Travel information and tips on Cameroon including passport information, accommodations, transportation to and in Cameroon, attractions and things to see and do, restaurant suggestions, tours, and much more. "Getting Away With Jim Bruner" - your first stop for travel information on Cameroon! NOTE: This page is still being developed and new countries will be added as soon as they are completed. Please contact us if you have information you believe should be added to the Africa section of Getting Away. mailto:jimbruner@gettingaway.com

Here is a quick overview on Cameroon.
One of the best things about a visit to Cameroon is the diversity of the ethnic groups and their cultures. Add to this the jungle and forests, savanna, and all of the wild game and it is no wonder that visitors enjoy the 13 national parks and game reserves that are equipped with camps for tourists. And, if you do not want to visit the jungle and the Cameroon, there are several very nice hotels in the major cities from which you can explore the towns and shop for the arts and crafts of the Cameroon.

Situated in West Africa, Cameroon is shaped like an elongated triangle. It borders with Chad in the north and northeast, Central African Republic in the east, Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea in the south, the Gulf of Guinea (Atlantic Ocean) in the Southwest, and to the west and northwest lies Nigeria.

There are four geographical regions. The southern region extends from the 226 mile coastline eastward to the Middle Congo Basin between the southern frontier and the Sanaga River. It consists of coastal plains of an average width of 27 miles and a densely forested plateau at an average elevation of 960 feet. The central region extends from the Sanaga River northward to the Benue River and includes the Adamawa Plateau, at elevations of 2,500 ft to 4,500 ft. This is a transitional area where forest gives way to savanna. The northern region is essentially a vast savanna plain that slopes down to the Chad basin. The west is dominated by forested mountains with peaks reaching above 8,000 ft. Of the two main rivers, the Benue is navigable several months during the year, and the Sanaga is not navigable.

Passports and Visas
Climate
Currency Information
Language
Electricity
Travel Insurance
Travel Warnings

Passports and Visas

Visas are required by all except nationals of Germany and are NOT available at any land borders, although you can obtain them relatively easily in all the neighboring countries but will often require you to show you have an onward ticket. You may have to provide evidence that you have sufficient funds to support your length of stay in the country. Visa extensions can be obtained in any of the regional capitals with any great problems or cost. 
 

Climate

The country has two distinct climatic areas. On the coast, the average annual rainfall is 152.5 inches; precipitation often measures more than 33 feet a year. The mean temperature ranges from 24.4°C to 27°C (76°-81°F). In the south there are two dry seasons, December to February and July to September. The northern part of the country has a more comfortable climate. Total rainfall is about 31.2 inches, and the mean temperature ranges from 23°C to 26°C (73°F - 79°F). The dry season in the north is from October to April. The mountain ranges in the west have a heavier rainfall and cooler temperatures.

Currency Information
The official currency is the Central African Franc. 1 CFA Central African Franc=100 centimes. Travelers checks are best taken in Sterling and US Dollar checks. Most of the major hotels and some restaurants accept credit cards. Banks are normally open Monday to Friday: 0730-1530.

Currency Exchange - Get your currency needs managed in advance! Many airports, railroad stations, bus depots, and other points of entry have no currency exchange. When currency exchange is available in airports, lines can be long and rates can be "sky high". These long waits and usurious fees can be a nightmare.  Order in advance from All Foreign Currency right online. It's fast, easy, and you save time and money! The can also provide you with Travelers' checks, bank drafts, and transfers. U.S. dollars are not accepted everywhere and rates can be atrocious! Current Exchange Rate: Check Today's Exchange Rate

Language

I have found that it helps to know at least a little bit of the language as I travel in other countries. You do not have to be able to be a fluent speaker, but knowing a few key words and phrases will really help. I have found that, although almost everywhere I go I can find someone who speaks English, knowing just a few words of the local language can really be a help. And, it lets others know I am at least interested in their language. Visit the Getting Away Language Learning Center where you can find out how to learn another language, or where to purchase books, dictionaries, electronic translators, software and more

Click here for language helps, dictionaries, electronic translators, language software and other helps for learning a foreign language. Being able to speak at least some of the language in the country you are visiting will help you have a better time and enjoy your trip more. Jim.

