The Cameroon Traveler

NUMÉRO 00 – NUMERO PROMOTIONEL HTTP://WWW.CAMEROONTRAVELER

Guide Complet Complet Guide

Festivals

Hôtels & Restaurants Plages

Beaches

Parcs Nationaux National Parks

Numéro Promotionel du magazine No. 1 du tourisme au Cameroun Promotional issue of the number travel magazine in Cameroon

Evènements

Spectacles Foires & Autres

Mindif Peak The Mandara Mountains, located just west of the northern town of Maroua, is a popular destination for hiking, mountain and rock climbing. The lovely villages with round huts and large stone rises add a unique twist to the region.

In Mindif, a park south of Maroua, there is a huge rock known as the Peak of Mindif, which is highly popular for rock climbing.

L

es Monts Mandara sont situés au milieu d’une région sauvage et pittoresque, où l’escalade et le trekking sont des activités populaires dans la région. Le Pic de Mindif est une merveille de la nature qui fait saliver tous les amoureux de l’escalade. Ceux qui aiment l’aventure trouveront le bonheur dans cette région où les activités peuvent se programmer autour de cette belle montagne.

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Or place your ad here!

The Cameroon Traveler Magazine Associate Editors

Sapphire Excel Publishing Executives President

Damien Noma

Germain Pichop

E. Sumelong

Controller

Editor Germain Pichop

S. Tchango

TBA

General Content Manager Advertising Sales Director

Germain Pichop

Paul Fifen

Vice Presidebt of Sales

Account Managers

Paul Fifen

Solenne Tchango

Marketing/ Event Coordinator

Business Administrator

TBA

TBA

Circulation Manager TBA

Sapphire

excel

Published by Sapphire Excel for the Cameroon Travel and Leisure Organization

Communication

Founder & CEO Germain Pichop Vice President of Marketing Paul Fifen Chief Financial Officer Solenne Tchango

The Power of Positive Thinking

The Cameroon Traveler Magazine (CTM) is published by Sapphire Excel Communications for the Cameroon Travel and Leisure Orgazination. The magazine is committed to be a platform to profile travel destinations and guides. The Cameroon Travel and Leisure Organization, through its magazines, books, and editorial contents, will be a vessel promote tourisme in Cameroon and inform travelers about the destinations, the treasures and beauty of the country, its people, places music, art and culture in a way that will encourage travel, discovery and curiosity in its people and those around the world.

The cameroon travel and leisure organization is convinced that tourism can become the coner stone of the development of the country. For more information about advertizing opportunities, please contact us at: cameroon.traveler@gmail.com or visit: http://www.cameroontraveler.com. © 2012 The Cameroon Traveler Magazine.

Photo credits in this issue Germain pichop; Cameroon Ministry of Tourism; Ya-Fé.com; Amcaja; Astaras; Nick Annejohn & Family; Nickaj. All picture are under the Creative Commons Licence. Some pictures are royalty free photographs obtained from 123rf.com

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Cameroon Travel Magazine

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10

In this Issue 24

Yaoundé

The goverment and administrative center. Where to visit, places to stay and more

Douala

36

Foumban

The Sultant’s Palace. Museum, traditional art and Festivals

40

The commercial center. Monuments, places to stay and more.

Kribi, Limbe and the beach resorts.

Western Highlands Historical western traditions, landscapes and cultures. Museum, festivals and people.

Waterfalls amd crater lacs.

30 Northen Safaris North and Far North. National Parcs, local architecture and safaris. Stunning birds, girafes lions, elephants and rhinos.

Cameroon Travel Magazine

• Page 7

Welcome!

A passion for tourism!

Welcome to the promotional issue of the Cameroon Traveler magazine, your source of information and guide to Cameroon’s travel and leisure destinations.

CTM is an initiative from the Cameroon Travel and Leisure Organization. The CTLO’s objective is to provide all those who are interested in Cameroon as a tourist and leisure destination a forum where they can share their passions and aspirations. As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions to make CTM a better tool to serve you.

Le Cameroon tel que vous ne l’avez Jamais vu!

Cameroon Like you have Never Seen

Bienvenue à l’édition promotionnelle de la Cameroon Traveler Magazine, la revue du tourisme et des loisirs au Cameroun, votre guide touristique et votre source préférée d’information sur le Cameroun. CTM est une initiative de la Cameroon Travel and Leisure Organization. L’objectif du CTLO est d’offrir à toutes les personnes intéressées par le Cameroun comme destination de tourisme et de loisir un forum où ils peuvent partager leurs passions et leurs aspirations.

Comme toujours, vos commentaires et suggestions sont les bienvenues, puisque nous voulons faire de CTM un outil à votre service.

— Germain N. Pichop Promoter, The Cameroon Traveler Magazine

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

Features

10

Yaoundé La capitale, son histoire et son ambiance actuelle.

14

Ya-Fé

24

Douala

Rio à Yaoundé; listing des hôtels et les monuments à visiter

La capitale économique

26

Monuments de Douala:

30

Safari in Cameroon

Cameroon indomitable arts expressed

Ce que le Cameroun offre aux amateurs de la nature.

Sommaire

32 34 36 38 40

Mont Cameroun Le Char des Dieux, ses parc naturels et l’écotourisme

42

Foumban Le Sultan et l’art Bamoun.

Bimbia La porte vers le chemin du non retour.

Guide touristique Votre séjours au Cameroun en 6 jours.

46

La Case Bamiléké Le symbole d’une culture séculaire.

La Lobé Les plages naturelles de Kribi et les chutes Nachtigal.

Les hauts plateaux de l’ouest.

Un paysage de rêve et une culture à explorer.

48

Tourist Guide Your plan for a 10 days journey in Tropical Cameroon

Cameroon Traveler Magazine

• Page 9

Yaoundé The City of Seven Hills Places to visit • • • • • • • •

the Cathédrale Notre Dame des Victoires the Basilique Marie-Reine-des-Apôtres the Cameroon Art Museum (located in a former Benedictine monastery) the Cameroon National Museum (located in the former presidential palace) the Afhemi Museum the “Palais des Sports” he zoo in the Mvog-Betsi neighbourhood.

Yaoundé has a small assortment of nightclubs and restaurants.

Y

aoundé is unique among West African capitals for its green and hilly setting.

Set at an altitude of 750m, the higher altitude gives the city a slightly more pleasant air than sweaty Douala.

If its rival to the west is livelier, Yaoundé is better placed for travelers. Anyone traveling from north to south will pass through Yaoundé, which is a good place to pick up an onward visas, have a rest and recharge your batteries.

Yaoundé, also spelled Yaunde, city and capital of Cameroon. It is built on a hilly, forested

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plateau between the Nyong and Sanaga rivers in the southcentral part of the country.

Founded in 1888 during the period of the German protectorate, Yaoundé was occupied

by French troops in 1915 and was declared the capital of French Cameroon in 1922.

From 1940 to 1946 it was replaced as the capital by Douala, but after the independence, it became the country’s administrative capital in 1960.

The city has grown as an administrative, service, and commercial centre and a communications hub for road, rail, and air transportation. Yaoundé

Cameroon Traveler Magazine

is home to several small manufacturing and processing industries and a trade hub for for one of the richest agricultural areas in the country.

EDUCATION & RESEARCH The University of Yaoundé, which is the mother of all public universities in Cameroon, was founded in 1962. The city also has schools of education, agriculture, health, engineering, journalism, administration, and international relations.

The Pasteur Institute of Cameroon, which conducts biomedical research, is among Yaoundé’s many

research institutes, and the national library and archives are located in the city.

Natural features in the vicinity include Nachtigal Falls and a chain of grottoes known as Akok-Bekoe (Grottoes of the Pygmies). The Kribi beach is also in Driving distance of the capital.

The city centre The city centre houses government offices, some hotels, and the central market. The Bastos neighbourhood, with most homes owned by Cameroonians, is home to foreign embassies and the expatriate European community (drawn mainly from

the diplomatic corps).

The presidential palace and compound is in the Etoudi neighborhood.

Climate Yaoundé features a tropical wet and dry climate with constant temperatures throughout the year. However, primarily due to the altitude, temperatures are not quite as hot as one would expect for a city located near the equator.

Yaoundé has a lengthy wet season, covering a ten month span between February and November.

However, there is a noticeable decrease in precipitation within the wet season, notably during the months of July and August,

giving the city the appearance of having two separate rainy seasons. It is primarily due to the relative lull in precipitation that occurs during these two months that Yaoundé features a tropical wet and dry climate, as opposed to a tropical monsoon climate.

