10 Tips for Cameroon

The beautiful countryside of Cameroon

I have just returned to South Africa from the West African country of Cameroon and I got to experience a lot during my three nights. I stayed at the best hotel in both of the country's biggest cities, Douala and Yaoundé and they are both part of my ten tips for Cameroon below.

1. I could have avoided paying 51,000 CFA for my visa. You can give a free transit visa of up to five days on arrival. You leave your passport and copy of your onward ticket at immigration and then wait for the transit visa to be issued. For me it took around 45 minutes, but well worth it. I needed the transit visa as I wanted to use my expensive tourist visa on my return to Cameroon from Bangui. Please note you must fly to a different country than the one you came from to get the visa.

2. Cameroon is unlike any other French-speaking country in Africa, very easy to travel. You can always find people speaking English or at least knowing some.

3. The country was surprisingly trouble free. No problems with police, immigration or anything like that. No problems for taking photographs and no problems with people wanting money. A real pleasure to experience.

4. Take the train between Yaoundé and Douala, like I did. Comfortable, even on the cheapest tickets (3,000 CFA). It takes 3½-4 hours.

5. You may also take the bus. Same price, 3,000 CFA for the cheapest, while a "V.I.P." bus cost 6,000. It is not comfortable, and you will have to deal with traffic and pollution within the two cities. 4-5 hours.

6. For a comfortable stay in the capital of Yaoundé, I recommend the old Hilton hotel. Despite being dated, it is great to have this level of comfort and service in this part of the world.

7. Hilton's concierge recommended me the National Museum of Yaoundé as the number one attraction of the city. It is located around five minutes walk from Hilton. For me, experiencing the beautiful countryside between Douala and Yaoundé was much more of an experience, though.

8. In Douala, I highly recommend Star Land Hotel as the best place to stay. It is number one on Tripadvisor and run as a professional business hotel of international standards.

9. For a good Western meal in Douala, I recommend the reasonably priced pizzas at Pullman Hotel.

10. It seems there is no longer a 10,000 CFA departure fee when departing an airport in Cameroon for another country. Good news and a good last impression of Cameroon before leaving with great memories.