Cameroon

The territory of present-day Cameroon was first settled during the Neolithic period. Portuguese sailors reached the coast in 1472. Over the following few centuries, European interests regularised trade with the coastal peoples, and Christian missionaries pushed inland. In the early 19th century, Modibo Adama led Fulani soldiers on a jihad in the north against non-Muslim and partially Muslim peoples and established the Adamawa Emirate. Settled peoples who fled the Fulani caused a major redistribution of population.

The German Empire claimed the territory as the colony of Kamerun in 1884 and began a steady push inland. With the defeat of Germany in World War I, Kamerun became a League of Nations mandate territory and was split into French Cameroun and British Cameroons in 1919. The French carefully integrated the economy of Cameroun with that of France and improved the infrastructure with capital investments and skilled workers.

The British administered their territory from neighbouring Nigeria. Natives complained that this made them a neglected "colony of a colony". The League of Nations mandates were converted into United Nations Trusteeships in 1946, and the question of independence became a pressing issue in French Cameroun. France outlawed the most radical political party, the Union des Populations du Cameroun (UPC), on 13 July 1955. This prompted a long guerrilla war. In British Cameroons, the question was whether to reunify with French Cameroun or join Nigeria.

On 1 January 1960, French Cameroun gained independence from France under President Ahmadou Ahidjo, and on 1 October 1961, the majority-Muslim Northern Cameroons became a part of Nigeria, while the majority-Christian Southern Cameroons (since renamed Ambazonia) united with its neighbour to form the Federal Republic of Cameroon.

Varies with terrain, from tropical along the coast to semiarid and hot in the north. If you are going during the summer, plan on lots of rain every day. It might be cold up in the mountains, especially at night.

1 January: New Year's Day & also Independence Day

11 February: Youth Day

1 May: Labour Day

20 May: National Day

15 August: Assumption

1 October: Unification Day

25 December: Christmas Day

Cameroon Ministry of Tourism

Visa Types:

airport transit visa for airport transit;

visitor visa for visiting friends and family in Cameroon;

business visas for work-relating activity in Cameroon;

tourist visa for tourism purposes;

student visa for studying abroad and learning at the universities;

employment visa for taking up work in Cameroon; and

permanent residence visa, which is issued if you a marry a Cameroonian.

Requirements vary from country to country, but you are normally asked to submit the following with your visa application

A copy of your passport

Two passport-sized photographs.

A copy of your travel itinerary.

A copy of your vaccination certificate and proof you've been vaccinated against yellow fever.

A copy of your bank statement.

A copy of your hotel reservation.

A letter of invitation that has been legalised by the Cameroonian police (if you intend to stay in the country for up to three months)

Warning:

The Cameroonian Embassy in the United States warns that if you do not submit your travel itinerary, your visa application will be rejected.

Then, depending on whether you are requesting a Visitor Visa or a Tourist Visa, you will need:

For a visitor visa:

A letter of invitation (for a visitor's visa) and a reservation confirmation from your hotel (for a tourist's visa). If you need a visitor visa, the person you're visiting must create the letter invitation, and get it approved and stamped by the local authorities before sending it to you. The letter must state that you have a place to stay during your trip (e.g. the home of your hosts). If you're staying in a hotel, a hotel reservation will suffice.

The Cameroon High Commission in Pretoria charges ZAR1191 for a visit visa (December 2021)

For a tourist visa:

A consular letter from your bank stating your current balance. It must be signed by the bank for it to be valid.

A reservation confirmation from your hotel.

Check the Cameroon Embassy website in your country of residence (or closest) for more up to date info.

The Cameroon Embassy in London now asks £100 for a tourist visa.

International airports are Douala International Airport (DLA IATA) and Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport (NSI IATA)

Cameroon can be reached via:

Paris (Air France and Camair-Co)

Brussels (Brussels Airlines)

Lagos (Bellview Airlines)

Nairobi (Kenya Airways)

Amsterdam (KLM Royal Dutch Airlines)

Casablanca (Royal Air Maroc)

Addis Ababa (Ethiopian Airlines)

Istanbul (Turkish Airlines)

Sometimes airport staff, or just hangers on, try to help with the luggage in order to get extra euros/dollars from travellers. They'll ask for around FCFA 1,000.

It is probably possible to travel by boat from the island of Bioko (Equatorial Guinea).

Camair-Co operates as a national carrier and on domestic flights.