How to get here

between Yaoundé and Douala.

Travel time by road between Douala and Yaoundé is approximately 3 hours.

Traffic in the city can be heavy during weekdays, but is very light during the weekends. Yaoundé has Above: a view of the city’s main artery made a great progress in known as “Boulevard du 20 Mai”. Below, infrastructure especially Yaounde’s main Cathedral Notre Dame road construction. des Victoires.

Yaoundé Nsimalen International Airport is a major civilian hub, while the nearby Yaoundé Airport is used by the military. Railway lines run west to the port city of Douala and north to N’Gaoundéré.

Many tranportation companies operate frequent bus runs, which occur along the road

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 11

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S

urnommée la “ville aux sept collines”, Yaoundé est la capitale politique du Cameroun depuis 1909.

Peuplée de 1 728 900 habitants (en 2002), elle est, après Douala, la seconde ville du pays. C’est aussi le chef-lieu de la Région du Centre et du département du Mfoundi. Yaoundé abrite la plupart des institutions les plus importantes du Cameroun. Un autre surnom de Yaoundé est Ongola,

ce qui veut dire “clôture” en se réferrant au mur de l’ancien poste allemand.

2

La ville de Yaoundé est implantée sur un réseau de collines dominées par les monts Mbam Minkom (1 295 m) et le Mont Nkolodom (1 221 m) dans le secteur nord-ouest de Yaoundé, ou le mont Eloumden (1 159 m) au sud-ouest. Les différents quartiers, disséminés de manière anarchique, laissent une place importante à la végétation dans les bas fonds.

3

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Yaoundé est traversée par de petits cours d’eau. Quelquesuns parmi eux sont les rivières Mfoundi, Biyeme et Mefou.

Près du centre administratif de Yaoundé se trouve un lac appelé lac Central. Un canal moderne est en train d’être amenagé sur la rivière du Mfoundi pour promouvoir le tourisme.

Cameroon Traveler Magazine

1.

2.

3.

Hôtel Hilton National Museum downtown yaoundé

DÉCOUVRIR YAOUNDE

4

1.

2.

Discover

View of yaounde from Mont Febe The Unity Palace

5

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 13

yaounde: holidays Attractions

Ya - F e Quand Business et Loisirs se Croisent Par: Damien Noma

V

oilà 6 ans déjà que le « Yaoundé en fête » procure plaisir et bonheur à des visiteurs de plus en plus nombreux. Même si le côté festif prend un pas sur la pluralité d’activités dans et autour de cette ambiance de fêtes de fin d’année beaucoup s’accordent à dire que c’est une grosse opportunité d’affaires. « Je suis venu à Ya-Fé car je savais que j’allais trouver mon compte par rapport aux autres foires, d’autant

plus que les gens viennent ici pour s’amuser. Depuis quelques jours que j’y suis, tout se passe bien, je ne me plains pas. J’ai déjà reçu de nombreux visiteurs » déclarait Patrik, gérant de salle jeux. C’était la veille de la clôture de l’édition 2011 du Ya-Fé.

D’aucuns s’intéressent à Ya-Fé à cause des prix de location des stands. « Je suis à Ya-Fé parce que je n’ai pas pu exposer au Promote, l’accès au stand étant très difficile.

J’ai eu la possibilité de m’associer

avec une collègue qui vend des produits de beauté pour louer le stand de 3m sur 3 à 350.000 Fcfa, ce qui n’était pas possible pour le Promote. Je déplore juste le fait que les visiteurs s’orientent plus vers les stands gastronomiques » raconte Isaac, vendeur de jouets.

Organisé par la fondation internationale INTER PROGRESS et mandaté par la communauté urbaine de Yaoundé, ya-fé apparait finalement comme une opportunité d’affaires.

Des dizaines d’entreprises se bousculent à mesure que les années passent. Des sociétés choisissent cet espace soit pour réaliser des bonnes affaires, soit pour effectuer une opération de visibilité à l’endroit des potentiels clients. Les stands sont loués à raison de 350.000 Fcfa pour les dimensions de 3m sur 3 et 485.000 Fcfa pour les dimensions de 5 m sur 5.

Sur le site on peut observer des commodités que sont les toilettes, et l’eau. Des services qui seraient à l’origine de l’augmentation du prix d’entrée à en croire M. Donatien Evouna. Car nombre de visiteurs formulent tout de même des griefs à l’organisation. Notamment le prix d’entrée qui connait une augmentation à mesure que les éditions se suivent. Gratuit en 2006, il est passé à 100 Fcfa en 2007 et 200 Fcfa depuis 2008.

Pendant une vingtaine de jours, sur le Boulevard du 20 mai et au carrefour de la Poste centrale, les soirées sont très animées. L’évènement donne ainsi aux habitants et visiteurs de la capitale camerounaise, l’occasion de sortir et de célébrer les fêtes de fin d’année en famille avec leurs enfants, ou entre amis.

Les matinées sont généralement

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

DÉCOUVRIR yaounde

Discover

calmes, et permettent de mieux apprécier les offres et opportunités.

C’est généralement dans la soirée que la zone se transforme en fête géante, occasionnant des embouteillages. Les visiteurs de plus en plus nombreux n’ont accès sur le site qu’à partir de 12 heures.

Ya-Fé, compte désormais parmi les rendez vous les plus courus du Cameroun. D’ailleurs ladite foire a donné naissance à un autre type d’activités économiques. Commerçants, photographes et visiteurs ont une foire parallèle qui attire tout autant un public très nombreux. « J’ai déjà vendu près de 50 poissons braisés et je crois que demain je viendrai avec un peu plus, parce que les gens en demandent toujours», a confié une commerçante visiblement satisfaite.

De nombreux artistes enflamment le site du boulevard du 20 mai à partir de 19h. Ces dernières années on a vu se succéder le congolais Papa Wemba, l’ivoirien Meiway, les camerounais Sergio Polo, Valséro, Lady Ponce, X-Maleya et bien d’autres. Au terme de sa 6ème édition, Yaoundé en fête ne cesse de faire courir les yaoundéens. Il faut que ça tienne.

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 15

Christmas brings Brazil to Yaounde

Rioa

Yaoun

Le Carnaval de X Maleya

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

de

Ya-F é

L

’édition 2011-2012 de YaFé, de loin la plus réussite, à vue la participation des amazones venue tout droit de Rio de Janeiro [Brésil].

La fête était grande et les Yaoundéens y ont bénéficié d’un plateau alléchant. De X-Malea à Lady Ponce en passant par Coco Argentée, le spectacle était de taille dans une ambiance conviviale. Yaoundé se forge ainsi un profil de ville à visiter pendant les fêtes de fin d’année.

Yaounde during Christmas Holidays Ya-Fé Holidays Festival Boulevard du 20 May Promote Trade Fair Palais des Congres Festival des Arts Negres Hotel Rating: ***

The 2011-2012 edition of Ya-Fé, by far the most successful, saw the participation of the Amazons straight from Rio de Janeiro [Brazil]. The party was great and Yaoundeans celebrated their way into 2012. From X-Malea to Lady Ponce via Coco Argentée, the show was great and the atmosphere festive.

Yaoundé is slowly forging herself a profile as a destination to visit during the Christmas holiday season.

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 17

yaounde: tours guides

Hôtels de Yaoundé HILTON 5 Star(s) Beds: 257, Suites: 16 B.P. 11852 Yaounde TEL 22 23 36 46 / +1 888 414 2018 FAX 22 23 32 46/22 22 32 10 Location: Boulevard du 20 Mai Amenities Bar/Lounge Business Center Fitness Center Free Parking Restaurant Room Service Shuttle Bus service Suites Swimming Pool Wheelchair access

B.P. 3336 Yaounde TEL 22 20 13 08 FAX 22 20 13 11 Location: Nlongkak Amenities Fitness Center Free Breakfast Free High-Speed Internet Free Parking Restaurant Room Service Swimming Pool Wheelchair access

MANSEL HOTEL 2 Star(s)

HOTEL ELMA 2 Star(s)

HOTEL LE FIBI 1 Star(s)

Beds: 72, Suites: 8 B.P. 2060 Yaounde TEL 22202462 / 22 20 63 73 /22 21 00 07 FAX 22 20 63 73 Location: Rte Omnisport Amenities A proximite du stade Ahidjo, Yaounde, Cameroon

Beds: 17, Suites: 2 B.P. 49 OMBESSA TEL/FAX: 22 28 53 46 Location: Ombessa

Beds: 34, Suites: 0 B.P. 5413 Yaounde TEL. 22 30 25 38/ 22 21 75 80 Location: Emombo

