A first-time guide to Cameroon

25.06.2024 - 21:03 / lonelyplanet.com

Jun 25, 2024 • 7 min read

Cameroon is the perfect place to get a taste of one of Africa’s least-known, yet most rewarding corners.

As a natural realm, it spans so many worlds: forests rich in primates and other wildlife, tropical beaches watched over by a volcano, highlands animated by traditional villages and cultures. This steamy place has swagger, a joyous musical soundtrack, and a culinary story with hot, colorful sauces atop local fresh ingredients.

Because it is one of the continent's lesser-visited countries, questions of when to go inevitably revolve around the weather rather than picking an offseason time to avoid crowds.

If you really want to see the country at its best, the months from November to February are the driest with daily temperatures rarely dipping below 28ºC (82ºF). This is excellent beach weather with warm and balmy conditions that are really rather pleasant.

If you leave your visit until March, you might be too late. Once the rains arrive – usually sometime in March, but very much in earnest in April – they can really set in and don’t stop until September or October. And when it’s not raining, it’s uncomfortably sticky and humid (sometimes as high as 90% for days in a row), and country roads become impassable. Avoid the large coastal city of Douala, at this time, and head instead for the cooler hills of Yaoundé (or the beach).

At first, Cameroon can be in-your-face: the noise and the clamor, the market smells and the humidity. But the longer you stay, the more you’ll fall in love (and want to stay longer).

Two weeks is probably a minimum trip duration here. Factor in a couple of days to acclimatize, and plan to spend at least a few days in each destination, not least because distances can be longer than many travelers imagine. Things rarely happen quickly, especially in rural areas – it would be a shame to miss out on seeing those nesting turtles because you didn’t allow enough time for everything to unfold.

And, of course, you can (and should) lie on the beach for as long as you want.

Many different languages are spoken across Cameroon, but both French and English are the official languages. French is more widely spoken and understood outside of anglophone areas.

As of 2023, Cameroon became a whole lot easier to visit. While neighboring countries cling to the Central African obsession with physical forms in triplicate, multiple passport photos, and in-person visits to embassies, Cameroon has done away with all that. Now you can lodge your application for an e-visa online at evisacam.cm, and pick up your visa on arrival.

Once you’re in the country, getting around is similarly hassle-free. Before leaving home, check the travel advisories for Cameroon to make sure you understand where