Cameroon

Understand

History 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

See

Visit the Limbe Botanic Garden, Benedictine Museum of Mont Febe, National Museum of Yaounde and the Kribi. These are famous attractions in the city of Yaounde, meant for tourists.

National parks 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 infrastruc

Getting there

Cameroon is not a country you can just come to. There are few visa-free arrangements in place, so most travelers need a visa. Citizens of Mali, Chad, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria don't need a visa. Cameroonian visas tend to be expensive. The Cameroonian Embassy in the United States charges US$93 for a tourist visa, so plan and prepare accordingly. As a general rule of thumb, the longer you intend to stay, the more expensive the visa will be. A one-year visa will cost you between US$100-300. Cameroonian diplomatic staff recommend that you submit all relevant documentation in advance, and it normally takes up to a week to process any kind of Cameroonian visa.

Visa

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 r

Getting around

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

By train 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.

By bus

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.

By car

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