Electricity
Be sure to take your adaptor and converter kit. Find the converter you will need in the Getting Away Travel Store. Additionally, you will find just about anything and everything you will need when you travel. Across the state, country, or to a destination on the other side of the world, you'll find what you need in the Getting Away Travel Store!

Travel Insurance
If you need medical care while you are away, it is best to be aware that medical providers may not accept payment through your insurance company and that you will therefore to pay in full for your treatment and file a claim with your insurance company for reimbursement. Therefore you should have access to cash, either from a credit card or by wire transfer. If you need assistance contact the country's local embassy or representative. For compensation, you must be treated by licensed medical personnel and provide your insurance company with proper documentation and receipts. It is advisable to always ensure you have a comprehensive travel insurance policy which covers you for repatriation to your home country. Visit the Getting Away Health and Safety Tips for Travelers page for additional information about insurance.

Travel Warning
Travel Warnings are issued to describe long-term, protracted conditions that make a country dangerous or unstable.  A Travel Warning is also issued when the U.S. Government's ability to assist American citizens is constrained due to the closure of an embassy or consulate or because of a drawdown of its staff.  The countries listed below meet those criteria.  Additionally, the State Department issues Country Specific Information  for every country of the world with information on such matters as the health conditions, crime, unusual currency or entry requirements, any areas of instability, and the location of the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate in the subject country.

Check with the U.S. State Department for Travel Warnings, Consular Information Sheets & Public Announcements.

Getting to Cameroon
The national carrier of Cameroon is Cameroon Airlines which connects Yaounde and Douala with the capital cities of most of the neighboring countries. Other airlines represented in Cameroon include Air Afrique, Air France, Air Gabon, Sabena, and Swissair. Most of these airlines use Douala airport, but some have connections to Yaounde. A smaller airline, Air Affaires Afrique, connects Douala with Malabo and Bata as well as Sao Tome and Principe. You can also a get there overland by train, bus or mini bus, bush taxi or private vehicle from the surrounding areas of the Central African Republic, Chad, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria. You can also arrive by sea from Equatorial Guinea, GAbon, or Nigeria

TRANSPORT & GETTING AROUND

Air: There are regular daily services between Douala and Yaoundé and other flights are offered to smaller towns.

Air France Cameroon
on-line reservation, frequent flyer services, promotional offers, international flight schedule, and more... Air France offers a daily flight Douala-Paris and three flights a week Yaound-Paris (via Douala).

Train: Daily trains run from Douala to Yaoundé and onward to Ngaoundéré. The service tends to be slow but it is cheap.

Bus: Fairly good services are available between Yaoundé and Ngaoundéré. Other areas are covered but the service tends to be unreliable and non existent in the raining season.

Self Drive / Car Hire: Traffic drives on the right hand side and an International Driving License is recommended. There roads linking the main cities are paved and in good condition, lesser routes are often impassable during the raining season.

Car hire is available in the main towns, but it is costly.

Avis    Car Rental in Cameroon

Europcar    offices in Douala and Yaounde at the airport or city centre

The Hertz Corporation   Has offices in Douala and Yaounde

At Travelocity, not only can you find the lowest fare or best schedule on over 400 airlines, but Travelocity can often save you up to  20% or More on Airfares. You can also find the Best Car Rental Rates in Top Destinations. You can also find Great Hotel Rates At Top Destinations! And, to save even more, Book Air + Hotel Together and SAVE with Travelocity! You can also find Incredible Deals on the Best Cruises! Remember - Travelocity Always Saves You on Flights, Hotels, Car Rentals, Cruises and More.

For Flights, Hotels, Cars, Cruises, Vacations, Tours and Travel Deals, Click on Global Travel International. If the link does not work properly, type www.gettingaway.globaltravel.com in the address line of your browser.

Getting around in Cameroon
Air Cameroon and Air Affaires Afrique connect the capital, Yaounde, and the port city of Douala with most of the regional capitals including Bafoussam, Bamenda, Bertoua, Garoua, Maroua, and N'Gaoundere. You will find that Air Cameroon is the less expensive of the two, but their scheduling is very poor and changes often so, be sure to check in advance.

A better bet is getting around by train. The system is actually very good and is a lot better than going by road. There is a main line that runs from Dauala to N'Gaoundere via Yaounde and Belabo. Other lines include from Dauala to Dumba and Nkongasmbe. You cannot book in advance and should plan to arrive at the station at least a half hour before departure.