INDEPENDANCE HOTEL 2 Star(s)

HOTEL GRAND MOULIN 1 Star(s)

HOTEL HINTEL 3 Star(s)

Beds: 30, Suites: 0 B.P. 2697 Yaounde TEL 22 22 60 55 /22 22 60 39 FAX 22 22 60 40 Location: Messe Des Officiers

Beds: 40, Suites: 0 B.P. 474 Yaounde Tel: 22 21 40 02 Fax: 22 21 15 00 Location: HIPPODROME

Beds: 28, Suites: 3 B.P. 4336 Yaounde Tel 22 20 68 19/22 20 68 20 22 20 68 21 Location: Elig-Essono

HOTEL ROYAL 2 Star(s)

HOTEL LAGINAQUE 1 Star(s)

Beds: 80, Suites: 14 B.P. 4615 Yaounde Tel: 22 20 03 97/22 20 04 66 22 20 04 67/22 20 04 68 Fax 22 20 04 68 Amenities

MONT FEBE 4 Star(s)

PRESTIGE HOTEL 2 Star(s)

MEUMI PALACE 2 Star(s)

Beds: 191, Suites: 18 B.P. 711 Yaounde TEL 22 21 40 02/ 22 21 40 99/ 22 21 60 69 FAX 22 21 60 70 Location: Mont Febe

HOTEL DES DEPUTES 3 Star(s) Beds: 0, Suites: 0 B.P. 14821 Yaounde TEL.22 30 34 70/ 77 63 18 47

Beds: 68, Suites: 4 B.P. 1225 Yaounde TEL 22 21 16 07 /22 20 92 11 FAX 22 21 16 22 Email: Meumi_palacehotmail.com Location: BASTOS

Amenities Business Center Free Parking Pets Allowed Restaurant Room Service Swimming Pool Number of rooms: 218

HOTEL XAVIERA 3 Star(s)

HOTEL JOUVENCE 2000 2 Star(s)

Beds: 0, Suites: 0 BP.14821 Yaounde TEL.22 30 34 70/ 77 63 18 47 Location: TROPICANAAmenities

Beds: 42, Suites: 3 B.P. 5485 Yaounde TEL 22 23 02 59 / 22 23 30 06 /77637198 FAX: 22 23 02 59 Email: hoteljouvence2000@ yahoo.fr

HOTEL MERINA 3 Star(s) Beds: 0, Suites: 0 B.P. 14307 Yaounde TEL.22 22 21 50 / 22 22 21 31 FAX:22 22 21 61 Location: Ave A. AHIDJO

DJEUGA Palace 4 Star(s) Beds: 158, Suites: 5 B.P. 2659 Yaounde TEL 22 20 03 46/ 22 22 64 69 FAX 22 22 64 26 Avenue Narvick Location: Warda

Amenities Business Center Free Breakfast Free High-Speed Internet Free Parking Restaurant Room Service Swimming Pool Wheelchair access

Amenities Fitness Center Pets Allowed Room Service Swimming Pool Number of rooms: 153

JULLY GUEST QUATER 4 Star(s) Beds: 0, Suites: 0 B. P. 6064 Yaounde TEL.: 22 22 14 48 FAX:22 22 27 17 Email: jullyvoyages@yahoo.fr Location: Hippodrome

HOTEL FRANCO 3 Star(s) Beds: 60, Suites: 0

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HOTEL AZUR 2 Star(s) Beds: 0, Suites: 0 B.P. 2169 Yaounde TEL 22 21 16 39/ 22 21 16 40 / 22 21 16 41 FAX 22 21 16 39 Email: hotafric@iccnet.cm Location: BASTOS

HOTEL PRESTIGE PALACE 2 Star(s) Beds: 42, Suites: 0 B.P. 2697 Yaounde TEL: 22 21 39 70 22 21 39 71 FAX: 22 22 21 61 Location: Etoudi

RESIDENCE HOTELIERE PAPYRUS 2 Star(s)

Beds: 41, Suites: 0 B. P. 446 Yaounde Tel: 22 23 15 53/ 22 23 42 80 Fax: 22 22 44 28 Location: Centre Commercial

HOTEL LE MAKOMBE 2 Star(s) Beds: 30, Suites: 3 B.P. 5413 Younde TEL/FAX: 22211825 Location: EtoudiAmenities

HOTEL KITIO’S LODGE 2 Star(s) Beds: 42, Suites: 0 B.P. 4684 Yaounde Tel 22 22 66 06/ 99 80 46 36 22 22 59 01 Location: Nkolmesseng

TOUNGOU HOTEL 2 Star(s) Beds: 27, Suites: 0 B.P. 3626 Yaounde Tel 22 21 45 57 / 77 69 32 12 Location: Djoungolo

KAMTHE HOTEL 2 Star(s)

Beds: 10, Suites: 0 B.P. 1611 Yaounde TEL 22 21 05 54 FAX 22 21 12 33 Location Bastos

HOTEL TANGO 1 Star(s) Beds: 41, Suites: 0 B.P.1338 Yaounde TEL 22 23 27 90/ 22 23 27 94 22 22 63 71 FAX 22 23 15 22 Location: Elig-Essono

MEUMI HOTEL 1 Star(s) Beds: 100, Suites: 0 B.P 1227 Yaoundé TEL. 22 20 02 21 /22 20 28 37 22 20 92 11 FAX. 22 20 67 46 Location: Nkoleton

HOTEL PRESTIGE PLUS 1 Star(s) Beds: 40, Suites: 0 B.P. 2697 Yaounde TEL: 22 31 82 52 22 31 89 60 FAX: 22 22 21 61 Location: Biyem-Assi

HOTEL FELYDAC 1 Star(s)

Beds: 16, Suites: 0 B.P. 12228-YAOUNDE TEL: 22 22 17 73 Fax: 22 22 48 23 Location: ESSOS (CAMP SONEL)

Beds: 33, Suites: 2 B.P. 8389 TEL: 22 31 55 69/ 99 92 19 98 Location: Mendong

Beds: 36, Suites: 0 B.P. 3211 Yaounde TEL. 22 21 07 28 Fax: 22 21 07 29 Location: Fandena Rte Omnisport

SOMMATEL CENTRE 2 Star(s)

SANTA LUCIA HOTEL 2 Star(s)

HOTEL LE DIPLOMAT 1 Star(s)

Beds: 58, Suites: 5 BP:4252 YAOUNDE TEL: 22 20 09 53/ 22 21 96 15 22 21 96 18 22 21 98 34 FAX: 22 21 98 38 Location: Briquetterie

Beds: 33, Suites: 2 B.P. 5440 Yaounde Tel 77 48 99 26 Location: Kondegui

Beds: 24, Suites: 0 B.P. 4293 Yaounde Tel: 22 21 95 71/ 22 2 195 78 Fax: 22 21 95 79 Location: Bastos

Cameroon Traveler Magazine

DECOUVRIR yaounde

Discover

Yaoundé’s Hotels EDOLY HOTEL 1 Star(s) Beds: 18, Suites: 2 B.P. 11582 Yaounde Tel: 22 20 89 03 Fax: 22 21 60 72 Location: Tongolo

HOTEL LE MFANDENA 1 Star(s) Beds: 24, Suites: 0 B.P. 3571 Yaounde Tel: 22 21 16 04 Location: Omnisport

RESIDENCE LA GRACE 1 Star(s) Beds: 27, Suites: 0 B.P. 12340 Yaounde TEL: 22 23 98 60/ 22 22 67 60 Location: Essos (Camp Sonel)

HOTEL LA RESIDENCE 1 Star(s) Beds: 18, Suites: 0 B.P. 12340 Yaounde TEL: 22 23 98 15 Location: Melen

HOTEL CHAMP ELYEES 1 Star(s) Beds: 22, Suites: 1 B. P. 3359 Yaounde Tel/Fax: 22 30 27 53 Location: KONDENGUI

HOTEL EL PANADEN 1 Star(s) Beds: 22, Suites: 0 B.P. 14269 Yaounde Tel: 22 22 27 65 Fax: 22 22 27 86 Location: Hippodrome

HOTEL JOUVENCE 1 Star(s) Beds: 26, Suites: 14 B.P. 5485 Yaounde Tel: 22 31 72 70 Fax: 22 23 02 59 Location: Mendong

HOTEL LES PYRAMIDES 1 Star(s) Beds: 27, Suites: 0 BP:367-Yaounde TEL 22 22 34 9 Fax 22 23 96 09 Location: Nklmesseng Amenities

