Tourism in Cameroon
Cameroon is situated in Central Africa, at juncture of the Gulf of Guinea.
It is bounded on the North by Chad, on the East by the Central Africa Republic, on the South by Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea and on the West by Nigeria.
Cameroon is a country with several major towns, amongst which are YAOUNDE, the political capital of the country with about one million inhabitants. DOUALA, which is the major economic city, has more than two million inhabitants. The other main towns are GAROUA, BAFOUSSAM, MAROUA, BAMENDA etc.
POPULATION
Cameroon has more than 240 tribes which are found in three main ethnic groups; Bantus, Semi-Bantus and Sudanese.
The number of national languages spoken in the country is more than 240.
The most notable tribes are:
BANTUS: Beti, Bassa, Bakundu, Maka, Douala, Pygmies……
SEMI-BANTUS: Bamileke, Gbaya, Bamoun, Tikar……..
SUDANESE: Fulbe, Mafa, Toupouri, Shoa-Arabs, Moundang, Massa, Mousgoum….
LANGUAGES
French and English are the official languages, which are spoken by 70% and 30% of the population respectively. Spanish and German are equally spoken by a few city-dwellers.
RELIGION
Cameroon is a secular state. Two major religions have followers ; Christianity and Islam. Animism is also widely practiced.
TOURISTIC SEASON
Besides the shooting season which is practiced in the northern part of the country from November to May, all other tourist activities can be undertaken throughout the whole year.
CLIMATE
Dry and rainy seasons alternate in the country, with the dry season generally going from November to April. Temperatures range from 23 to 31°C in January to 21 to 35°C in July.
THE 10 REGIONS
- Adamawa Region (main city: Ngaoundere)
- Centre Region (main city: Yaounde)
- East Region (main city: Bertoua)
- Far North Region (main city: Maroua)
- Littoral Region (main city: Douala)
- North Region (main city: Garoua)
- North West Region (main city: Bamenda)
- West Region (main city: Bafoussam)
- South Region (main city: Ebolowa )
- South West Region (main city: Buea)
Cameroon is a choice destination with a lot of attractions for any visitor. The country has a lot of natural attractions and many other phenomena that are not found anywhere else in the world, making it possible to have various categories of tourism.
CATEGORY OF TOURISM
Seaside Tourism:
400 km long coastline of the Atlantic Ocean with colourful bays, rich sandy beaches, small islets, mangrove vegetation and waterfalls,
Fishing goes on in all the settlements along the coastline, carried out by individual and commercial fishermen. Any visitor can take a try at fishing. A wide variety of fishes can is also to be found in the many rivers which can be found throughout the country.
Safari and hunting:
4 hunting zones and seven national parks in Cameroon, with a large number of the various animal species found in Africa ( elephants, lions, giraffes, rhinoceros, panthers, buffalos, antelopes, hippopotamus, hyenas, gorillas, cheetahs etc…)
With more than 500 km of motorable roads, Cameroon is the place of choice in West and Central Africa for safari tourism as the national parks and other animal reserves like Boubandjida National Park in the Adamawa Region are properly preserved.
Eco-Tourism
- Some natural sites are classified and protect for various purposes, including scientific, ecological and tourist activities.
- The Korup National Park has plant species that are more than one million years old.
- The Dja Reserve, is classified among humanities heritages by UNESCO.
- Mount Cameroon is 4,070 m high and has vegetation dating back to the Quaternary period. The mount is a site for international mounting-climbing events. It is an ecological site with remarkable potential, Mount Cameroon is still an active volcano with the most recent eruption occurring in March 2000.
- The Site of Mayo-Rey where footprints of dinosaurs are still visible.
Cultural Tourism
- The population of Cameroon has more than 240 ethnic groups with different customs and traditions, some of which have survived till date, especially in the north and the west.
- A lot of diversity can be observed in the way of life, the folklore, the religion, housing and culinary habits. The oval houses of the Massa people in the north are unique in design in the world.
- Many historical artefacts can be found in Cameroon. In addition, the monuments and other vestiges of past events attest the colonial history of the country.
- A variety of traditional clothing, music and danses are found in Cameroon,
- A large variety of traditional dishes with some known beyond national borders.
SOCCER
Soccer is the most popular sport
Patrick MBOMA played in Japan at J1 League:
- Gamba Osaka (1997-98)
- Tokyo Verdy (2003-04)
- Vissel Kobe (2004-05)
The Indomitable Lions
(Cameroon National Team)
5 African Cup of Nations won.
7 participation to the FIFA World Cup of Nations and a qualification to quater finals in 1990.
Roger MILLA
Samuel ETO’O
Cameroon’ s Official Travel Guide
Some Travel Advices
Tourism in Cameroon through the eyes of some Japanese lovers
PhotoBook_HIRAIWA_Family (Pdf) Full book still available (on demand)
Homestay & Book exhibition_LEX Institute-Hippo Family Club (Pdf)