Cameroon

This Cameroon travel guide gives a factual overview of the country: where it is, what it is known for, its history, its cultures and its food. Government safety advice comes first, because large parts of the country are covered by warnings.

Last checked: November 2026

Safety notice for travellers

The UK FCDO advises against all travel to the Bakassi Peninsula, to areas within 40 km of the borders with the Central African Republic, Chad and Nigeria (Garoua is the exception), to the North-West and South-West regions and to most of the Far North region. It advises against all but essential travel to Limbe, the North region including Garoua, and parts of the Far North around Maroua. The US State Department rates Cameroon Level 2 overall but says Do Not Travel to the Southwest, Northwest and Far North regions for any reason. Canada advises avoiding all travel to the Far North region and Mayo-Louti Department, the North-West and South-West regions and areas within 30 km of the borders with Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic, and avoiding non-essential travel to the North and Adamaoua regions. Travel insurance may be invalid if you travel against government advice. Read each advisory in full and check it again before you travel: UK FCDO, US State Department and Government of Canada.

Where Is Cameroon Located?

Cameroon is a country in Central Africa on the Gulf of Guinea, the Atlantic bay of the continent’s west coast. It borders Nigeria to the west, Chad to the north-east, the Central African Republic to the east, and the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea to the south. Yaounde is the capital.

The country covers about 475,442 square kilometres, slightly larger than Sweden. It uses West Africa Time (UTC+1) all year, with no daylight saving. A common mix-up concerns the capital: Douala, on the Wouri estuary, is the largest city and main port, while Yaounde, in the interior Centre region, is the political capital.

The landscape changes quickly from south to north. A humid Atlantic coast with mangroves gives way to Congo Basin rainforest in the south and east, then to the Adamawa Plateau in the centre. Volcanic highlands rise in the west toward Mount Cameroon, an active volcano of roughly 4,000 metres near the coast, and savannah and semi-arid Sahel fill the north, which reaches Lake Chad. Most visitors arrive by air at Douala or Yaounde. The flights guide lists airports and connections, and the getting around guide covers travel inside the country.

Cameroon Travel Guide: What Is Cameroon Known For?

Cameroon is known for its geographic and cultural variety, which has earned it the nickname Africa in miniature. It is a presidential republic with French and English as official languages, the Central African CFA franc (XAF) as currency and Yaounde as capital. Its population is roughly 30 million people as of 2025.

That figure is for the whole country, not for one city, and agencies publish slightly different estimates, so treat it as a round number. Football fans know the national team, the Indomitable Lions, and music fans know makossa and bikutsi. Nature lovers know the rainforest reserves. UNESCO lists three World Heritage Sites in Cameroon: the Dja Faunal Reserve (1987), the Sangha Trinational (2012, shared with the Central African Republic and the Republic of the Congo) and the Diy-Gid-Biy Cultural Landscape of the Mandara Mountains (2025). The UNESCO page for the Dja Faunal Reserve describes one of the best-protected rainforests in Africa.

Two points set the country apart. It is officially bilingual because of its colonial past, although French is far more widely spoken and English is used mainly in the North-West and South-West regions. People also often place Cameroon in West Africa because of its long border with Nigeria, yet the United Nations groups it in Middle Africa and its currency is shared with Central African neighbours. Most visitors need an e-visa before they travel, as the visa guide explains with a link to the official e-visa portal.

History of Cameroon

Cameroon’s history runs from early forest and savannah settlement through coastal trade and chiefdoms, German rule from 1884, a post-war split between France and Britain, independence in 1960 and 1961, and a long period of centralised politics. Each phase left its mark on the borders, languages and regional differences of today.

Early Peoples, Chiefdoms and Coastal Trade

The Baka, forest hunter-gatherers, are generally described as among the earliest inhabitants of the southern rainforest. Over the centuries Bantu-speaking, Sudanic and other peoples settled across the territory. In the 19th century Fulani leaders founded the Adamawa Emirate in the north, while peoples of the west and north-west built powerful chiefdoms known as fondoms. Portuguese sailors reached the coast in the late 15th century and named the Wouri estuary the Rio dos Camaroes, a name that refers to the shrimp or crayfish found there. The word Cameroon comes from it.

German Kamerun and the Colonial Split

On 5 July 1884 Germany claimed the territory as the protectorate of Kamerun, with its first capital at Buea and a later one at Yaounde. German rule met resistance from local peoples and ended during the First World War. French, British and Belgian troops invaded in 1914, and by 1916 the territory had been divided between France and Britain, a split later confirmed under League of Nations mandates. The larger French zone became French Cameroun, while the British zone was run alongside Nigeria.

Independence and Reunification

French Cameroun became independent on 1 January 1960 under President Ahmadou Ahidjo, after a bitter conflict with the Union des Populations du Cameroun, which had demanded independence and reunification. In a United Nations supervised vote on 11 February 1961, Southern Cameroons chose to join the former French territory, while Northern Cameroons voted to join Nigeria. The Federal Republic of Cameroon was formed on 1 October 1961 after talks in Foumban that July. A new constitution ended the federation in 1972, creating the United Republic of Cameroon, which was renamed the Republic of Cameroon in 1984.