HOTEL ESCALE 1 Star(s) Beds: 10, Suites: 0 B.P. 8071 Yaounde Location: Obobogo

HOTEL FEUGUIFF 1 Star(s) Beds: 46, Suites: 3 B.P. 3326 Yaounde TEL 22 23 11 68 Fax 22 22 11 07 Location: Melen

MAGUY HOTEL 1 Star(s) Beds: 22, Suites: 0 B.P. 1853 Yaounde TEL 22 22 86 88 Location: Essos Amenities

HOTEL PRINTANIA 1 Star(s) Beds: 40, Suites: 3 B.P. 11277 Yaounde TEL 22 31 15 03 Location: Obili

HOTEL LE LYS 1 Star(s) Beds: 16, Suites: 0 B.P. 2697 Yaounde Tel: 22 21 62 71 22 21 43 01/ 77 70 97 50 Location: Eleveur

HOTEL LA COLOMBE 1 Star(s) Beds: 18, Suites: 0 B.P. 4531 Yaounde Tel: 77 65 84 85 Location: Messa

RESIDENCE LES HAUTS FLEURIS D’ODZA 1 Star(s) Beds: 10, Suites: 0 BP: 1026 Yaounde TEL 22 30 20 92 Location: Odza

Tou’Ngou Hotel Star(s)

Beds: 80, Suites: B.P. 3626 Yaounde Carefour Etoa-Meki HOTEL CABLYS 1 Star(s) Amenities Beds: 28, Suites: 0 TROPICAL HOTEL 1 Star(s) Free High-Speed Internet Restaurant B.P. 6478 Yaounde Beds: 18, Suites: 0 Number of rooms: 80 TEL 22 23 19 21 B.P. 2406 Yaounde Fax: 22 23 19 21 Tel: 22 23 76 49/22 21 00 62 Location: Mvog-Ada Aurelia Place Star(s) Location: Ekoudou HOTEL DOUSSIER 1 Star(s) Beds: 28, Suites: B.P. 35105 Yaounde Beds: 20, Suites: 0 HOTEL MELI MELO 1 Cameroun B.P.1207 Yaounde Star(s) TEL 22 20 36 14/ 99 72 44 30 Beds: 10, Suites: 0 Amenities Location: Madagascar B.P. 4032 Yaounde Business Center Tel: 22 21 98 51 Free High-Speed Internet HOTEL LE DUVET 1 Star(s) Location: Mfandena Free Parking Beds: 25, Suites: 0 Pets Allowed B.P. 7339 Yaounde Restaurant MOTEL ASCOT 1 Star(s) Tél: 22 20 12 93 Room Service Beds: 15, Suites: 0 Location: Tsinga Wheelchair access B.P. 11084 Yaounde Number of rooms: 28 Tel: 22 30 22 82/ 77 57 00 88 KAELLY HOTEL 1 Star(s) Location: Messame Ndongo Beds: 22, Suites: 0 B.P. 4336 Yaounde AFARI HOTEL 1 Star(s) Tel: 22 20 05 94/ 22 21 90 96 Beds: 40, Suites: 4 Location: Mfandena BP:3330 Yaounde TEL 22 00 79 90 Fax 22 31 43 42 Location: Nsam Efoulan

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 19

T

Visit Cameroon ake some time and visit some places while you are in Cameroon.

The Country has plenty to offer, such as the reunification monument in Yaounde, the gold sand beaches in Kribi, the Sultan's Palace in Foumban or the Charming Douala, national treasures such as the Korup and Waza national parcs. Just continue reading...

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

DECOUVRIR yaounde

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Quelques Sites

et Monuments A visiter 1. Le musée national, situé au centre-ville ; 2. Le monument de la réunification, près de l'assemblée nationale. 3. Le lac central situé au centre administratif ; 4. Le mont Fébé ; 5. Le marché d'œuvres artisanales situé à la monté ane-rouge, centre-ville ; 6. Le bâtiment historique de la chefferie Ewondo au quartier Efoulan ; 7. Le parc zoobotanique de Mvog-Beti ; 8. La cathédrale Notre-Dame des Victoires située au centreville ; 9. Le sanctuaire marial situé au quartier Mvolyé est devenu une basilique mineure en 2008 ; 10. Le centre culturel

camerounais situé au quartier Nlongkak ; 11. Le marché Mokolo, pour s'imprégner de l'ambiance d'un marché tropical ; 13.

Le monument Charles Atangana situé au centre-ville ; 14. La grotte mariale de Mvolyé ; 15. L’hôtel de ville et les monuments environnants ; 16. Le musée d'art camerounais au monastère des bénédictins du mont Fébé ; 17. Les stèles du Dr Eugène Jamot ; 18. La chapelle EPC de Djoungolo ; 19. Le palais de Charles Atangana ; 20. Le Bois Sainte-Anastasie situé au centre-ville

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 21

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

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Douala The Commercial Centre

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

D

ouala, located on the Wouri River, 24km (15 miles) from the sea, is the largest city of Cameroon. Akwa district is lively enough and has quite some good African restaurants.

Douala is not the capital of Cameroon, but the most significant city by its population, and by its economic role. The city was named after the Duala, the local ethnic group that originally settled in the area.

As the Cameroon chief commercial centre, Douala has an international airport and a harbor with extensive docks, and is a terminus for two railway lines extending into the interior.

Industries include the manufacture of aluminium products, beer, soft drinks, textiles, and the processing of timber and cacao beans.

Douala's port handles some 95 percent of the country's maritime traffic, and is second only to Kinshasa as Central Africa's largest city. Douala is divided into quarters or quartiers: Akwa, is the center of the city and the place where you will be spending most of your time, the Municipal Artisanal Stand, and Bonanjo the administrative district.

The Douala Museum (Musée de Douala) is in the Hotel de Ville on the second floor. It gives you a pretty good introduction in Bamoun and

Bamiléké art, very useful if you want to buy something later on.

Close to the Museum is the “Place du Gouvernement” (Government Square) with its "Chinese Pagoda" built by Rudlof Douala Manga Bell, a local ruler who was executed by the Germans in 1914.

Day trips from Douala can be made to the mountain resort of Mt Fako (Also known as Mt Cameroon) and to the beach resort of Limbe both only an hour away. Better, wild beaches with gold sand are in Kribi, three to four hours by bush taxi.

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 25

Douala’s Monuments

D

IContemporary ndomitable A rt Cameroon's

By Andrew Mulenga The Post Nespaper, Zambia

ouala, Cameroon's largest city, is an economic metropolis and is one of few African cities that can boast a guided tour specifically for artistic monuments. In fact, a complete full-colour brochure and map indicating these sites is available courtesy of Doual'art, a private art association founded by Marilyn Douala Bell and Didier Schuab in 1991. It is Doual'art that launched Ars&Urbis a project which focusses on initiating and organising art projects in public spaces.

The Doual'art tour will take you to about 10 contemporary sculptures from the towering Sud Obelisk by Faouzi Laatiris to the cool stained-glass shade of Njé Moyé by Koko Komégné, a functional sculpture of a tree that also serves as a park bench.

But for the works realised by the Ars&Urbis project, the one which may be said to have the strongest presence in the city is Nouvelle Liberte by Joseph Sumégné a monumental sculpture of a figure that stands on one leg with its right hand facing down, its left hand holding a globe on its head and its left leg bent upwards in an almost dance-like posture. Erected at the Deido roundabout in 1996, a rough estimate would suggest that the sculpture stands about five times higher than our beloved freedom statue in Lusaka.

But unlike our statue, Nouvelle Liberte is not made of aesthetically pleasing, smoothed out bronze, Sumégné constructed it from discarded car parts and other scrap metal. It may be seen to represent both beauty and ugliness but can be best described in the words of Cameroonian critic Jacques Epangue who says "Nouvelle Liberte is a model for how contemporary art inscribes itself into urban space, integrating into its social milieu.

The most important thing is that it is a wonderful work, but that it is ugly at the same time, and it is just this ugliness which makes it something wonderful. It reflects the reality of Douala precisely, and I believe that it takes a

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

DECOUVRIR DOUALA

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very important place in local people's everyday life even if they are not aware of it".

Unfortunately, not everyone is as highbrowed as the critic Epangue or as metaphorically cultivated as the artist Sumégné. Some locals do not even know the statues name and nobody refers to it as a para-phrase of New York's Statue of Liberty as it may have been intended by the artist. On the streets the locals call it Nju-nju du Rond Point meaning Evil Spirit of The Roundabout.

