Cameroon was a nation I was oblivious to until 1990 when one fateful night it was all to change as I tuned in my TV to catch the first game of the 1990 World Cup. It featured my beloved Argentina with Maradona in its ranks playing against some country I least cared about. To my utter disbelief, that country ended up beating Argentina. I still vividly remember the shock that hot summer night.
View Cameroon CAR Original Plan in a larger map
The morning after I turned up at school and pulled out my atlas book to see where this country called Cameroon lay. It took me a while to figure where Cameroon was located among the myriad other small West Africa nations. That was my first brush with West Africa, a region where I have now lived and worked for 4 years. Later on in the tournament Cameroon when on to surprise and entertain the world with their entertaining brand of football and the irrepressible dancing moves of Roger Milla who I was fortunate enough to meet in person during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Four years ago when I moved to Africa, Cameroon wasn’t on my must visit places but having exhausted all the main ones, and not knowing how much longer I have left I though of visiting this nation that I had read is a microcosm of Africa. It also helped that Cameroon was one among a few countries having a few diplomatic mission in Liberia. This meant obtaining a visa would not be a problem which if you have read my blog often is an experience in itself.
My boss who had visited Cameroon on business in the past decade was perplexed when I told him of my destination for a home leave in December when quite a few of us expatriates leave for home during the holiday season. He mentioned there in not a lot of things to see and do but having read about it in my Bradt guidebook I knew otherwise. Plus my interests aren’t necessary similar to most other folks.
I booked my flight from Monrovia to Douala and for the return journey I had it booked from Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic (CAR). The idea was to explore Cameroon, then make my way across the border into CAR to the Dzanga Sanga National Park unique for being the only place in the world to get up close to western lowland gorillas in the wild and seeing hundred’s of forest elephants in a forest clearing called as bai.
CAR has been relatively unstable for several years now, and some would say ever since its independence, but the situation took a turn for a worse with the coup d'état by the rebel Séléka forces almost a year ago and the situation got progressively worse over the past 6 months until the country teetered on the brink of full-scale sectarian conflict and genocide. You can read more about it here.
The situation in the south east of the country where Dzanga Sanga National Park is located was relatively decent but with the conflict now full blown there was no chance I was going there …I might be a crazy traveler but this is one risk not worth taking.
This meant that I had to redo my itinerary by finding something else go do in Cameroon for an additional week but that would not be a problem is a country as diverse as Cameroon. Before all that I to head west from Douala and climb the highest peak in West and Central Africa…Mount Cameroon.
Douala is the commercial hub of Cameroon with one of West Africa’s biggest ports. The humid air, busy traffic and general chaos reminded me of Mumbai. Passing through the heart of this vibrant city I stopped at one of its mains boulevards to exchange some of my dollars to the local currency; Central African CFA franc used by Gabon, Chad, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea & CAR.
It’s funny that rather than going out to find the money exchangers they seek the customers. After having done this so often I think the trick to get the best rate is to ask for the rate from the first few guys who approach you and keep walking. Often the rate continuous to get better the further you walk and the more offers you turn down.
After hours being stuck in traffic I finally made my way out of the chaotic city past rubber an banana plantations towards Buea dreaming of climbing Mt. Cameroon the next day.
View Cameroon CAR Original Plan in a larger map
The morning after I turned up at school and pulled out my atlas book to see where this country called Cameroon lay. It took me a while to figure where Cameroon was located among the myriad other small West Africa nations. That was my first brush with West Africa, a region where I have now lived and worked for 4 years. Later on in the tournament Cameroon when on to surprise and entertain the world with their entertaining brand of football and the irrepressible dancing moves of Roger Milla who I was fortunate enough to meet in person during the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
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| View from plane before touch down in Douala |
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| Douala airport |
Four years ago when I moved to Africa, Cameroon wasn’t on my must visit places but having exhausted all the main ones, and not knowing how much longer I have left I though of visiting this nation that I had read is a microcosm of Africa. It also helped that Cameroon was one among a few countries having a few diplomatic mission in Liberia. This meant obtaining a visa would not be a problem which if you have read my blog often is an experience in itself.
My boss who had visited Cameroon on business in the past decade was perplexed when I told him of my destination for a home leave in December when quite a few of us expatriates leave for home during the holiday season. He mentioned there in not a lot of things to see and do but having read about it in my Bradt guidebook I knew otherwise. Plus my interests aren’t necessary similar to most other folks.
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| Streets of Douala |
I booked my flight from Monrovia to Douala and for the return journey I had it booked from Bangui, the capital of Central African Republic (CAR). The idea was to explore Cameroon, then make my way across the border into CAR to the Dzanga Sanga National Park unique for being the only place in the world to get up close to western lowland gorillas in the wild and seeing hundred’s of forest elephants in a forest clearing called as bai.
CAR has been relatively unstable for several years now, and some would say ever since its independence, but the situation took a turn for a worse with the coup d'état by the rebel Séléka forces almost a year ago and the situation got progressively worse over the past 6 months until the country teetered on the brink of full-scale sectarian conflict and genocide. You can read more about it here.
The situation in the south east of the country where Dzanga Sanga National Park is located was relatively decent but with the conflict now full blown there was no chance I was going there …I might be a crazy traveler but this is one risk not worth taking.
This meant that I had to redo my itinerary by finding something else go do in Cameroon for an additional week but that would not be a problem is a country as diverse as Cameroon. Before all that I to head west from Douala and climb the highest peak in West and Central Africa…Mount Cameroon.
Douala is the commercial hub of Cameroon with one of West Africa’s biggest ports. The humid air, busy traffic and general chaos reminded me of Mumbai. Passing through the heart of this vibrant city I stopped at one of its mains boulevards to exchange some of my dollars to the local currency; Central African CFA franc used by Gabon, Chad, Cameroon, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea & CAR.
It’s funny that rather than going out to find the money exchangers they seek the customers. After having done this so often I think the trick to get the best rate is to ask for the rate from the first few guys who approach you and keep walking. Often the rate continuous to get better the further you walk and the more offers you turn down.
After hours being stuck in traffic I finally made my way out of the chaotic city past rubber an banana plantations towards Buea dreaming of climbing Mt. Cameroon the next day.
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