You can also travel throughout the country by bus, mini bus, bush taxi, and private vehicle. Although most of the roadways are dirt, there are several pretty good sealed roads such as the one form N'Gaoundere to N'Djamena via Garoua and Maroua. However, although this is a rather small country, even this trip takes two days with an overnight stop in Maroua. If you plan to drive yourself you may rent from Avis and Hertz. Rates border between high and outrageous, but they do offer reliable cars and good service.
 

Some of the major cities of Cameroon Douala, Cameroon's main city, is a is a sweltering metropolis that is seething with people and has little to offer other than being a gateway to the black sand beaches of Victoria (Limbe) which are about an hour away. The capital of Yaounde is a better city in which to live and work than Douala and a more relaxed place to visit during your travels. Buea and the Mount Cameroon area have long been a favorite retreat for those who are looking for calm and natural beauty. The city of Kumba is probably best known for the picturesque crier lake called Lake Barombi Mbo. Mundemba is also a popular tourist destination because of Korup National Park. The town of Bafoussam is popular for the many crafts shops in the area and Arabica coffee. Bandjoun is often visited as it is the largest and best preserved of the Bamileke chiefdoms. The capitol of the Bamoun people, Foumban, is a very interesting place that is filled with history and culture. The hilltop town of Bamenda was once very popular with British and German tourists. Although not as popular today, it is still an interesting place to visit. Yaounde is popular with those who enjoy interesting architecture and Ngaoundere gives you a nice introduction to the northern area of the country. Far into the interior you will find Garoua, a place you will be unlikely to miss when you leave as it is filled with swarming crowds and oppressive heat. However, close by Maroua is an interesting place for a visit as here you will find much of the traditional flavor of the country. Of course there are a lot more towns and villages within the country of Cameroon but it would be impossible to list them all or to tell of the various things you might want to do there. If you need additional information on any of these places, or other locations in Cameroon, just email me (jimbruner@gettingaway.com) with specific questions and I will do my best to get back with you.

Some Things to See and Do in Cameroon
What follows is just a quick overview of some of the things to see and do in Cameroon. I have already mentioned the Black Sand Beaches of Victoria in the South West Province. The coffee, bananas, rubber and oil palm plantations that thrive in the rich soil beneath Mount Cameroon also make an interesting visit. Mount Cameroon, which is still an active volcano, also offers a challenging trekking ascent. North of Mount Cameroon the landscape changes as it drops in elevation into the Korup Rainforest which is an accessible national park.

The North West Province and the West Province are the most densely populated regions of Cameroon and contain many of the more popular tourist sites as it is the location of many of the traditional chiefdoms or the Bamoun Tikar and others around the famous red earth Ring Road. Tourists are also quite taken with the beautiful Grassfields area through which it circles and the Bamileke District . The Foumban, with the Sultan's Palace and a great crafts market attracts many visitors also. Tourist will enjoy the traditional lifestyles that can be viewed here as well as the wonderful thatched architecture.

The capital of Yaounde makes a relaxing stop before venturing out on the vast Plateau that stretches to the east. This plateau is covered with hardwood rain forests of mahogany and other native woods. This rain forest also makes it almost impossible to get into the Central, South, and East Provinces. A number of Pigmy bands hunt and gather foods in this jungle rain forest and it is also the domain of many gorillas.

There is a vast savannah which spreads north of Yaounde that is quite empty with a few patches of forest. This, along with the Adamawa Range, just about cuts the country in half making this a difficult area for travel. However, it is in this area, where the upper tributaries of the Benoue flow, where you will find the Benaoue National Park and Bouba Ndjida National Park. These area are filled with game including elephant, giraffes, buffalo, lions and even a native rhinos.

In the far north you will find Waza National Park which is an outstanding faunal reserve and an area where you can get some wonderful pictures of native elephants, lions, giraffe, antelope, and ostriches that cluster around the numerous water holes. A few hours to the west you will find the Mandara Mountains and the northernmost tip of the country contains the remains of Lake Chad.

 

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Tours and Safaris

Access Africa Inc.
Welcome to our Web site Access Africa offers customized package tours; intimate twosomes to large groups of 20 or more. Our hotel accommodations range from the rustic to the deluxe; air conditioned coaches, private cars and knowledgeable guides.