Rail services operated by Camrail, run from the capital, Yaoundé, to the port city of Douala and the northern city of Ngaoundéré. While bus service is quicker and more reliable to Douala, the overnight train is the best mode of ground transport to the north. Check for current schedules and pricing.

Between the major cities you can get a ride on modern, comfortable buses, sometimes with air conditioning. Away from the larger centres you will most likely end up on the ever present Toyota bush taxis. These are slightly elongated Toyota minivans that can hold up to 20 people (or more if necessary) along with their luggage piled up on top. Safety can be a concern with dangerous roads, overworked, drunk or hungover drivers and poorly maintained vehicles the norm. However, other than extending your stay an extra day or two in bad weather your options are limited.

Buses rarely leave at a set time. Instead, they wait until they are full and then depart. For buses later in the day, sometimes they never fill up. When this happens, the operator will normally set you up with a bush taxi to take you to your destination. If you do not want to take the bush taxi and are persistent enough, the operator will normally refund your money. The point is that you should leave plenty of time to get to your destination, because sometimes the wait will take hours and you are never guaranteed a departure.

Rental cars are available although very expensive. As paved roads are rare away from the major cities of the west and northwest areas of the country, a 4 x 4 is a necessity when travelling to the east or central areas of Cameroon. The roads in the north are paved between cities and even the dirt roads tend to be in decent condition due to the lack of rain.

You can hire a private car and have its driver take you to places of your choice. Expect to pay around USD60 per day to the driver and foot the gas bill. The driver will also expect you to provide food and accommodation. But you can bargain.

These days, due to bad roads and congestion, motorcycles are a common form of transportation. The driver can take you wherever you want and they can be the only alternative to remote villages that do not have paved roads.

There are a total of sixteen designated protected areas in Cameroon. The more important are:

Bénoué National Park, established in 2001, dry forests of Anogeissus leiocarpa are widespread in this park. The park has rocky outcrops, woodland and some bodies of water. During the dry season, November to May, wildlife flock to the waterholes. Mammals include hippos (in herds), baboons, isolated elephants, bushbuck but also particularly endangered species such as the African wild dog, the manatee and the giant eland.

Campo Ma'an National Park – at 2680 km², just before the border to Equatorial Guinea, is directly on the Atlantic consists of largely untouched rainforest. Gorillas also live here. The construction of an oil pipeline nearby and the ban on hunting have put the three pygmy tribes living here in serious distress. The sanctuary can only be reached via 150 km of bad roads from Kribi. It is doubtful whether a tourism infrastructure, which was still missing in 2017, will be created. At least one “hotel” financed by the WWF has already fallen into disrepair. The official fee for the park is CFA 5000 per person plus CFA 2000 per vehicle. Guides whose price should be 10,000 CFA can quickly charge for several hundred dollars for a tour.

Dja Faunal Reserve a Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage Site within a 5260 km² loop on the headwaters of the Dja River. Almost completely untouched tropical rainforest. In addition to a number of primate and monkey species, there is also a variety of amphibians and reptiles. Traditional hunting is allowed for the pygmies living here.

Waza National Park (Parc national de Waza) in the basin of Lake Chad, the core of which was already designated in 1934 and is now a biosphere reserve. Probably the most animal-rich park in the country with classic African big game: lions, elephants, giraffes and some cheetahs. Buffon's kobantelopes are common. (Rhino, Cape buffalo, and hippopotamus are extinct here.) The vast grasslands of eastern Waza National Park flood during the rainy season. The western part varies in density, mostly forested with acacias. The not uncontroversial construction of the Maga Dam has affected part of the park, while the reservoir has developed into a breeding ground for water bird species that are affected by the increasing drying up of Lake Chad.

The currency of the country is the Central African CFA franc, denoted FCFA (ISO currency code: XAF). It's also used by five other Central African countries. It is interchangeable at par with the West African CFA franc (XOF), which is used by six countries. Both currencies are fixed at a rate of 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs.

Mastercard and Visa ATM withdrawals are possible in many banks - for example, SGBC - which can be found in most major cities.

All Ecobank ATMs in Cameroon have cash withdrawal with Mastercards and Visa cards.

Some good ways to spend your money include local handicrafts in Marche de Fleurs (Douala - Bonapriso quarter) and on fresh fish and prawns in Youppe village close to Douala (early morning).

Unless you are in stores and restaurants, you must bargain for everything. Demand 20-50% of the first price requested.

Cameroon's crime levels are high. Reports of carjackings, armed robberies, banditry, and the like are not unheard of.

