Cameroon

Get in

thumb|375px|A map showing the visa requirements of Cameroon, with countries in green having visa-free access Cameroon is not a country you can just come to. There are few visa-free arrangements in place, so most travelers need a visa. Citizens of Mali, Chad, the Central African Republic, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, and Nigeria don't need a visa.

Cameroonian visas tend to be expensive. The Cameroonian Embassy in the United States charges US$93 for a tourist visa, so plan and prepare accordingly. As a general rule of thumb, the longer you intend to stay, the more expensive the visa will be. A one-year visa will cost you between US$100-300.

Cameroonian diplomatic staff recommend that you submit all relevant documentation in advance, and it normally takes up to a week to process any kind of Cameroonian visa.

See

Visit the Limbe Botanic Garden, Benedictine Museum of Mont Febe, National Museum of Yaounde and the Kribi. These are famous attractions in the city of Yaounde, meant for tourists.

Eat

thumbnail|Food in Cameroon

Signature dishes thumb|Poulet DG with fried potatoes Poisson brézè: barbecue fish Ndole: slightly bitter vegetables with peanuts, fish, prawns or beef. Often considered the national dish Poulet DG: chicken with sauce Tripes: tripe in tomato or peanut sauce Sauce arachide: peanut sauce with rice and meat Brochettes: barbecued skewers Kilichi: dried beef Mbol: black vegetable sauce served with kilichi, beef in some other form or prawns Nkui: brown vegetable sauce eaten with corn couscous Bush meat: from monkeys to snakes, perhaps a bit too exotic to visitors Mielie meal: maize porridge

garnishes include: thumb|Fried plantains, fish, onions and miondo Koki: white bean dumplings Banane plantain: grilled, steamed or deep fried plantains Couscous maniok: cassava couscous Couscous de mais: polenta-like corn-based couscous Polentaähnlicher Couscous auf Maisbasis Frites de pommes: French fries Pommes: fried potatoes Bobolo: steamed cassava bars Miondo: thinner version of the former

moreover: Safou fruits, barbecued or boiled

Drink

Always check “best before” when buying a bottle - some drinks are way out of date.

Coca-Cola is available everywhere. For something different try one of the flavourful TOP sodas. They are much sweeter than most European or North American sodas but they are very tasty.

Cameroon is rich with choice when it comes to good beer due to its past as a German and later French colony. Bottled Guinness can be found everywhere although in the heat, try one of the excellent lighter beers such as Castel, Beaufort, Mützig, Isenbeck, Satzenbrau or 33. These are inexpensive and excellent in the heat. Castel Milk Stout is an excellent choice for those who like darker beer. Outside of the cities you will sometimes be hard pressed to find them chilled (due to a lack of electricity).

Sleep

In more rural areas prices vary wildly depending on demand and local economy. It is not uncommon to find comfortable accommodations for FCFA 4,000-5,000 per night.

Because of the overvaluation of the local currency, accommodation in Cameroon is only slightly cheaper than in Europe, Hotels in the major cities will range from FCFA 7,500 to FCFA 50,000. Western standards can only be expected in the luxury segment. Camping is possible, but should be avoided if possible due to the security situation in the country.

Most hotels do not accept credit cards. In the hotels below 4-star, hot water is not always available (either not installed or the installation is defective). Hot water can be ordered in buckets in the hotel (give a small tip) and can also be self-supplied with a stick kettle (about 2000 CFA) and a bucket.

You can have your dirty laundry cleaned in all hotels. Either there is a service provided by the hotel (more expensive) or you ask the hotel staff (cheaper) who will do this for you with additional income. Remember that this is a hand wash, which is less suitable for delicate garments (intensive scrubbing). If you want boiled linen, this must be ordered separately. Laundry must be ironed if it is dried outdoors.

Stay safe

As is the case in any developing country, you should do whatever you can to blend in with the local population. What this means is that you should avoid presenting yourself in a way that would get others to think you are rich, and you should most certainly avoid isolated areas and travelling alone at night.

As long as you apply a modicum of common sense, your visit to Cameroon will be hassle free.

Stay healthy

As Cameroon is a developing country, health care facilities are poor and are much below western standards. In addition, you should expect a language barrier at healthcare facilities if your French-language skills aren't good enough.

Yellow fever is prevalent in the country. You are required to get vaccinated against it before travelling to the country.

Malaria is prevalent. To lower your chances of contracting malaria, regularly use insect repellent and consider draping a mosquito net over your bed. You may also want to consider getting vaccinated against the disease before travelling to the country.

Avoid drinking tap water, even in restaurants. Only stick to bottled water.

The country's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among adults is at 3.2%. The situation has been getting better since the early 2000s, but still, be safe and be aware of your surroundings.

Respect

It is very common for people, including people you've never even met before, to greet people around them. You will easily observe that it's common for people to exchange greetings and say things like "good morning", "how's your health", "how is your family", and so on. Don't be fazed or surprised by this; this is how the Cameroonians get to know others, and you can very easily make a friend or two by following suit!

Connect

To make local and international calls you need to buy a pre-paid SIM card. Check if your cell phone has a compatible GSM standard (Africa/Europe) - if not, in addition to a SIM card you probably need to buy a new phone. "MTN" and "Orange" are two major telephone companies in Cameroon. E-SIMs are available for data connections from various companies such as Airalo and Ubigi. The local networks offer 4G connections which are neither fast or stable.

It had been possible to find Internet access all over the place, but the speed was often slow. In 2017, all Internet access was shut down in the largely-anglophone western portion of the country.

National post service is considered to be unreliable.