Cameroon Adventure Expeditions
Mountain trekking, exploring pristine rainforest, explore uninhabited islands, visit remote traditional African villages, explore vast volcanic crater lakes and deserted beaches

DreamWeaver Travel Company
a small community-based culture and adventure travel company, committed to offering outstanding travel destinations resulting in positive experiences for travelers and hosts.

Explore Africa
Adventure expedition type tours to the rain forests and mountains of Cameroon

Field Guides Incorporated
Offering birding adventure - A wealth of montane endemics & rich West Africa birding; pristine Korup forest included.

outdoorholidays.com
Outdoorholidays.com offers a wide range of overlanding, safari and cultural tours across most African countries - visit our web site to browse over 150 African Adventures.

Suggestions for Dining in Cameroon
Coming Soon. In the mean time, if you have information you believe I should add to this section of Getting Away, please send it to me. mailto:jimbruner@gettingaway.com

Books, Maps and Other Resources

My favorite guidebooks when I am traveling is Fodor's. I find them to be quite complete, easy to use, and almost always on the money with helps and tips for traveling in the country I am visiting. Click on Fodor's Travel Guides to find the perfect guidebook for your travels.
 

I always research the destinations to which I intend to travel with books and maps. I normally use Fodor's as I find their guidebooks very informative and easy to read and understand. Click on the Amazon logo to search for travel books and maps. If you don't find what you are looking for, click on the Getting Away Travel Bookshelf to find some of my favorites! Still can't find what you need? Contact me. mailto:jimbruner@gettingaway.com

Shop Amazon for Travel Books and Maps!

Links for Cameroon

iTravelto.com offers a comprehensive African travel search engine (especially for South Africa) with lots of good information along with bookings for exciting travel packages to key tourist destinations in South Africa and the world.

Books, Maps & Atlases

Click here for language helps, dictionaries, electronic translators, language software and other helps for learning a foreign language. Being able to speak at least some of the language in the country you are visiting will help you have a better time and enjoy your trip more. Jim.

All the books recommended below are available from one of our Affiliate companies and when selected, the link will take you directly to the relevant page on our Affiliates' website where you will find prices and ordering details. A new browser window will fire up so you can return to this page at any time.

I have personally used our Affiliate Companies for ordering my own books and maps and found their service to be first class, fast and reliable, and all the books I have received have arrived in good condition. However, please read our  disclaimer  before ordering any goods

Country Guides & Maps

Country Review, Cameroon 1999/2000   
by Robert C. Kelly (Editor), Debra Ewing (Editor), Stanton Doyle (Editor), Denise Youngblood (Editor)
up-to-date source for political and economic information

Cameroon in Pictures  
by Jim Hathaway, Rudolf Steiner, Department Of Geogr Lerner Publications (Editor), Publications Department Lerner
An introduction to the geography, history, economy, government, people, and culture of this central African country situated on the Atlantic coast.

Central Africa Map  
Published by GeoCenter International UK Ltd.
Folded Map, Scale 1:4 000 000
A high quality series of world maps at a good scale and a competitive price. The maps show motorways, principal highways, secondary roads, with road numbering where practicable, and distances between selected points. There is tourist information and indications of places of interest, with a legend in eight languages - German, English, French, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Danish, Swedish. Street plans of major cities are also included.

Cameroon - Sheet map  
Full colour Institut Geographique National (IGN) - Countries and Cities of the World

Cameroon, - 1:150000 Sheet map
Freytag & Berndt Maps - International Road Maps
High quality road maps with place name index. In many countries these are simply the best maps available. Scales vary according to the size of the country. Index is in several languages.

Illustrated Road Atlas of South, Central and East Africa  
Published by Map Studio Series Road Atlases
An excellent illustrated, siralbound road atlas of South, Central and East Africa. It contains: an atlas section covering the line south from Cameroon to Somalia; tourist area maps; street maps; and strip routes as well as an index to place names. Includes colour illustrations. Scales vary from towns at 1:20 000, to countries at 1:375 000 to 1:1 500 000, and tourist areas down to 1:200 000

If you have anything you believe I should add to this page of Getting Away, please send me the information and I will check it out. mailto:jimbruner@gettingaway.com