form.
For this reason it has become a popular destination among the residents of
Enugu State as well as foreign tourists. Although the Silicon hill does not
have any cultural and spiritual significance to the people, the hill is highly
revered by the people of Nkalogu. There
are certain restrictions to the use of the hills. For instance, the local
community does not allow people to dig sand and rock from the hill for
commercial or any other purposes. It is believed this is why the hill has
remained in its natural form.
The rich tourism potentials of the hills cannot be
overemphasized. If the potentials of the hills are properly harness there will
be lots of gains ranging from the use of the sand for the production of glasses,
breakables and all that to making the site a renowned, an enviable tourists resort.
Credit: Landmarks on
VON.
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