City: Cameroon
Top Things to do in Cameroon
Countries
What to do and see in Cameroon: The Best Places and Tips
Cameroon from Africa region, is best know for Nature & Wildlife Areas. Discover best things to do in Cameroon with beautiful photos and great reviews from traveller around the world here!
Restaurants in Cameroon
1. Mefou National Park
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 103 reviews
Mefou National Park is home to Mefou Primate Sanctuary, a rescue and rehabilitation centre run by Ape Action Africa. With more than 300 rare and endangered primates in its care, Ape Action Africa is now one of the largest conservation projects of its kind in Africa. Many of the animals arrive at the sanctuary as orphans of the illegal bushmeat and pet trades and are rehabilitated and provided with lifelong care.
Reviewed By Red1020 - Montreal, Canada
Our visit to this sanctuary was amazing, we were met by a volunteer and taken to a visitors center where we met our guide, he explained why the sanctuary exists and how it's run, it was very cool experience, it's unfortunate that we need places...MoreThanks for your feedback. We are very happy to hear you enjoyed your visit!
2. Chutes de la Lobe
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 190 reviews
Reviewed By ChiliMj
Beautiful falls, but not the biggest you will ever see, so don't be disappointed. You can get a boat to the other side, where there's another restaurant and a nice beach. The restaurants around the falls serve excellent fish, but be prepared to wait for it.
3. Limbe Wildlife Centre
Overall Ratings
4 based on 74 reviews
Reviewed By Massimiliano R - Milan, Italy
I came to see the cross river gorilla and I did it even if njango the 25 years old female gorilla is sick and you cannot get too close. The drill cage is impressive even if one of the female drills is free and the guards do not take too much care about that.
4. Ekom-Nkam Waterfalls
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 24 reviews
Reviewed By goodhikers - Bosnia and Herzegovina
These Waterfalls were featured in the movie Tarzan: Greystroke and are among the most beautiful in Cameroon. The micro-climate of the valley encourages year round growth of wild flowers giving this a truly romantic feel.
Unfortunately, criminal elements sometimes operate nearby. Youths will also sometimes block roads and claim a "toll". This is partly because the wealth generated by the visitor fees are not always shared equitably with locals.
You have to register at a visitor center just before the falls. There is a small fee to visit and for a required local guide. You may also be followed by other guides and local children. They won't bother you on your visit, but they will somehow expect to be compensated for sharing your visit. It's up to you whether you give them anything, but when you do, it encourages them to continue the practice which is off-putting to many tourists.
The falls are best visited during the rainy season or just after--when the falls are at their fullest. But any time is good.
Wear good hiking shoes and casual clothes--the paths are VERY slippery. But that's what makes the wild flowers bloom year round, so consider it a mixed blessing.
If the guide takes you to the top of the falls, be careful. They sometimes choose a path on the boulders right next to the river where they are comfortable but where you may be unfamiliar. There are NO barriers up there. One slip and you could go over the falls--we opted for a slightly safer path and the guide just shrugged and smiled. Again, your choice but accidents like this happen everyday in Cameroon, so use some caution.
5. Doual'Art
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By deboraflowers - New York City, New York
Doual'Art is an art gallery located in the heart of Douala (in Bonanjo, le Plateau Joss). It is very clean, and showcases some of the work done by diverse up-and-coming Cameroonian artists. It has a nice cafe and a nice Terrace for relaxation. It is very good, especially given that it is in the heart of the old city near all the great historic landmarks of the city, such as the post office, the justice palace, the presidential palace, the slave chains, the Mandessi Bell house, the old German maritime headquarters, King Bell's house, the port, and colonial administrative buildings. The personnel of the gallery is very kind, and you learn so much all the time.