Petty theft is common. As obvious as it may sound, avoid flashing objects like cameras, mobile phones, laptops, and the like; muggers are fascinated by them. In the unlikely event you are robbed, do not fight back or else you might end up being dragged into a violent fight.

Taxis often operate like buses, picking up all sorts of people along the way. While this may be an interesting experience to some, some taxi passengers have been robbed and attacked by other passengers. Some countries, such as the United States, forbid their diplomatic staff from using Cameroonian taxis. If you must get around a city, only use trusted, pre-arranged taxis. Your hotel may help you with this.

Car theft and carjackings are serious problems. In 2000, the US Ambassador to Cameroon almost became a carjacking victim. If you are driving around in your own car, don't leave anything in your car; this may deter smash-and-grab robberies.

Corruption is a serious problem in Cameroon and has been described as "Cameroon's worst-kept secret". The police are notorious for being highly corrupt and woefully ineffective, and the locals themselves do not trust them at all.

Boko Haram, a Nigerian terrorist group, is active in Northern Cameroon. The group is known to implement a very harsh form of sharia law and they have kidnapped all kinds of people for ransom. If you absolutely must visit Northern Cameroon, it is strongly recommended that you go with an armed escort.

Cameroon is a politically troubled country. Demonstrations against the government are common and they can turn violent rather quickly.

You should do all you can to avoid political protests, demonstrations, and marches. Don't feel tempted to act like a hero (take photos of protests, helping out injured protestors, and so on); you might lose your life or get severely injured.

If you feel a protest is about to take place, evacuate the area immediately. Always assume that roads can be blocked during political protests and that public transportation services will be affected.

During your stay, it is strongly recommended that you regularly monitor local media. Information is your best friend.

Since 2017, the Northwest Highlands region has been in a state of war. Anglophone separatists, who feel marginalised and written off by the Cameroonian government, aim to create a new state called Ambazonia. The security situation in the region is extremely volatile and some 500,000 people have been internally displaced by the conflict.

In December 2021, dwindling water resources led to clashes between farmers in Chad and Northern Cameroon.

There are no laws forbidding photography in Cameroon, but taking photographs of government buildings, military installations, and public facilities can land you in serious trouble with the authorities. If in doubt, always ask.

Homosexuality is frowned upon by the vast majority of Cameroonians. LGBT Cameroonians often face discrimination and are often ostracised by society.

Same-sex activity is punishable by up to 5 years in prison, and there are no laws and policies in place that protect the rights of members of the LGBT community. Avoid public display of affection.

In accordance with Cameroonian law, you must have ID on you at all times. Some options to choose from:

getting a copy of your passport (front pages and visa pages) legalised at a police station.

a resident card (go to the local frontier police station).

Always make it a point to greet and acknowledge people wherever you go; not doing so is considered extremely rude. As a foreigner, you might get some leeway, but still, greet and acknowledge people to not stand out like a sore thumb.

Respect for elders is very important. When visiting a Cameroonian home, it is customary to greet the oldest person first. If you're waiting to enter a building, allow someone older to go in first. If you're on public transportation, give up your seat for someone older than you. Never do anything to make an older person feel challenged.

Always use your right hand when shaking hands, bringing something to someone, and so on. The left hand is considered unclean in Cameroon. It would be considered impolite to use your left hand to offer something to someone.

Cameroonians typically eat with their hands. Never use your left hand to eat a meal.

People often lower their heads when greeting someone senior (age or position) to them. Making direct eye contact with them would be seen as rude manners.

If you've been invited to a Cameroonian home, do not show up empty-handed. In addition, do not ask your host to give you a tour of their home.

In Cameroon, family takes precedence over everything else and it is the main focus of the Cameroonian social system. It's common for extended families to live together and it is common for Cameroonians to hire their relatives because they consider it important to provide for their families. Also, do not be surprised if Cameroonians excuse themselves from important meetings to attend to family matters. One shouldn't take that as a sign of disinterest.

As is the case throughout Africa, you should never beckon a Cameroonian person directly, even if they have done something wrong in your opinion; the Cameroonians are very sensitive to being beckoned directly. As a foreigner, your words might have an even greater impact.

Although Christianity is the dominant religion, Cameroon is, by law, a secular state. The country is a rare example of religious​ tolerance. ​You're unlikely to cause offense by discussing religion, but always approach the subject with respect.

The Anglophone War, treatment of Anglophone Cameroonians, and Ambazonia are highly divisive and controversial subjects. Anglophone Cameroonians have a long history of conflict with the government and depending on who you talk to, you may end up igniting fierce, passionate debates.