The sculpture was at first alleged to have evil magic powers and the organisers and artist were threatened causing the work not to be thoroughly completed. But it still stands tall as things have cooled down. Admittedly, books can be written about this statue, but there is surely a lot more to contemporary Cameroonian art than "Nju-nju du Rond Point".

The Doual'art association's building itself is partially a white-walled exhibition space reminiscent of the Parisian galleries of France, one of Cameroon's former colonial masters besides Portugal, Germany and Great Britain.

The gallery space is currently showing an exhibition entitled Figures de réve one of three exhibitions also showing simultaneously in the cities of Yaoundé and Bandjoun courtesy of the Centre national des arts plastiques of France. The author was unable to visit Passions, the Bandjoun exhibition and therefore cannot assess it, but Douala's Figures de réve featuring large mixed media paintings by Barthelemy Toguo seemed a more entertaining show compared to Decalages the more conceptual display showing in the capital Yaounde.

the African continent, but in Cameroon these woes have provided the platform for "indomitable contemporary art" that is emerging beyond all odds. It did not take government or a municipality to beautify a city like Douala with public art pieces, creative practitioners took it upon themselves and have made a difference.

To sum things up, it can be observed that the lack of an art school, insufficient exhibition halls, lack of work space and particularly the lack of public support (despite having a ministry of culture) are common factor across

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 27

Here is one of the busiest arteries of Douala, near the Lagos Market, the immense flea market where important business deals are made. This part of the city is one of the busiest. Images of kids playing football is common in the Economic Capital of Cameroon. The “Boulevard de la Liberté” on the lower left is one of the main thoroughfares leading to Bonanjo, the City administrative and business centre (where many of the city’s monuments can be admired) and the airport. Douala can become unrecognizable at times when moto-taxis invade the streets. Moto-taxis are a major inconvenience to drivers and authorities, but a life saver for the local population, which has hard time moving around town.

Douala is home to many monuments and museums, such as the the New Liberty Monument (Deido) and the General Leclerc monument in Bonandjo. The Government Square also boasts the Unknown Soldier Memorial. Recently, other memorials such as the 50th Independance Anniversary memorial have been added to the growing list of existing landmarks.

Even though the city has seen its road network being rehabilitated in recent years, driving in Douala can be chaotic.

Cars and moto-taxis commonly known as Benskins share the roads, with the latter seeming to rule the traffic while ignoring all traffic rules. Newcomers are advised to be careful, or to hire a local driver to be on the safe side.

DECOUVRIR DOUALA

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discover cameroon magazine • Page 29

S afari in

Cameroon Inspire your Life

by Peter Claussen Articlebase.com

S

afaris to Cameroon are not only an impressive way to spend time together as family but help ignite everyone's spirit, strengthen the body and inspire you to live a more meaningful life. Cameroon is a beautiful country to visit and you will want to do many of the tours and sightseeing trips.

Waza National Park The tour starts from Douala or Yaounde. A flight from either Douala or Yaounde will take you to Marouna Salak Airport located towards the northern province of Cameroon.

At the airport you will meet a local guide provided by the travel agency.

The guide will drive you to Rhumsiki via Mokolo. You will be provided overnight accommodation in a lodge hotel. The next morning you will be driven to Waza National park. Along the way you can treat your eyes to the beauty of the scenic Koza Hills.

You will be exploring the Waza Park from morning to afternoon. The park is home to a huge population of lions, elephants, lions, antelopes, water bucks, giraffes. After touring the park you will be driven to Maroua. The attractions in Maroua are the craft center and the Maroua Market.

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Baka Pygmies From the airport in Yaounde you will be driven by local guide to Yokadouma. The trip will take 10 to 12 hours.

The next morning you will be driven to Abonmbang and then to Loboke.

At Kombo you are required to camp in a natural resort located in Mambele village. It will serve as the ideal base to explore the scenic attractions of Lobeke. In Lobeke you will get to see Lipoundji Fallas and the Lobeke National park. The park is home to gorillas, forest hogs, elephants, Black Columbus monkeys and African grey parrot. From the camp other activities are arranged. You will get to see the Pygmies building huts. Do not miss out here the Jengi ritual dance here.

and dense forests. Here you encounter an elating experience to sight the giant forest elephants and striking birds at the reserve's Bird sanctuary.

You can increase the possibility to spot the sloth bear, leopard and wild boar in Bouba Ndjidah National park.

Wildlife safaris are also amazing in Waza National Park.

Wildlife

Camping

Cameroon has unique ecosystems harboring unique wildlife creatures.

Every wildlife tour here brings with it yet different surprising and delighting attachments. Extend your wildlife safari in Cameroon by visiting amazing Bénoué national park. You would wish to drive to Campo Game Reserve for an overnight rest. All big creatures roam in the reserve's deep

Camping in Cameroon offers you utmost flexibility. It's beyond any doubt that Cameroon makes one of the most wonderful and adventurous camping vacation for anyone who enjoys outdoor adventures.

Cameroon Traveler Magazine

For quick mobility in these Cameroon

jungles, you need your own adventure camping vehicle; you will have

CA M E R O O N S A FA R I

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time at your control. This makes it all so easy and relaxing knowing that you can spend as much time or less depending on where you want to visit.

Best Time to visit The best time for Cameroon safari tours is between November to February, when it is cool and dry.

Huts equipped with modern amenities are available in the national parks for visitors to rent while on their journey.

The Waza and Benoue national parcs are home of a very diverse wildlife, including some of the most exotic found on the African continent. Photo, and hunting safaris are possible in designated parcs. Check with the Ministry of Tourism or the Cameroon embassy in your countries for permit information.

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 31

What to do in BUEA-KUMBA

Le mont Cameroun Volcan toujours actif, le Mont Cameroun est une curiosité a la fois pour les autochtones et les étrangers. La photo ci-dessous montre les laves du volcan qui ont coulé sur le flanc de la montagne lors de sa dernière éruption.

Mount Cameroon

La montagne dispose aussi d’un parc naturel

et fait l’object d’un évènement annuel appelé la course de l’espoire. Non loin de la montagne, se trouve d’autres attractions naturelles telles que le Parc National de Korup, le Jardin botanique de Limbe et la Plage Sémé au Sable noir volcanique.

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M

ount Cameroon, also known as Mount Fako, is one of Africa’s largest volcanoes, rising to 4,040 metres (13,255 ft) above the coast of west Cameroon. It rises from the coast through tropical rainforest to a bare summit which is cold, windy, and occasionally brushed with snow.

The massive steep-sided volcano of dominantly basaltic-to-trachybasaltic composition forms a volcanic horst con-

Cameroon Traveler Magazine

structed above a basement of Precambrian metamorphic rocks covered with Cretaceous to Quaternary sediments.

More than 100 small cinder cones, often fissure-controlled parallel to the long axis of the massive 1,400 cubic kilometres (336 cu mi) volcano, occur on the flanks and surrounding lowlands. A large satellitic peak, Etinde (also known as Little Mount Cameroon), is located on the southern flank near

S O U T H W E S T - FA KO

n

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char Ledes Dieux

the coast.

Mount Cameroon has the most frequent eruptions of any West African volcano.

The first written account of volcanic activity could be the one from the Carthaginian Hanno the Navigator, who might have observed the mountain in the 5th century BC. Moderate explosive and effusive eruptions have occurred throughout history from both summit and flank vents. A

1922 eruption on the southwestern flank produced a lava flow that reached the Atlantic coast, and a lava flow from a 1999 south-flank eruption stopped only 200 m (660 ft) from the sea, cutting the coastal highway. The last known eruption accured in February, 2012. The peak can be reached by hikers, while the annual Mount Cameroon Race of Hope, wich sees the participation on many racers from Europe and North America trek into Buea, scales

the peak in around 4½ hours.

English explorer Mary Kingsley, one of the first Europeans to scale the mountain, recounts her expedition in her 1897 memoir Travels in West Africa.

–Wikipedia

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 33

What to do in BUEA-KUMBA

B im B ia Historical Nerve Wire Of Cameroon by: Sumelong Ernest

B

imbia, today, is the administrative capital of the newly created Limbe III Sub Division. It is located along the coastal southeastern flanks of Limbe, formerly known as Victoria.

This peripheral area of Limbe is made up of other smaller settlements or villages like Dikolo, Bonagombe, Bonabile, Mabeta, Kange Fishing Port and Mboko I & II. But for the past years, the whole of this area was simply referred to as Bimbia. This is perhaps because of the overwhelming historical role Bimbia has had to play since the age of Trans-Atlantic slave trade.