6. Museum of Civilization
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 17 reviews
Reviewed By PeterBrink - Norwich, Vermont
The Museum is a first-rate presentation of the several Bamileke kingdoms that have ruled in Cameroon's Grasslands (basically Northwest Region) for centuries - and still do, albeit sharing power with civil authority. Excellent interpretive panels in English and French guide one through all aspects of the civilizations - including the tribal authority of the Fons and their council of Notables. Masks, robes, and instruments used in ceremonial rituals and the Secret Societies are outstanding. Be sure to get to the upper floor where a huge array of amazing sculptures, bead work, and fabric are displayed for the several kingdoms. My favorite piece is an elaborate bicycle, totally handmade of only wood with appropriate hand-woven sitting area.
The Museum also has liaisons with more than half-a-dozen tribal museums located in individual towns in the Grasslands. (I'm writing a review on at least one of these, the Royal Museum in Baham. We did a 5-day itinerary with expert guide and driver through many of these museums and other attractions.)
7. Foumban Royal Palace & Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 14 reviews
8. Bamenda Ring Road
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By MaryBryan2011 - Columbus, Ohio
Parts of the road are in excellent conditions, others are quite run-down. Not any worse than the rest of the country's roads. Locals tell me part of the reason roads are so bad is because the government repairs them, but if private towns/villages pay to repair them themselves they risk being arrested.
9. Lobeke National Park
Overall Ratings
5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By Andrew S - Bathgate, United Kingdom
Lobeke National Park is about as remote as can be - two long days drive from Yaoundé in the dry season. In the wet season roads might be impassable, and the journey would certainly take longer.
I hired a car and driver through Central African Tours. The journey would be possible by public transport. Old and basic Alliance Voyages busses trundle through the jungle from Yaoundé - but you would have to add a day to your travel time.
I broke the journey at Yokadouma where the Hotel Elephant is basic, but the staff friendly and helpful, which always makes a difference!
Wildlife viewing in Lobeke centres around forest clearings, where mineral deposits prevent trees from growing. The forest animals and birds all visit the clearings to lick or eat the mineral rich soil, and so all you need is patience and luck - they will come to you!
I visited Petite Saline and Grand Saline, both of which have viewing platforms from which to watch the clearings.
Petite Saline is a three hour walk through the forest, and Grand Saline another 3-4 hours further. Both have basic rough campsites, but you need some tolerance to washing in streams, and using pit toilets. And to insects!
However, the rewards are immense. Both days at Petite Saline I saw Western Lowland Gorilla families emerge out of the forest, and stay in the clearing for 45 minutes to an hour. I also saw Sitatunga - male, female and young - and Forest Buffalo, as well as numerous bird species.
At Grand Saline I saw Forest Buffalo, Sitatunga and Red River Hog. I also saw the most amazing spectacle of thousands, if not tens of thousands, of African Green Pigeons and African Grey Parrots performing the 'bird dance'. Each morning and evening, vast flocks take off from the trees with the crash of thousands of wings, and wheel through the sky, swooping and turning, flocks merging, or passing through each other. The display in the morning was even more spectacular, as the sun was behind me, and hitting the birds, showing of the bright green of the pigeons. I'm really not sure why this sight is not better known.
As the flocks landed, I watched a mongoose break cover to try to catch a bird on the ground.....
Walking through the forest between the trailhead and the clearings, we heard or saw gorillas on nearly every occasion - seeing them is hard as the forest is so dense, but you are in no doubt that they are there - you can hear them crashing through the undergrowth, vocalising as they go. On one occasion the tracker told me Chimpanzee were close, but to be honest I didn't see or hear anything.
We saw plenty of elephant droppings and footprings, but I did not see a Forest Elephant in Lobeke. The Bongo also eluded me, although I was told there were other clearings where they were common.
I spent five nights camping, as well as two nights at Camp Combo, in a small cabin, from where you can visit the local Ba'aka tribe, and observe their way of life, as well as looking out for monkeys (Putty Nosed, Colobus) and Hornbills.
