Entry requirements | Organizing your trip | Visiting | Eating | Paying | Speaking |

Entry requirements

Passport and visa service

Visa requirements of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Visa HQ

Diplomatic representations

List of  the Cameroon embassies abroad

For more information

Diplomatic Mission of Cameroon in France
73, rue d’ Auteuil
75 016 Paris
Phone: (+33) 0147439833
Fax: (+33) 0145683034

Organizing your trip

Means of transport recommended in town

Recommendation

Taxi and bus stands can be found in all the cities in Cameroon. Bus rates are fixed and are displayed in the bus.

Maps of urban networks

Maporama
UT Library on line
Mapblast

Means of transport recommended in the rest of the country

Recommendation

The majority of internal travel within the country is done by buses which depart from the bus station of each city. Rarely are the buses equipped with air-conditioning and their punctuality leaves much to be desired.

The Cameroonian Railway company offers 2 lines: Yaounde to Douala and Ngaoundere to Douala. The trains are old and dilapidated but it is a journey to be experienced for its picturesqueness.

Rail companies

Camrail: The Cameroonian Railways

Flight from Greece

No company offer direct air connections from Athens to Douala. To find out air connections from Greece to Cameroon click here

Traveling by yourself

Recommendation

Avoid driving by night because risks incurred during day, on roads whose surfaces are damaged, are multiplied by the presence of heavy vehicles parked along the roads or abandoned after an accident. It is rare for gas supply to be in short-supply in the north, but it is advised to plan reserves because of large distances between points of distribution.

Road maps

Map of roads in Cameroon

Find an itinerary

Visiting

Different forms of tourism

Historical

An absolute must-visit place is the monument of reunification found at Yaounde, as well as the cathedral. But you will discover the history of Cameroon not by visiting monuments, but by talking and exchanging with Cameroonians, because in Cameroon as in the whole of black Africa, the history is oral and non-material.

Cultural

15 million inhabitants divided into 280 ethnicities and more than 200 languages. The cultural richness of Cameroon is as much due to its diversity as due to its complexity. However, we can distinguish 5 big ethnic groups : the Bamilekes and the Bamoums to the west, the Foulanis and the Kirdis to the north and the Ewondos around Yaounde. The Bamilekes are concentrated especially in the western mountainous regions and are the most important community of Douala, where they control the economic activity. 

In the rural zones, they dominate around 80 political units, placed under the aegis of a fiercely defended leadership. Each one contains secret societies responsible for overlooking the observance of rites. The Bamoums, on the other hand, have a unique chief, the sultan. Cameroonians are very hospitable, but they can sometimes be suspicious of the arrival of strangers, especially in places less visited by tourists. When you arrive in the rural zones, it is best to find the chief of the village and inform him of your presence in order to obtain his authorization to cross the tribal lands.

Nature

The natural environment is magnificent in Cameroon, as proven by the natural caves at Akok-Bekoe or the natural reserves at Wasa,Dja and Benoue. Moreover, tourists are also recommended to see the impressive waterfalls at Lobe, Mvigligui, Edea or Lagbo.

Religious

Cameroon is a non-religious state. Thus, tourists need not have any worry regarding their religion, without evidently being ostentatious.

Thermal

none

Beach

The beaches at Kribi and Limbe are splendid and attract many tourists.

Winter sports

Impossible

Outdoor activities

You can savour walks in the jungle or in the villages located in rural zones. In addition, you can also swim in the splendid cameroonian beaches.

Shopping

The city of Yaounde has many shopping malls and markets for tourists such as the covered market of Mokolo. The cottage industry is predominant but the city also has many modern structures.

Tourism organizations

Cameroon Tourism Board in Paris, France

Eating

Food specialties

For some people, the Cameroonian food is a mixture of the French and Lebanese cuisine.
Restaurants are usually quite expensive, even exorbitant. Most of the Cameroonian dishes contain fruits and salty ingredients. Cameroon produces lots of avocados, pineapples, mangoes and a lots of citrus fruits.

Drinks

Water, juice, fizzy drinks and beer is mainly consumed. There also exists a palm-based alcohol that is quite strong. At the beginning of 2008, the price of fizzy drinks and beer increased significantly on the decision of the national company: the brasseries of Cameroon.

Dietary taboos

Food restrictions vary according to each one's religion, but they are mostly present in the northern part of the country.

Paying

Domestic currency

CFA Franc BEAC

ISO Code

XAF

To obtain domestic currency

The currency is the CFA franc.

Possible means of payment

Liquid cash is mainly evident in its usage. Cheques issue by a western bank are not always accepted. The network for VISA credit cards or Master Cards is well installed.

Exchange rate on

Automatic Teller Machines (ATM)

To find out the locations of ATMs in in Cameroon, click on the link to your credit card: Visa, Mastercard or American Express

Speaking

Official language

French and English are the official languages of Cameroon.

Other languages spoken

There are close to 200 African dialects.

Business language

In the business environment, French is more frequently used, although English is also used.

Getting some knowledge

Knowing fluent French or English, you will not have any problem during your stay.

Free translation tools

Babel Fish - Free French-English-French translation of texts and web pages
Grand dictionnaire terminologique - Free French-Engish-French dictionary with 3 billion terms
High quality translation -
lexicool - Free Greek-French-Greek translator
Babel Fish - Free Greek-French-Greek translator
lexilogo - Free Greek-French-Greek translator

We can translate your foreign-language documents.

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