Memo to a Tourist in Cameroon

Transport connection.
One Aeroflot flight per month (September-April), two flights per month (April-September): Moscow-Duala.
Airports are located in the cities of Douala and Yaounde. The fare for a taxi from Douala airport to the city center is about 1.5 thousand francs. To talk on a pay phone, you need a card, the cost of 1 minute of a telephone conversation with Moscow is 3 thousand francs. The cost of lunch in a middle-class restaurant is about 4-5 thousand francs (tips – 200 francs), rooms in a middle-class hotel are about 14-16 thousand francs. Medical care is paid.

Border control.
When crossing the border, you must present a passport with an entry visa and an insert filled in by the clerk, which indicates: full name, date and place of birth, nationality, passport number, profession, host institution, length of stay and date of arrival.

Sanitary and veterinary control.
A yellow fever vaccination certificate must be presented. Recommended chemoprophylaxis against malaria. When importing pets, you must have a veterinary certificate with a mark of vaccination against rabies.

Customs control.
According to Countries Leverage, duty-free import is allowed: cigarettes – 200 tons. or cigars – 50 pcs. or tobacco – 500 g; alcoholic beverages – 1 l; food products, perfumes, household items and items; audio, video, photographic equipment – one item of each item. The import of firearms, chemical, poisonous, narcotic and explosive substances is prohibited. The export of products made from elephant tusks, skins of rare animals is prohibited. When exporting pets and birds, you must obtain an export permit and a veterinary certificate.

Currency.
The monetary unit is the West African CFA franc (100 CFA francs are equal to 1 French franc). Export and import of foreign currency is not limited, national – no more than 50 thousand CFA francs.

Time is 2 hours behind Moscow time.

Sights of Cameroon

Yaoundé.
The quietest and calmest capital of the entire African continent, almost the entire city is located along the main street – Kennedy Avenue and on the hills surrounding it. The name of the city comes from the name of the people of Yaoundé (Bantu ethnic group) inhabiting the vicinity of the city. Yaoundé is home to the bulk of government institutions in Cameroon, including the main attraction not only of the city, but also of the country – the stadium. To the north of Kennedy Square is Artisinel Center, a large craft and shopping area famous for the products of local artisans and artists. A few kilometers northwest of the center stretched “real African quarters” Messa, Mokolo and Briketeri are the best place to taste authentic Cameroonian food and watch the locals. A few kilometers north of the centrally located Benedictine Monastery is the Cameroon Museum of Art. Despite its small size, it has an excellent collection of Cameroonian and Western art, including ritual paraphernalia and masks, weapons and jewelry of local tribes.

Douala.
The largest and oldest city in the country, with numerous buildings in the colonial style, the Museum of Douala, the palace of the first president and the huge open market Marche de Fleur – the best place to buy local souvenirs. The Marche des Fleurs market sells countless magnificent flowers collected from plantations throughout the country. Bouquets, with human growth, attract the admiring glances of all passers-by. Douala and the main port of the country, where large cruise ships often call. The markets right on the shore of the bay are full of outlandish varieties of various fish, and in numerous restaurants you will be served it ready-made. Here, as nowhere else in the country, you can feel the flavor of the Cameroonian people. That gracefulness and slowness of movement of African women with a tray on their heads, pride in their nation of Cameroonian men and mischievous children everywhere, living as if on their own. Not far from Douala there is a town and a beautiful golf club of the same name Tiko.

Fumban.
Center of traditional national art. The Bamun jewels and ornaments exhibited at the Royal Palace, the Bamun Museum of Art and Tradition, the Rue des Artisans, a street of craftsmen and artisans, attract a large number of tourists here. The kingdom of Bamun is located here, the history of which can be traced back to 1394. The remarkable building of the local sultanate resembles a medieval castle.

Mount Cameroon and the city of Bue.
Bue is the former capital of the German Protectorate of Western Cameroon. A typical city located at the foot of the picturesque and highest mountain in the country – the city of Cameroon (4070 m). This mountain is one of the main natural attractions. The summit of Cameroon is an active volcano. Its snowy peak is almost always covered by clouds and fog, and only after tropical showers does it become clearly visible. There are also 20 picturesque volcanic lakes. The last and most significant volcanic eruption occurred in 2000, the lava rolled far down and still lies along the road leading from Douala to the fabulous resort town of Limbe. Lava also played an important role here, the sand on the beaches of Limbe is black.

A simple layman cannot conquer Cameroon in two days, but the famous Cameroonian runners reach the top in a few hours. It is interesting to see these same competitions starting from the city stadium, which usually turn into a fun city holiday.
From the panoramic platform of the Mountain Hotel, you can enjoy a picturesque view of Bue, reminiscent of the classic estates of Europe and the adjacent spurs of mountains covered with emerald green alpine meadows.

Limbe.
You have never seen such beaches before. The sand on the beaches of Limbe is black. A beautiful resort town invites you to a unique botanical garden, which contains almost all types of Cameroonian flowers and trees. Limbe is proud of a small zoo – a nursery, where all kinds of Cameroonian primates are represented. The crystal clear spring of the Seme New Beach Hotel with mineral water attracts many visitors. On a sunny day, everyone is pleased to feel the coolness of a small and rather deep lake of the source. No less picturesque is the coast, known as the Cameroon Palm Coast because of the coconut palms that border it. Here the ancient crystalline rocks are exposed by the sea, and rocky cliffs rise up to 20 m above the surface of the ocean. From such a ledge, the Lobe River falls like a waterfall into the ocean.

Kribi.
The country’s most popular seaside resort: many kilometers of white sandy beaches in the Ebunja and Longji areas, countless restaurants, bars and discos. Fans of fishing for big fish are invited by the modern center.

Vase.
The largest and most famous national park (to the northeast of the city of Maroua), where during the dry season (lasting in the country from November to July) you can observe lions, elephants, panthers, giraffes, badgers, hyenas, monkeys, gazelles and baboons in their natural environment. In the area of ​​​​the city of Garoua (north-east of the country, just south of Maroua), there are three large national parks. Parc de la Benu is famous for its abundance of hippos, which are concentrated almost everywhere. Elephants, antelope, lions and hyenas have chosen the national park de buba Njida. Parque de Faro is distinguished by a wide variety of animals: panthers, lions, roe deer, and numerous birds and snakes are everywhere.