Limbe and Buea: black sand beaches and Mount Cameroon

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The South West region has been affected by conflict between armed separatist groups and government forces since 2016. Several governments, including the UK and the US, advise against all or all but essential travel to the region, and travel insurance may not cover you if you go against that advice. Conditions in Limbe and Buea have at times been calmer than in rural areas, but kidnappings, roadblocks and lockdown days still occur. Read the current advice from the UK, US or your own government before deciding, and do not travel if it advises against it for you. The information below is for when conditions allow.

Why visit

This stretch of coast is unlike anywhere else in Cameroon. Lava from Mount Cameroon has made the beaches black, rain forest runs down to the sea, and the English speaking towns have a different feel from French speaking Douala, just over an hour away. It was a centre of German colonial rule, of the Atlantic slave trade and of early botanical science.

Limbe

The **Limbe Botanic Garden** was founded by the Germans in 1892 to test crops such as cocoa, rubber and coffee. Today it is a shady park by the sea with a small river, old trees and picnic lawns. Next door, the **Limbe Wildlife Centre** cares for rescued gorillas, chimpanzees, drills and other primates, with conservation education for local children. **Down Beach** is the lively fishing quarter where you can buy fish from the boats and have it grilled in smoke houses.

Beaches

The coast west of Limbe is named for its distance markers. **Mile 6** has dark sand beneath the mountain, and around **Mile 11** you will find beach hotels with natural spring water pools. Further on, the hardened **1999 lava flow** at Bakingili crosses the road, and **Debundscha Point** near Idenau is among the wettest places on Earth.

Bimbia

South of Limbe, the ruins at **Bimbia** mark a historic slave trading post where people were held before being shipped across the Atlantic. It is an important site of memory, especially for African American and Caribbean visitors tracing their roots. Visit with a local guide.

Buea and Mount Cameroon

Buea, once the German colonial capital, sits high on the mountain with cooler air and views to the sea on clear days. Here you can see the old **German Governor's Palace** from the outside. **Mount Cameroon**, at over four thousand metres, is the highest peak in West and Central Africa and one of the continent's most active volcanoes. Climbs usually take two to three days with licensed guides and porters, through farmland, montane forest and grassland to the bare summit. Each year in February the **Race of Hope** sends runners up and down the mountain in a single day, watched by huge crowds.

Food

Try **eru**, a rich stew of finely shredded wild leaves with waterleaf and palm oil, eaten with water fufu or garri, a favourite of the South West. Grilled fish and **pepper soup** are everywhere along the coast.

Getting there

Limbe and Buea are about an hour or two by road from Douala, depending on traffic. Roads can be closed during lockdown days called by armed groups, so local knowledge of the current situation is essential.

Staying safe

If current advice allows travel, stay in established hotels, travel only by day, avoid rural areas, follow news on lockdowns and keep in touch with your accommodation about conditions.