Bimbia, from about the year 1500, had as settlers the isuwus or isubus who are said to have migrated here from some point along the banks of the Wouri River

in the Littoral Region. When one of the descendants of this Isuwu, named Mbimbi, became King, the people here began referring to all their territories here as “Bimbia.”

Portugal, one of the European countries that were engaged in the business of buying slaves, ivory and other items from Africa, reportedly reached the Cameroonian coast by 1472. From the Wouri Estuary where they landed and established contacts with the local coastal chiefs, they soon stretched their business contacts to Bimbia. By dint of its coastal location, Bimbia suddenly grew to become a significant trade port for slaves bound for plantations in the Americas and neighbouring islands of Sao Tome, Principe, Fernando Po, today Equatorial Guinea. Bimbia is also the route through which very many Cameroonians, in the 1500s, 1600s and

1700s, passed through to reach plantations aboard.

Bimbia grew and, soon, another Isubu, Bile, was crowned king of the Isubus by name King Williams. Eventually, outcry against slavery brought missionaries from England who reached Bimbia in the 1800s.

The most famous among them was Joseph Merrick who came in 1844 and softened the grounds. Then, in 1858, Alfred Saker came at the heels of Joseph Merrick, got land from King Williams, and in this same year founded Victoria, known today as Limbe.

To end the business of trading in humans as slaves, the British missionaries got the Bimbia King to sign certain accords. The accords gave room for the missionaries to open schools and build churches. This is how the present day Bilingual Grammar School Molyko-Buea started off in Bimbia.

But when Alfred Saker moved from Bimbia to settle in present day Limbe I, the development of Bimbia started dwindling. Soon, people started migrating from Bimbia up to Limbe. This is how a Bimbia that had been the epicenter of action and development for centuries soon lapsed into an era of almost nothingness.

Foreigners Stream In As the locals migrated and settled in town, foreigners: mostly fishermen from Nigeria, Benin and Ghana streamed in to fill the void. That’s why, today, the fishing business, especially the smoked crayfish business in Mabeta, Bimbia, is entirely in the hands of these foreigners instead of Bimbians. Apparently, it is also why one of the chiefs of Mabeta is a Nigerian. This holds

Re-enactment of slave trade in Bimbia during visit of Camericans. Photo: E. Sumelong

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

Historical location

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of Cameroon.

The Mayor, Mokate has extended electricity to many villages: Dikolo, Mabeta, Bimbia, Bona Ngombe and Bona Bile. However, much of Bimbia still resides in darkness having neither pipe borne water nor electricity.

The very first Parliamentarian for Limbe, Hon. Gwen Burnley owes her roots to Bimbia. She was the Parliamentarian for Limbe in 1982 when the famous name of the town, then called Victoria, metamorphosed to today Limbe.

The General Manager of the Cameroon Development Corporation, Henry Njalla Quan, the former Government Delegate to the Limbe Council, Samuel Lifanda Ebiama, one of the two Parliamentarians for Fako East (Limbe, Tiko, Muyuka) Hon Rachel Lyonga, the Mayor and member of the Central Committee of the CPDM party, Samuel Mokate, are all Bimbians. HRH Chief Samuel Ekum, who has been the President of the Limbe Chiefs Conference, is a Bimbian, though from Dikolo Village.

Re-enactment of slave trade in Bimbia during visit of Camericans. Photo: E. Sumelong true for many fishing communities such as the Kange Fishing Port and Mboko.

Bimbia Takes Off Again In the early 2007, Limbe III Sub Division was created with Bimbia as the capital.

Samuel Esebu Mokate was elected it pioneer Mayor. This age-old historical place has been brought back into the limelight of political, economic and social activism.

For the past three years, working in tandem with the pioneer DO, Benjamin Epey, Mayor Mokate has tried to usher in development to the area.

The most outstanding development that has sprung down here is the establishment by the Cameroon Government of the

Training Centre for the Rapid Intervention Battalion, BIR, the elite unit of the Cameroon Army. The establishment of the training centre led to the road from Limbe to Man O War Bay (Bimbia) where this facility is located, to be tarred. A new camp has been built and other facilities opened.

Besides, the BIR has been assisting the Council in rehabilitating their earth roads among other things.

It is also in Limbe III, Bimbia that the campus and main secretariat of newly promoted Division One club, the Njalla Quan Sports Academy, NQSA, is located.

Of late, thanks to its historical past as a slave port, many Cameroonian Americans, who happened to have, by genetic analysis, retraced their ancestral origins to Cameroon, were at the slave village in Bimbia, where slaves were tied and shipped off to the Americas. On two occasions, they were here: in 2010 and 2011; the “Camericans,” as they are now known.

Will the government and the local community work together to raise Bimbia’s profile to the level of other tourist attractions such Mount Fako, the Korup national parc, Waza. It would be a shame not to take advantage of the historical nature of Bimbia, and build proper infrastructure in order to take advantage of this opportunity. All tourist sites and attractions should be developped and maintained, in order for the country to benefit from them.

Bimbia, agriculturally, also hosts some of CDC’s oil palm plantations and Mabeta is the crayfish or ‘njanga’ production capital

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 35

côtes: plages et chutes

Votre sejour en

6surjours les cotes L

es vacances à la plage et à la faune vous donnent la possibilité de vivre au naturel, ainsi que la possibilité de vivre les réalités culturelles du Cameroun. Détendez-vous sur les plages de Kribi, l'une des plus belles plages du Cameroun, située à moins de 100 kilomètres de

tropicales DuCameroun

Il est important pour chaque famille de prendre des vacances au moins une fois par an pour découvrir les merveilles de la natures et savourer les beaux moments de la vie. Pendant 6jours/5nuits, on peut vivre des moments de rêve passionnés et inoubliables!

Jour 01: Douala Buea - Limbé

l'aéroport de Douala, la vibrante capitale économique du pays.

Limbé est un véritable paradis balnéaire. A quelques pas des laves du volcan du Mont Cameroun, vous pouvez allier les joies de la mer à l’écotourisme. Limbe se trouve juste à une cinquantaine de kilomètres de la capitale économique.

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

La journée pourrait commencer par un bon petit déjeuner dans votre hôtel de choix, puis le départ pour Buea. Une fois à Buea, payez une visite au vieux palais du gouverneur qui date de la colonisation Allemande et qui se dresse majestueusement au pied du mont Cameroun.

Ensuite, arrêtez vous à l'usine de thé de Tolé (Tole Tea Estate), la plantation qui produit l’un des thés les plus délicieux du monde.

La suite du séjour qui emmène le visiteur vers Limbé impose de s’arrêter quelques minutes à Bakingili pour inspecter le dernier dépôt de lave de l’éruption volcanique du mont Cameroun solidi-

fiée lors de son écoulement, avant de descendre dans l’un des hôtels de la place.

Jour 02: Limbé Limbe offre aussi la possibilité de participer aux activités sportives.

Pour ceux qui aiment les jeux, la détente et la natation, profitez de la plage de sable couleur chocolat de Sémé.

Après le petit déjeuner, entamez la journée par une visite de la ville de Limbe. Familiarisez vous avec les structures coloniales, le centre de sauvetage des animaux, et le jardin botanique reconnu pour son impressionante variété d'espèces d'arbres et de fleurs. Ensuite, un déjeuner à la plage est recommendé. Vous pourrez ainsi assister à la braise du poisson frais qui servira de déjeuner. Retournez apres à l'hôtel et détentez vous en respirant l’air marin de Limbe.

Jour 03: Bimbia et le Parc National de Korup La visite du quai à esclaves au cap de Bimbia devrait faire parti de votre plan de sejour. Bimbia, la porte du non-retour, où un nombre important d’esclaves aurait

GUIDES TOURISTIQUES

été embarqué vers les Amériques, est un endroit historique peu connu des Camerounais. Visitez egalement le Parc National de Korup où vous tomberez sous le charme des espèces botaniques rares qui datent de la nuit des temps.

Le retour sur Limbé vous donnera l’ unique opportunité d’ avoir une vue claire et nette du Char des Dieux (Mont Cameroun), et plus particulièrement celle du pic d’Etinde, plus connu sous l’apellation de Petit Mont Cameroun.

Jour 04: Limbé - Lobé - Kribi Le quatrième jour, prenez le départ pour Kribi via Douala. A l’arrivée à Kribi, une visite des chutes à Cascades de la Lobé s’impose. Les chutes de Nachtigal sont le seul endroit au monde où une rivière se jette directement par une cascade d'eau dans l'océan Atlantique.