My visit contributed to local employment, as you cannot just walk into the forest yourself. You would soon get lost, and you need the security of people who know where they are going and what they are doing. My 'entourage' consisted of a Ba'Aka tracker, my Cameroonian guide Emanuel, an armed 'eco-guard', two Porters to carry tents, and all the food and water we would need, and a cook!
There are dangers in the forest. Apart from Forest Elephant and Forest Buffalo, there are poachers - sadly just before my visit four elephants had been killed, but the eco-guards managed to capture those responsible.
I combined my trip to Lobeke with the better known Dzanga Sangha National Park in Central African Republic. This must be one of the top wildlife destinations in the world. You may know it from BBC wildlife documentaries or National Geographic magazine.
Despite travel advisories, this small corner of Central African Republic appears safe and stable. I stayed at the wonderful Sangha Lodge, run by Rod and Tamar, a South African Couple, who extended excellent hospitality. After five nights camping, the cabins, with hot and cold water and flush toilets seemed the height of luxury, and the food was delicious and well presented. Rod and Tamar are very interesting people, and the conversation is part of the experience.
At Dzanga Bai, another mineral rich forest clearing, I added Forest Elephant and Giant Forest Hog, Agile Mangabey, Colobus Monkey and a Genet to my list of mammals, and visited two separate groups of habituated Western Lowland Gorillas for a close encounter. Habituated Gorilla visits can be hit or miss - in dense forest it can be difficult to observe them, unlike when they emerged into the clearing at Lobeke. The timing of the visit is important so that it does not coincide with a time the gorillas will be resting, or all you would see is motionless black mounds on the forest floor. My three visits allowed me some excellent viewing, including of twin babys (very rare!), althou one of my viewings was of mainly sleeping adults. You can ask the Ranger who will accompany you for extra time if you arrive when the gorillas are resting, or delay your departure - the Rangers will know when the gorillas are expected to be asleep.
I also paid for a 'Mangabey Follow' where you walk through the forest surrounded by a troop of Agile Mangabeys, watching them melt in and out of the dense undergrowth as they walk along the ground or climb the trees. I spent a total of six full days in the park, and could have spent longer.
The Bongo still escaped my sight.
Walking in the forest in Dzanga Sangha, you need to be prepared to take off your boots and wade through, or along rivers. On forest trails you need to be aware that animals use them too. I encountered elephants twice on the trails - a little too close to such large animals.
I booked my trip in the UK through 'Travel With Jules' to avoid having to send large sums of money to a foreign bank account. Using a UK agent obviously adds to the cost, but I considered it well worth it for financial security, and certainty that there would actually be someone waiting for me when I stepped off the plane. Also involved in the arrangements was Mama Tembo Tours, a well respected African tour operator. I have heard, and experienced first hand in the past, problems with the reliability of some Cameronian tour operators.
If you have visited some of the better known countries of Africa, and want to try something different, why not give Cameroon and Central African Republic a go? There are species here you will not find together anywhere else in the continent, and the wildlife viewing experience, of standing on platforms in the forest clearings waiting for the animals and birds to come to you, is different, and very , very relaxing.
You need patience, the ability to remain still, and the ability to remain quiet - I was told that most groups who visit see very little in Lobeke as they chat and move about too much. The gorillas in particular were very sensitive to human presence.
Thanks to Jules at Travel with Jules, Emanuel from Central African Tours, my driver Mousa, and Rod and Tamar at Sangha Lodge, for making this a wonderful trip.
10. Gorges de Kola
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
Reviewed By andreaskahler2015 - Yaounde, Cameroon
Makes a perfect half day trip or so, for instance coming from Garoua. As there are only few tourists for the time being, visitors to this hidden attraction are received warmly and with hospitality by the local people. A guide will show you around; basalt and granite stone formations in beautiful colors and shapes surround you while walking around and down to the little river. As water levels differ, depending on the season, the site looks never quite the same, but always like a natural sculpture park. - Early 2015 the foot paths and restaurant with some buckaroos have been renovated, making the place even more welcoming for the lonely visitor.
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