The first European explorers to discover the Cameroonian coast observed Mount Fako, at an altitude of 4,070 metres the highest peak in West Africa, erupting. They gave it the name Chariot of the Gods. A hundred kilometres farther off, the Wouri River, which flows into the Atlantic, was christened Rio dos Camarões by 15^th-century Portuguese explorers impressed by its abundant prawn stocks. Following several deformations of its Portuguese monicker, the “River of Prawns” would ultimately give the country its name: Cameroon.

The country thus took the first steps toward establishing its identity. Cameroon’s calling card today is a singular diversity and beauty that are the envy of many a country and that tourists from all walks of life are keen to discover.

Cameroon, located on the edge of the Gulf of Guinea and in the heart of Central Africa, tends to be presented as “all of Africa in one country” or “a microcosm of Africa,” yet this is no mere marketing ploy. The country is truly blessed by geography. Such biodiversity enables it to satisfy all the expectations of tourists. Indeed, located on the Equator and topped to the north by Lake Chad, Cameroon stretches out for nearly 1,200 kilometres, covering several ecological zones, from the humid forest of the south to the savannah and even the steppe of the northern region. The country is irrigated by numerous rivers and dotted with magnificent lakes. It abuts a massif running along a southwest–north axis and punctuated by peaks that are relics of bygone volcanic activity. Its coastline features large white-sand beaches lined with coconut trees.

A varied topography

Visitors who enjoy higher altitudes will appreciate Cameroon. Mount Cameroon, an active volcano located in the country’s southwest just a few stone’s throws from the Atlantic, constitutes an endpoint of sorts and a main attraction of a long chain that continues into the country’s interior with mid-sized mountains and tall plateaus, the latter sometimes nearing 2,500 metres in altitude and bedecked with verdant savannahs and flourishing high-altitude pastures.

It was in the 19^th century, on the slope of this very mountain whose head is in the clouds, that German colonial powers founded the capital of what was then known as Kamerun. While Buea, following the independence of the country, was relegated to the status of provincial capital, it nonetheless remains a tourist attraction; for its governor’s palace, a vestige from colonial times, but also for its rather temperate climate. Moreover, the “Chariot of the Gods” once spewed from its depths kilotons of lava that, now solidified, lines its slopes and can be seen practically right up to the sea. Everyone—tourists, the curious or researchers—finds what they are looking for here. Each year, Mount Cameroon hosts a major sporting event, the Race of Hope, in which numerous athletes from around the globe participate.

To the north, the area inhabited by the Kapsikis tribe is yet another region of remarkable physical beauty, offering up a majestic moonscape of rocky needles that French author André Gide once described as “one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world.”

Alongside the mountains and the tall plateaus lie plains of medium altitude. In the country’s southeast, such plains are home to major marshlands and large tropical forests. Cameroon offers here a prime specimen of tropical forest. Along with five other Central African countries, Cameroon shares the Congo Basin forest, considered the planet’s second-largest ecological “lung” after the Amazon forest on account of its sizeable oxygen reserves. This forest is an ecotourism must-see par excellence. Natural reserves have been established within it to ensure the protection of its biodiversity. The vast Dja Reserve is today the beneficiary of protection afforded by UNESCO and bears the status of human heritage site. One finds therein quite rare animal species, particularly among the chimpanzees, truly exotic birds, and so much more. Aside from this tremendous wealth of wildlife, there are rare tree species to be found, such as ebony, and hundreds of other tree species, of which the largest, sometimes aged over a half-century, reach impressive heights.

Korup National Park, located in the southwest, ranks as one of the most beautiful and oldest tropical forests in the world. Scientists believe Korup survived the Ice Age; hence the richness of its flora and wildlife—more than 400 bird species, 140 fish species and numerous mammals and primates—which makes it a true ecotourism Shangri-La. Visitors from North America, Europe and Asia regularly stay here, to discover and admire the marvels of nature or for scientific study.

The land of the lion

South of Lake Chad, a vast plain covered by savannah grasslands houses one of Africa’s richest and most varied wild animal populations. It is a location of choice for safari. Six national parks thrive here and constitute an ideal place for tourists to admire and capture—on celluloid or silicon, naturally—various animal species living completely free in the wild. Giraffe, lion, rhinoceros, elephant, hippopotamus, buffalo, cheetah, antelope and others can be seen in hordes in Waza, Bénoué, Bouba Ndjida and Faro national parks.

It is not by mere hazard that the country’s symbol is the lion. Cameroon’s current President based his entire electoral campaign on a leonine theme. The country’s national football team, a triple African champion that has earned a berth in the World Cup final five times in 20 years, is called the Lions Indomptables (“indomitable lions”). As a matter of fact, all the national sports teams now share that same name, regardless of their discipline.

The diversity of Cameroon’s physical environment is also largely due to its climate, which is generally warm and humid in the south with regular, abundant rain and temperatures hovering around 25°C. Certain regions of the southwest, notably on the slopes of Mount Cameroon and in the area surrounding Debunscha, even rank among the regions of the planet with the most annual precipitation, between 8,000 and 10,000 mm.

To the north, however, one finds a Sahelian-type climate with more distinct seasons.

The water courses irrigating the country are themselves tourist attractions. The famous Sanaga Falls at Nachtigal, fewer than 80 kilometres from the national capital, Yaoundé, and those of the Nyong River at Memvé’elé, to the south, are truly wonders of nature. The same applies to the Lobé River, which spills directly into the ocean.

A gateway to Central Africa, Cameroon’s shores are a veritable treat for seaside tourists. The golden beaches of Kribi and Limbé welcome hundreds of thousands of tourists annually.

On many levels, Cameroon clearly offers more for tourists to see than numerous other countries bearing the tourist-destination tag. Cameroon’s brand of tourism is pure, free of artifice and far removed from mercantile considerations. And that in itself is not without considerable appeal.