En vous detendant sur la plage, vous pourrez admirer les beaux paysages de l’ocean. Ensuite, visitez un restaurant local où vous pourrez déguster des produits frais de la mer. Passez aussi par le Musée du Grand Batanga pour decouvrir ses divers objets d’art.

Finissez la journée en experimentant une excitante ballade en pirogue vers l’amont de la lobé.

Jour 05: Lobé - Campo Ma'an - Ebodjé Le cinquième jour, deportez-vous au petit matin au Parc National de Campo-

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Ma'an, reconnu pour sa faune très diversifiée. Merveille touristique, ce parc constitue le dernier refuge des éléphants et des gorilles de la forêt africaine. Avec l’aide d’un guide, vous pourrez vous promener aux quatre coins inexplorés du parc.

Jour 06: Ebodjé - Kribi Le sixème jour, arrivez tout reposé à Ebodjé et profitez d’une enrichissant visite guidée du village des pêcheurs.

Pendant cette viste, vous pourrez assiter à la soirée culturelle qui vous introduira aux particularités locales et celles de la tribue pygmées, plus particulièrement celles des Bakas.

Après le petit-déjeuner, prenez le départ pour la «Roche du Loup» et explorez l'une des plus belles plages du monde, avec un sable fin et doré qui vous donnera des sentiments doux et agréables.

Une visite du musée des tortues est vivement conseillée. Participez aux activités de loisir en degustant votre déjeuner et preparez-vous pour un retour vers Kribi dès le début de l'après-midi.

Jour 06: Kribi - Edéa - Douala Une fois de retour à Kribi, participez aux dernières activités de loisir. Preparez vous pour le départ pour Douala.

Arretez-vous a mi-chemin à Edea pour une courte visite de l’Alucam (Usine d’alumine d’Alcan) et du Barrage Hydroélectrique. Fin du tour.

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 37

Kribi: Beaches and Falls

L

a Lobé est un fleuve côtier qui prend sa source dans le massif du Ntem au centre du parc national de Campo Ma’an. Les chutes de la Lobé se situent à 310 km de Yaoundé en prenant l’axe routier Yaoundé Edéa Kribi Campo.

La Lobé se caractérise par un ensemble de petits bras qui progressent en une série de petites cascades sur

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

La Lobé

une distance de 1 km avant de se jeter directement dans l’océan en plusieurs chutes dont la plus haute mesure près de 15 m. Ces chutes sont localisées à 8 km au sud de Kribi en direction de Campo. C’est un phénomène unique au monde que de voir une ligne des cascades qui s’étend sur près de 100 m de large et dégringole dans l’Océan Atlantique.

La Lobé traverse plusieurs communautés qui vivent en étroite relation avec l’eau, que ce soit le fleuve ou la mer.

De ce fait, il y a en amont, les Bulus et les Pygmées, en aval les Mabis qu’on trouve jusqu’au niveau du pont sur la Lobé, et enfin les Batangas qui sont à l’embouchure et sur la côte.

Les chutes de la Lobé représentent pour ces peuples un symbole fort de

GUIDES TOURISTIQUES

croyance, et sont généralement associées aux divers rites naturels et culturels que comptent ces peuples côtiers. A titre d’exemple, les pygmées, peuple originel de guérisseurs, plongent les malades dans l’eau des chutes lors des cérémonies de purification. De même, les chute de la Lobé sont une étape importante dans le rituel d’intronisation du Chef des Batangas. Il y séjourne pendant une durée determinée et reçoit ainsi les bénédictions des esprits et des ancêtres.

aspect que par le site des chutes de la lobé à bien des égards une valeur universelle exceptionnelle.

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Kribi is also a beach resort where one can enjoy riding traditional or speed boats or just laying on the beautiful gold sand while enjoying local fresh roasted fish.

Il est à noter également le phénomène du « Jingou » ou « Mami Water » ou encore « mari/ femme- esprit de l’eau ». C’est une représentation mystique de la toute puissance des esprits de l’eau qui depuis de nombreux siècles, fait partie intégrante de la vie de chaque natif de toute cette zone côtière.

Sur le plan de la faune sousmarine, on trouve dans les eaux de la lobé et uniquement dans ses affluents, une race d’écrevisses spécifiques, aussi bien par leur

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 39

Les Hauts Plateaux de l’Ouest Cameroon has about 20 million inhabitants, one third of the population lives in the Grassland area.

It is divided into chiefdoms. They include the Bamun sultanate, occupying the est and northeast, the Bamileke inhabiting the southern part, also present in other parts of Cameroon and the kingdom of Kom which extends northwest of the region. Smaller chiefdoms also occupy the territory.

The arts and cultures of the Bamileke chiefdoms, the Kom fondoms and the Bamun Sultanate are very rich. The most important is the kingdom of Bandjoun and those of Bamun sultanate, whose capital is Foumban.

The chiefdoms, fondoms and the Bamun sultanate are marked by their palatial architecture which develops complex programs sculptures.

But the Grassland is best known for its production of beaded objects: statuettes, calabash, seats covered with embroidered pearls and use technology that give these objects a style unique to this African region.

All this rich culture is on display at the Museum of the Civilizations, located in the city of Dschang. In addition to the Museum of Civilization, the cultures of the highlands may be admired in traditional chiefdoms of West and Northwest, which maintain their own individual museums.

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

OUEST—NORTH-OUEST

L

e Cameroun regroupe environ 20 millions d’habitants dont un tiers de la population vit dans la région du Grassland.

Celle-ci est divisée en chefferies. On citera le royaume Bamum (ou Bamoum ou Bamoun) occupant l’Est et le Nord-Est, les Bamilékés peuplant la partie méridionale, également présents dans d’autres régions du Cameroun et le royaume de Kom qui s’étend au Nord-Ouest de la région. De plus petites chef-

feries occcupent également ce territoire.

Les arts des chefferies Bamiléké dont la plus importante est le royaume de Bandjoun et ceux du royaume Bamum, dont la capitale est Foumban, se démarquent par leur architecture palatiale où se développent des programmes complexes de sculptures.

Mais les arts du Grassland sont surtout célèbres pour leur production d’objets perlés :

Discover

statues, calebasses, sièges recouverts de perles brodées polychromes; usage et technique qui confèrent à ces objets un style propre à cette région d’Afrique.

Toute cette riche culture est exposée au Musée des Civilisations, qui se trouve dans la ville de Dschang. En plus du Musée des Civilisations, la cultures des hauts plateaux peutêtre admirée dans les chefferies traditionelles de l’Ouest et du Nord-Ouest qui ont chacune leur musée.

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 41

Foumban The Sultanate

F

oumban or

Fumban is a city in Cameroon, lying north east of Bafoussam. It has a population of 83,522 (at the 2005 Census).

It is a major town for the Bamoun people and is home to a museum of traditional arts and culture. There is also a market and a craft centre, while Foumban Royal Palace contains a museum with information on Ibrahim Njoya who invented a new religion and the Shumom alphabet.

Though touristy, Foumban is one of Cameroon’s major attractions and an important centre

Page 42 •

of traditional African art.

Its jewel is the Palais Royal, seat of power for the Bamoun people. The ruler of the Bamoun is known as the sultan, and the Bamoun can trace the lineage of their sultan back to 1394.

The palace, completed in 1917, resembles a medieval chateau. It houses the Sultan’s Museum, which contains a multitude of royal gowns, arms, musical instruments, statues, jewellery, masks and colourful bead-covered thrones carved in the shapes of the men who sat on them.

A few hundred metres south of the palace is the Musée des Arts et des Traditions Bamoun.

Cameroon Traveler Magazine

This extensive collection has exhibits on Bamoun history and art, including cooking implements, musical instruments, pipes, statues, masks, gongs and an ornately carved xylophone. The road that connects the two museums is the Rue des Artisans, home to sculptors, basket makers, weavers and embroiders, and one of the best places in Central Africa to buy wood carvings.

Le Domaine de Petpenou Located in the heart of Bamoun Country, the Petpenou Estate (or Le Domaine de Petpenou) is an modern but exotic and wild resort build in the middle of the Bamun Land. The estate is a perfect escape for those looking to take on a vacation far from the noise and the sometimes chaotic sceneries of the urban life.

Situé au coeur du royaune Bamoun sur les verges du lac Petpenou, Le Domaine de petpenou, un paradis dans la nature sauvage est un complexe hotelier moderne au milieu du royaume Bamoun. Le domaine est conseillé à ceux qui voudraient s’évader du vacarme et du chaos de la vie urbaine et savourer un repos mérité. Les visiteurs trouveront dans ce complexe, un confort de standing international.