Recent Decades

Paul Biya succeeded Ahidjo as president in 1982. Since the mid-2010s Cameroon has faced two serious security problems: Boko Haram attacks in the Far North, which led the government to declare war on the group in 2014, and an armed conflict in the English-speaking North-West and South-West regions that grew out of protests in 2016 and 2017. These conflicts explain why government advisories cover so many regions today, and the best places guide shows what that means for sightseeing.

Culture of Cameroon

Cameroonian culture is shaped by more than 200 ethnic groups, two colonial languages, Christianity and Islam, and strong local traditions. Chiefdoms in the west, Sahel traditions in the north and Sawa coastal customs each shape festivals, music and daily etiquette in different ways.

Language

French and English are the official languages, and most people speak French. English is used mainly in the North-West and South-West regions, and hundreds of local languages are spoken as well. Cameroonian Pidgin English works as a common language in many towns, and young city speakers mix French, English and local words in a slang called Camfranglais. Learning a few French greetings helps in most cities.

Religion

Christianity is the majority religion, with Catholic and Protestant communities in the south and west. Islam is widely practised, especially in the north and among the Bamoun of the west, and traditional beliefs continue alongside both, often tied to chiefdoms and ancestors. Public holidays follow both the Christian and the Islamic calendars.

Festivals

The Ngondo festival of the Sawa people in Douala is held around late November or early December and centres on rituals at the Wouri river. The Nguon festival of the Bamoun people in Foumban takes place about every two years, usually in December. National Day on 20 May is the main public holiday of the year. Dates for traditional festivals move, so confirm them locally and compare them with the best time to visit guide.

Etiquette and Everyday Life

Greet people before asking a question or a favour, and use titles with officials, who are often addressed as Excellency. Ask before photographing people, because communities can be sensitive about it, and never photograph military sites, government buildings, airports or ports, which is illegal. Shops often want small banknotes, and bargaining is normal in markets. Same-sex relationships are not widely accepted, and same-sex acts are illegal. Football is the shared passion, and match days fill cafes and bars.

Music, Arts and Clothing

Makossa, a dance music from Douala, reached a global audience through Manu Dibango’s 1972 recording Soul Makossa. Bikutsi, a faster rhythm from the Beti people around Yaounde, is another national sound. In the west, craft traditions include woodcarving, bronze casting and beadwork, and the Royal Palace in Foumban displays Bamoun history and art. Clothing ranges from flowing robes in the north to the embroidered toghu of the Grassfields, worn at weddings and ceremonies.

Food of Cameroon

Cameroonian food is built on starchy staples such as plantain, cassava and cocoyam, served with sauces and stews made from leaves, peanuts, palm oil, fish and meat. Dishes differ by region, so the coast, the western highlands and the north each have their own signature meals.

The coast and Douala region cook with palm oil, smoked fish and crayfish. The south-west favours leaf stews, the north-west and west serve pounded cocoyam with yellow soup, and the north uses more grilled meat and cereals. Food stops fit easily into the itineraries, and the where to stay guide explains how to ask accommodation for safe meal and transfer options.

Staples

Plantain, boiled, fried or roasted, appears at almost every table. Cassava is eaten as bobolo and miondo, steamed sticks wrapped in leaves, and as water fufu, a soft dough made from fermented cassava. Cocoyam, a starchy root, is pounded or grated for achu and ekwang. Maize and rice are common, and cereals such as millet and sorghum are more common in the north.

Signature Dishes

• Ndolé: a bitterleaf stew with peanuts, crayfish and beef or smoked fish, often called the unofficial national dish and linked to Douala.
• Poulet DG: chicken fried with plantain, carrots and peppers, named after the Director General because it began as a dish for senior officials.
• Achu soup: a yellow palm-oil soup, seasoned with limestone paste called kanwa, served over pounded cocoyam in the North-West.
• Eru: shredded eru leaves cooked with waterleaf, palm oil and meat or dried fish, eaten with water fufu in the South-West.
• Mbongo tchobi: a black stew of fish or meat made with charred spices, associated with the Bassa people.
• Ekwang: grated cocoyam wrapped in cocoyam leaves and cooked with palm oil and fish or meat.
• Kondré: a spicy plantain stew cooked with meat.
• Groundnut soup: a peanut-based soup eaten with rice, common at lunch.
• Koki: a steamed pudding of ground black-eyed peas and palm oil, wrapped in leaves.
• Grilled fish: fish cooked over charcoal and served with bobolo and pepper sauce, especially on the coast.

Street Food

Soya, grilled skewered beef dusted with a pepper mix, is sold at roadsides in the evening. Bean fritters, puff-puff, roasted plantain and roasted fish with pepper sauce are other quick options. Roadside stalls also serve fast versions of poulet DG and ndolé.

Drinks

Palm wine is tapped from palm trees and drunk fresh in many regions. Fresh ginger and hibiscus juices are common, and locally brewed lager is widely available in cities. Alcohol is less visible in strongly Muslim areas.

Desserts

Sweets tend to be simple. Puff-puff, a sweet fried dough, is a favourite snack, roasted plantain is eaten with groundnuts, and fresh pineapple, mango and papaya close many meals.