Africa in miniature—this is the other name for Cameroon, an African country with a land area of 475,442 square kilometers (117 million acres). It is known as such because it has the geological marvels and cultural diversity of the entire African continent packed in a smaller package. Cameroon doesn’t always come to mind when people talk about Africa. But there are a lot of reasons why tourists should visit this country including this sentiment: If you haven’t been to Cameroon, you haven’t been to Africa.
The culture in Cameroon is a perfect mixture of British and French influence along with the many significant African traditions. The country was officially formed in 1960 from two territories: French Cameroon and British Cameroon. This is why the most dominant languages spoken by its 25.2 million residents are French and English. Ironically, the tension in the country is not between the French-influenced and British-influenced regions, but between two mainly English-speaking provinces.
The Western influence in Cameroon is evident in its cuisine, which is among the most varied in entire Africa. It also helps that the country is in the middle of the continent. Popular dishes are based on cassava, corn, plantains, and yams, among others. Ginger beer and millet beer are among the favored drinks.
The country is named after its active volcano. Mount Cameroon is the highest peak in South Africa at 4,023 meters and is one of the largest volcanoes in the entire continent. It is also the fourth highest peak in Africa. Despite it being an active volcano, it is also among the most popular spots in Cameroon among tourists. The wildlife of Cameroon is also worth experiencing. The nation is considered the wettest part of African and has the continent’s second-highest biodiversity. It is said that every kind of flora and fauna found in tropical Africa is found in Cameroon.
Tourists who happen to be in Cameroon should check out the country’s national parks, most of which are largely undiscovered since Cameroon is not exactly a tourism hotspot. Here are some of them:
1. Benue National Park
The significance of the Benue River and its surrounding natural resources have been recognized as early as 1932 when the area was established as a faunal reserve. It was designated as a national park in 1968 and recognized as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 1981. The park is mainly a humid savannah woodland area with hills and rocky massifs in the background.
The park is best known for its hippopotamus colony. The hippos are usually seen swimming in the river. But other large mammals are also found in the park: elephants and buffaloes. Other animal residents are African wild dogs, antelopes, crocodiles, Derby elands, kobs, lions, monkeys, and spotted hyenas. The park has also been designated as an Important Bird Area with over 300 species documented to be present in the park. Among the most common birds spotted in the park are the Adamawa turtle dove, crocodile bird, red-throated bee-eater, red-winged gray warbler, stone partridge, and violet turaco.
The park also protects a nomadic population within its territory.
2. Bouba Njida National Park
Home of at least 23 antelope species, this park is an important yet threatened sanctuary among many African animals. It was initially established as a nature reserve in 1932 and later upgraded into a national park in 1980. It is mostly a savannah forest with hills having a varied elevation ranging from 251 to 864 meters.
The trees and plants from the forest area are important habitats among many animals. However, nature cannot protect animals from poachers. In 2012, it was reported that Chadian and Sudanese poachers killed some 200 savannah elephants within the park. That was half of the total elephant population. The area is also a significant habitat for the African wild dog, also known as the painted hunting dog, which is extant species of the Lycaon genus. This animal is native to Africa. It has been classified as an endangered species since 2016.
3. Boumba Bek National Park
Named after its dominant rivers, the Boumba and Bek, the park is located in the East Province of the country. This park is remote and can only be accessed by small boats or by following a hunting trail. But while it is remote, it has also become a popular destination among illegal loggers. Authorities discovered at least 16 areas that have been heavily deforested. Four of these were important mammalian habitats.
The park was established in 2005. But despite government protection, poaching is still a big problem in the area. The indigenous people were supposed to protect the lands but a lot of them have been seduced by the profit they could make, selling important parts of the poached animals.
The rivers are home to around 300 species of fish. The park also received the recognition of the Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. As for mammals, the park is also home to the African forest elephant, the smallest among the elephant species. Other animal residents are antelopes, chimpanzees, and crocodiles.
As for the park’s flora, it is mostly a semi-evergreen lowland rainforest. There are also small patches of swamp forest.
4. Campo Ma’an National Park
At the Ocean department, a 652,516-acre (2,641 square kilometers) area was set aside to become a national park in 2000 to make up for a development that hurt the environment. There are times when the government has to sacrifice part of the ecosystem to provide better services for its constituents. In the case of Cameroon, it was the laying of the oil pipeline.
But part of this area in Cameroon was already recognized for its biodiversity as it was established as the Campo Wildlife Reserve in 1932. The park was established when Campo was joined by another protected area, the Ma’an Production Reserve, which was established in 1980. The park is known for many endemic species in both plants and animals.
Among the animals in the park are black colobuses, chimpanzees, elephants, giant pangolins, hippos, leopards, lowland gorillas, and mandrills. There were also 122 species of reptiles reported in the swamp area as well as in terrestrial zones, and some 165 fish species in the park’s bodies of water. There are also over 300 species of birds identified within the territory.
