Find places in Cameroon

Must-Haves

• La Pagode (Bonanjo)
  The ornate 1905 palace of the Manga Bell royal family, Douala's best known colonial era landmark.

Fun for Everyone

• Cathédrale Saints Pierre et Paul (Akwa)
  A calm, airy cathedral right in the heart of the business district.
• Pont sur le Wouri (Bonabéri)
  The long bridge over the Wouri, best seen at sunset as the fishing canoes come home.

Must-Haves

• doual'art (Bonanjo)
  A pioneering contemporary art centre that has filled Douala's streets with public artworks.

Off the Beaten Path

• Musée Maritime de Douala (Bonanjo)
  A boat shaped museum telling the story of the Wouri estuary, the port and seafaring Cameroon.

Fun for Everyone

• La Nouvelle Liberté (Deïdo)
  Joseph Francis Sumégné's giant scrap metal statue at a busy roundabout, a symbol of the city.
• Institut Français du Cameroun Douala (Bonanjo)
  Concerts, films and exhibitions with a strong line up of Cameroonian artists.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Marché Central (Akwa)
  The city's sprawling main market, loud, crowded and full of fabrics, spices and everyday life.
• Marché Mboppi (Akwa)
  The wholesale market where traders from across Central Africa stock up, best visited with a local friend.
• Marché Sandaga (Akwa)
  A bustling produce market for plantains, peppers, njangsang and other kitchen staples.

Must-Haves

• Marché des Fleurs (Bonapriso)
  A long running craft market for masks, carvings, beads and Bamoun brass work.

Off the Beaten Path

• Marché de Deïdo (Deïdo)
  A neighbourhood market with smoked fish, cassava sticks and friendly sellers.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Youpwé fish market (Youpwé)
  Choose your fish straight off the canoes and have it grilled with plantain and pepper sauce by the water.

Must-Haves

• Rue de la Joie (Deïdo)
  Douala's famous nightlife street, lined with bars playing makossa and bikutsi until very late.

Fun for Everyone

• Boulevard de la Liberté bars (Akwa)
  Busy terraces and cabarets where grilled fish, cold beer and live music run late into the night.

Great for Date Night

• Akwa Palace terrace bar (Akwa)
  A classic place for an early evening drink watching the boulevard.

Must-Haves

• Pâtisserie Calafatas (Akwa)
  A historic bakery and pastry shop, a Douala institution for croissants and coffee.

Must-Haves

• Hôtel Akwa Palace (Akwa)
  A classic central hotel with a pool, close to the cathedral and the main boulevards.
• Sawa Hotel (Bonanjo)
  A long established hotel with a large pool, popular with business travellers.

Great for Date Night

• Pullman Douala Rabingha (Bonanjo)
  A polished international hotel near the government quarter and the river.
• Hôtel La Falaise (Bonanjo)
  A boutique style hotel with a good restaurant and terrace bar.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Ibis Douala (Bonanjo)
  A reliable, simple and well located option for a short stay.

Must-Haves

• Ngondo Festival (Wouri riverbank)
  The Sawa peoples' great water festival, with pirogue races and a sacred dive into the Wouri.

Off the Beaten Path

• Salon Urbain de Douala (Bonanjo)
  doual'art's triennial festival of public art that turns neighbourhoods into open air galleries.

Off the Beaten Path

• Douala Edéa National Park (Mouanko)
  Mangroves, lagoons and coastal forest a few hours south, with manatees and seabirds.

Must-Haves

• Monument de la Réunification (Centre)
  A striking spiral monument celebrating the 1961 reunification, with good views over the city.
• Basilique Marie Reine des Apôtres (Mvolyé)
  A modern basilica with bold African inspired art, beside the site of the first Catholic mission.

Fun for Everyone

• Cathédrale Notre Dame des Victoires (Centre)
  The twin towered cathedral at the heart of downtown Yaoundé.

Must-Haves

• Musée National du Cameroun (Centre)
  The former presidential palace, now a museum of Cameroonian history, art and royal objects.

Off the Beaten Path

• Musée d'Art Camerounais (Mont Fébé)
  A remarkable collection of masks, bronzes and carvings kept by the Benedictine monastery on Mont Fébé.
• Goethe Institut Kamerun (Bastos)
  Talks, film nights and exhibitions often featuring young Cameroonian creatives.

Fun for Everyone

• Institut Français du Cameroun Yaoundé (Centre)
  A lively programme of concerts, cinema and exhibitions.

Must-Haves

• Mont Fébé (Mont Fébé)
  The hill above the city, with the best panorama of Yaoundé's seven hills.

Fun for Everyone

• Mvog Betsi Zoo (Mvog Betsi)
  A small zoo with gorillas, chimps and other rescued Cameroonian animals, popular with families.
• Lac Municipal (Centre)
  A city lake with a walking path, best for a short stroll near the government district.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mefou Park (Mefou)
  A primate sanctuary run by Ape Action Africa where rescued gorillas and chimps live in forest enclosures.
• Ebogo Ecotourism Site (Mbalmayo)
  Glide by pirogue along the Nyong River through forest rich in birds and butterflies.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Marché Mokolo (Mokolo)
  Yaoundé's biggest and busiest market, a full immersion in everyday Cameroonian life.
• Marché Central (Centre)
  A multi level central market for fabrics, food and household goods.
• Marché Mfoundi (Mfoundi)
  A food market famous for fresh produce, spices and bush mangoes.