OUEST—NORTH-OUEST

Discover

Bamoun Sultant’s Palace

Le Royaume Bamoun est l’un des points focaux de l’art et de la culture dans la region de l’ouest au Cameroun. De l’artisanat à l’histoire proprement dite du peuple Bamoun en passant par la fantasia des chevaliers, tout y est a découvrir.

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 43

B

amenda, also known as Abakwa and Mankon Town, is a city in northwestern Cameroon and capital of the North West Province. The city had a population of 269,530 at the 2005 Census, and is located 366 km (227 mi) north-west of the Cameroonian capital, Yaoundé. Bamenda is known for its cool climate and scenic hilly location.

From its inception, the city is an amalgamation of three villages - Mankon, Mendakwe and Nkwen. The first was named for the Mankon people. An alliance of five ethnic groups founded a chieftaincy (a fon) known as the Mankon Fon. Bamenda's principal ethnic group is the Tikar. In the past, the Tikar faced invasions from the people in the surrounding hills, and between 1700 and 1800, they joined a confederation established by the

Mbum for defense purposes.

Bamenda was subjected to German colonisation in the late 19th century, and evidence of Germany's former occupation of Bamenda can still be seen today in structures such as the Fort at the Bamenda station. After the defeat of the Germans in World War I (1914–1918) the League of Nations shared German colonial territories among victorious nations.

spoken in the shops and on the streets of Bamenda.

As a regional center, the city has numerous markets, banks, and offices. The main industries are the processing of agricultural produce such as coffee. The local museum and shops display a wide variety of local baskets, beads, woodcarvings and bronze statues.

Western Cameroon was administered jointly with Nigeria under the protectorate of the British until 1961, when following a plebiscite it attained independence by joining then the already independent République du Cameroun.

In Bamenda there are cultural sites such as the Mankon Fon's Palace with its museum, and the Bali Fon's palace with its ancient architectural structures. The mountainous terrain around the city affords scenic views such as that from the mountain Sabga over the Ndop plain.

Today, many of the city's inhabitants are English-speaking, and Cameroonian Pidgin English is the main language

The city of Bamenda has road links to Yaoundé and Douala, as well as a rarely used airport. North of the city is the

OUEST窶年ORTH-OUEST

Discover

Bamenda Menchum Falls Bamenda Ring Road, a 367 km (228 mi) circular route through some of Cameroon's most spectacular mountains. Along this road is Mount Oku (3,000 m/9,800 ft), the Kimbi River Game Reserve, the Menchum River waterfalls, a huge chief's palace at Bafut, and a pyramidal thatched shrine at Akum (also known as Bagangu).

Lake Oku

Where to Stay in Bamenda Pelican Hotel, Ntarikon Bamenda PO Box 785

Hotel Rating ** Hotel Ayaba Hotel Rating: ***

Hotel Rating **

Hotel Rating: *** Azam Hotel BP 386 Bamenda Hotel Rating: ***

Mondial Hotel Mansfield Plaza Hotel BP 09 Bamenda

Cameroon Traveler Magazine 窶｢ Page 45

L

a région de l'Ouest Cameroun est le berceau du peuple Bamiléké, l'une des plus riches et denses civilisations d'Afrique Noire.

Véritables centres de pouvoir traditionnel et séculaire, les chefferies traditionnelles constituent le noyau dur autour duquel émanent et convergent toutes les expressions culturelles des royaumes Bamilékés.

Les chefferies, lieux dépositaires du patrimoine matériel et immatériel, sont porteuses des valeurs identitaires de leurs peuples.

Une grande majorité du patrimoine culturel Bamiléké est sous leur responsabilité.

La Place du Marché de Dschang est symbolisé par trois cases traditionnelles aux toits coniques semblable à des champignons et reflétant la tradition du peuple Bamiléké.

L’art bamiliéké est l’un des plus riches d’Afrique subsaharienne.

Toute cette richesse peut être observée au Musée des Civilisations, qui se trouve au centre de la ville de Dschang.

Routedeschefferies.com et www.mintour.gov.cm

cases bamile k e

Et Les Chefferies de l’Ouest

Where to Stay in the West Teclaire Palace

Centre Touristic,

Hotel Marie Louise

Hotel

Bana BP 48

BP 26, Dschang

BP 238 Dschang

Alitel

Cameroun

Centre Climatique, Dschang BP 40

Manoir Hotel

Bandjoun King’s Coumpound

Page 46 •

Cameroon Traveler Magazine

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 47

Tropical Adventures and

Escapades

Your plan for a

10 days journey in to

tropical

Cameroon Korup National Parc

Š Astaras

limbe Beach

Limbe Botanical Garden

L I T TO RA L- C E N T R E

Days 1-3 Cameroon Littoral

Discover

the lobe will bring you thrills and experiences you cannot find anywhere else.

Travel along rugged roads winding through Cameroon's rainforests, arid plains and soaring mountains.

Days 4-5 Limbe Lounge on Limbe's black volcanic sands below mighty Mt Cameroon. Visit the Botanic Garden pictures below.

Take a hiking trip to the slopes of Mount Cameoon. A visit to the Korup national parc will expose you to wild species unavailable anywhere else in the world.

Days 6-7. Kribi Beach Kribi Beach is a dramatic contrast to Limbe's chilled-out vibe and is a glitzy, palm-fringed playground for the rich.

Enjoy the gold sand, plenty of sun and the pleasures of typical wild tropical beaches. In adition, rafting through

Days 8-9 Douala After the western beaches and jungles, continue your western adventure by experiencing Douala's graceful and ancient colonial ambience. Douala is moisty, but full of charm. Enjoy roasted fish by the sea front.

Days 9-10 Yaoundé End your journey by visiting Yaoundé, the political capital. Enjoy your choice of local food and pick up a visa in the process. Check out the numerous museums during the day and the discos at night. Yaoundé is cooler, and more orderly than Douala, and has recently seen a lot of improvement in its infrastructures.

Kribi Beach

Lobe falls

douala

Yaounde Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 49

Le Lamida Le Lamida de l’Adamaoua représente le symbole de l’archictecture septentrionale du Cameroon. Cette région est très visitée pour sa richesse naturelle (parc nationaux de Waza, de la Benoué, de Bouba Njida etc) ses rochers et autres beautés de la nature.

Page 50

Cameroon Traveler Magazine

Le Septentrion La partie septentrionale du Cameroon, composée de l’Adamoua, du Nord et de l’Extreme Nord est caracterisées par un climat sec et aride, une architecture particulière et de nombreux parcs nationaux ou la faune et la flore sont des plus diversifiées en Afrique. Le pic de Mindif est non seulement une beauté pour les amoureux de la nature mais aussi un paradis pour les amoureux de l’alpinisme. Il en va de meme pour les nombreux parcs naturels que compte cette partie du pays.

Cameroon Traveler Magazine

Page 51

Cameroon Traveler Mag

STYLE

Style Section coming soon to your Cameroon Traveler Magazine.

Please contact us if you would like to showcase your collection

Cameroon Traveler Mag

STYLE

Style Section La section style sera bient么t disponible dans votre Magazine.

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La Grande Case Bamiléké Le symbolte officiel de la tradition et de la culture Bamiléké, la Grande Case est la residence officelle du Chef Bamiléké.

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Cameroon Traveler Magazine

Le Lion Indomptable d’Afrique Le lion représente la mascote et le symbole officiel du Cameroun.

The African Lion is the official symbol of the Republic of Cameroon.

Officially known as The Indomitable Lions, Cameroonians continue to distinguish themselves around the world just as they do in sports.

The lion is a species of the genus Panthera and its closest relatives are the other species of this genus: the tiger, the jaguar, and the leopard. Panthera leo itself evolved in Africa between 1 million and 800,000 years ago, before spreading throughout the Holarctic region. It appeared in Europe for the first time 700,000 years ago with the subspecies Panthera leo fossilis at Isernia in Italy. From this lion derived the later cave lion (Panthera leo spelaea), which appeared about 300,000 years ago. Lions died out in northern Eurasia at the end of the last glaciation, about 10,000 years ago.

–Wikipedia

Cameroon Traveler Magazine • Page 55

The Cameroon Traveler Magazine is published by Sapphire Excel for the Cameroon Travel and Leisure Organization (CTLO). For all information concerning the content and advertisement opportuinities in this magazine, please contact the Cameroon Traveler directly at Cameroon.Traveler@gmail.com