5. Faro National Park
This was established as a park in 1968 after 21 years serving as a nature reserve. The park comprises mostly of savannah forests thriving in undulating landforms with elevations between 250 and 500 meters. There have been close to 250 plant species documented in the park.
Tourists might be able to spot the following in the park: cheetahs, elephants (particularly the large African bush elephant), and the colonies of hippos that Faro is known for. The park used to house some black rhinoceroses, too. But it has since become extinct in this area.
There were also giant elands found in the park, which is expected considering that this type of antelope thrives in savannah environments. It is the largest among the antelope species. There were also a few korrigans spotted in the park. This is another species of antelope endemic to Africa. They used to be found in the countries of Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal. However, they have been heavily hunted for their meat. As a result, they are no longer found in the said countries, but there have been some spotted in this Cameroonian park.
6. Kalamaloue National Park
The park is generally a floodplain of the Chari River, which contains high avifauna. The terrestrial part of the park also hosts an important population of gazelles as they continue to thrive in the area. There is also some korrigum but the population has greatly decreased due to poaching. The park is also an important home for the African forest bush elephants—there are around 300 of them in the park.
7. Korup National Park
Primary forest thrives in this park located in the Southwest Province. The park’s old-growth forest is among Africa’s oldest and richest with high biodiversity.
The park is most famous for animals watching whether it is birding or primate viewing. The park is certainly a viable venue for both activities. Among the primates in the park, some of which are not common elsewhere, are the following: drills, Nigerian chimpanzees, Preuss’ red colobuses, and red-eared guenons. There are 14 species of primates in the park. As for birding, the park has documented around 400 species of birds. There were also 92 species of amphibians, 82 species of reptiles and close to 1,000 species of butterflies. There are also 130 fish species as well as over 160 mammals.
The highest peak in the park is Mt. Yuan at 1,079 meters, making it an ideal place for hiking. The gentle slopes are characterized by rolling hills. Complementing the green landforms in the park are the major river systems: Akpassang River, Bake-Munaya River, Korup River, and Ndian River. There are also several streams within the park, but these go dry during the hot season.
The park’s soil is generally not viable for planting crops, but it has old-growth forests that have survived centuries of various geological and ecological changes and they will continue to survive for centuries to come. Their only barrier would be illegal loggers. When soil is not rich for planting new vegetation but has a thriving one anyway, it usually means endemism is high in the area. That is certainly true for the park, which recorded over 1,000 species of trees, plants, and flowers. Around 30% of these are endemic to the park. Some trees are 50 meters tall.
8. Lobeke National Park
The creation of this park was prodded by the World Wide Fund for Nature or WWF, which conducted an assessment in the area and recommended the protection of Lobeke, which is in the East Province. The private organization wanted to protect the area because of its plant and animal life, which is characterized by a high biodiversity with high endemism.
According to reports, the park has never been affected by man-made destruction and authorities want to keep it that way. Among the most notorious activities plaguing Cameroon as a whole are deforestation and poaching of animals. Flora in the park is best described as semi-evergreen. Among the commonly sighted plants are the Sterculiaceae flower species, Malaveles trees, and the endemic trees. There are around 300 species of trees in the park.
The park also has a high density of African forest elephants and western lowland gorillas—among the highest in Africa. Other animal residents are chimpanzees, leopards, various other species of gorillas and at least 10 species of ungulates. The park is home to some 300 species of birds. There are also 215 species of butterflies, 134 species of fish, 18 reptile species and some 16 amphibian species.
9. Nki National Park
This place has often been described as the last true wilderness because of its vast and varied ecosystem. The park is home to some of the highest density of forest elephants in the world at 2.5 elephants in every square kilometer. Poaching of elephants is a common problem in Cameroon but Nki certainly defeated the odds as the elephant population in the park is steadily increasing. There were 3,000 of them in 2006, which was double the population from the mid-1990s.
There is also an abundance of gorillas in the park, as well as some other primates: the threatened crested monkeys, De Brazza monkeys, and black colobuses. Other animals in the park are antelopes, bongos, bushbucks, bush pigs, chimpanzees, giant forest hogs, leopards, and Nile crocodiles. There are also over 265 species of birds.
10. Waza National Park
In the Far-North Province of Cameroon lies this park established in 1968, 34 years after it was created as a nature reserve. It has also been designated as a UNESCO biosphere since 1982. The protected area is characterized as savannah with floodplains carpeted with perennial grasses.
The wildlife in the park is abundant with high biodiversity. It is one of the must-see places in Cameroon. Among the animals, residents are aardvarks, cheetahs, elephants, giraffes, hyenas, impala, kob, lions, red-fronted gazelles, olive baboons, patas and vervet monkeys, roan antelopes, topi, warthogs, and waterbucks.