Must-Haves

• Centre Artisanal de Yaoundé (Centre)
  Stalls of masks, baskets, beads and woven cloth, the easiest place to shop for crafts.

Must-Haves

• Ecrans Noirs Film Festival (Centre)
  Central Africa's leading film festival, with screenings across the city.

Fun for Everyone

• National Day parade (Boulevard du 20 Mai)
  The big 20 May celebration with marching bands, dancers and crowds in their best outfits.

Must-Haves

• Hilton Yaoundé (Centre)
  A central high rise hotel with pool and city views, convenient for ministries and museums.
• Djeuga Palace (Centre)
  A well known central hotel with restaurants and a pool.

Great for Date Night

• Hôtel Mont Fébé (Mont Fébé)
  A hillside hotel with a large garden and views over the city.
• Hôtel La Falaise Yaoundé (Nlongkak)
  A comfortable hotel with a good restaurant in a calm part of town.

Fun for Everyone

• Bastos bars and terraces (Bastos)
  The diplomatic quarter's relaxed bars and lounges, a gentle first night out.

Great for Date Night

• Bastos restaurants (Bastos)
  The best area for a quieter dinner, with Cameroonian, French and Lebanese menus.

Must-Haves

• Chutes de la Lobé (Lobé)
  One of the few waterfalls in the world that plunge directly into the sea.
• Plage de Grand Batanga (Grand Batanga)
  A long golden beach south of town lined with palms and small guesthouses.

Fun for Everyone

• Plage de Mpalla (Mpalla)
  A calm, family friendly beach a short ride from the centre.

Off the Beaten Path

• Londji fishing village (Londji)
  A quiet bay north of Kribi where fishing canoes land the morning catch.
• Campo Ma'an National Park (Campo)
  Rainforest and coast in one park, home to forest elephants, gorillas and rare birds.

Must-Haves

• Pirogue trip up the Lobé River (Lobé)
  Paddle upriver from the falls through mangrove and forest with a local boatman.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kribi fish market (Port de pêche)
  Pick your fish or prawns from the boats and have them grilled on the spot.
• Grilled fish at Lobé Falls (Lobé)
  Eat grilled fish under the trees with the falls roaring beside you.

Great for Date Night

• Seafood terraces of the Kribi seafront (Seafront)
  Sunset tables serving gambas, grilled sole and cold drinks.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Marché de Kribi (Centre)
  The town market for fruit, smoked fish and colourful pagne cloth.

Must-Haves

• Hôtel Ilomba (Plage)
  A beachfront hotel with bungalows a short walk from the sea.

Fun for Everyone

• Easter and summer weekends (Kribi beaches)
  Kribi fills with music, beach games and family picnics on holiday weekends.

Must-Haves

• Palais Royal de Foumban (Centre)
  The Bamoun sultans' palace and its new museum, home to centuries of royal treasures.

Off the Beaten Path

• Musée des Arts et Traditions Bamoun (Centre)
  A private family museum of masks, pipes and everyday objects.
• Sultan Njoya script exhibit (Palais Royal)
  See the writing system King Njoya invented, one of Africa's few indigenous scripts.

Must-Haves

• Village des Artisans (Rue des Artisans)
  A street of workshops where you can watch brass casting, carving and embroidery.
• Bamoun beadwork stalls (Rue des Artisans)
  Beaded stools, masks and calabashes, made just steps away.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Marché de Foumban (Centre)
  A busy market where Bamoun, Bamileke and Fulani traders meet.

Must-Haves

• Grande Mosquée de Foumban (Centre)
  The striking mosque beside the palace, at the heart of Bamoun life.

Fun for Everyone

• Royal palace guided tour (Centre)
  Palace guides explain the Bamoun dynasty and Sultan Njoya's own script.

Off the Beaten Path

• Brass casting workshops (Rue des Artisans)
  Watch lost wax casting by families who have done it for generations.

Must-Haves

• Nguon Festival (Palais Royal)
  A grand cultural festival where the Bamoun people judge their king, with parades and dances.

Off the Beaten Path

• Mont Mbapit (Mbapit)
  A volcanic cone with a crater lake and wide views over the Noun plain.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Food stalls of Foumban market (Centre)
  Simple plates of rice, beans, grilled meat and spicy sauces.

Must-Haves

• Limbe Botanic Garden (Centre)
  A green garden founded in 1892 by the sea, with a river, old trees and picnic spots.
• Mile 6 Beach (Mile 6)
  Black volcanic sand under the slopes of Mount Cameroon.

Fun for Everyone

• Limbe Wildlife Centre (Centre)
  A rescue centre for gorillas, chimps and drills, a favourite with children.

Off the Beaten Path

• Debundscha Point (Idenau)
  A wild headland on one of the wettest places on Earth.
• 1999 lava flow (Bakingili)
  Walk on the hardened lava that cut the coastal road during the last big eruption.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Down Beach fish market (Down Beach)
  Buy the morning catch and have it grilled in the beachside smoke houses.

Must-Haves

• Seme Beach Hotel (Mile 11)
  A beach hotel with a natural spring pool right by the sea.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Atlantic Beach Hotel (Down Beach)
  An older seafront hotel close to the centre.

Off the Beaten Path

• Bimbia slave trade site (Bimbia)
  The ruins of a historic slave trading post, a powerful site of memory.

Fun for Everyone

• Down Beach bars (Down Beach)
  Casual beer and grilled fish spots facing the water.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Limbe Central Market (Centre)
  A lively market for fruit, cloth and fresh fish.