at the cameroun border

From the first moment on in Cameroon it is apparent to us that the Cameroonians like to drink… well; this is after our data have been recorded into 4 different books by 4 different immigration officers. We can see the first bar just across the Customs office, followed by many more.
It’s true that, directly at the gate to Cameroon, the road literally disappears. For about 2 Kilometers it is gravel road, and then it turns to a 1 lane jungle track. Consisting of nothing else but red soil, the conditions of this track greatly depend on the weather situation. We’ve been warned many times about this Ekok-Mamfe road and even advised to consider shipping the bike from Calabar to Douala instead.
We’ve been terrified. All the worries for no reason as it turned out. The track was dry and relatively easy to ride. Again, the biggest danger is the traffic on this route.
Almost exclusively there are Peugeot cars from the 70ties. Totally overloaded, with the jerry cans sticking out sideward, they are shooting around blind curves without any ability to stop or even to slow down. Several times these jerry cans just miss our mirror and handle bar…

how true...

the ekok - mamfe road

more of ekok mamfe road

trying some specialties in cameroun`s mountains

can you see the tale? its a rat...

mamfe bamenda road

jane with one of the queens from the bafut fon palace

In Mamfe there must be more bars than any other shops it seems. It is definitely easier to find beer than food! Women, Men, old and young, one can see them in the bars in the morning already. Selling beer must be THE business in Cameroon.

Have you guys been guided through a palace by a Queen already? Well, the Fon in Bafut has about 20 of them. First, the First Lady is guiding us through the museum, and then she walks us through the grounds.

at the fons palace in bafut

There are lots of interesting pictures taken obviously by the intruding Germans around 1900. The Germans lost few battles against the Bafut people but finally took over the power and introduced several crucial laws.
From 1914 on for example it was prohibited to sacrifice humans or cut the arms of a thief. We only can imagine how the life was for the Germans in this place more than 100 years ago!
From Bamenda we make it in 1 day to Yaounde, where we need to get some visas again.
It takes 4 days alone to get the Gabon visa, another day for the Congo stamp. Eventually we turn up at the DRC (former Zaire) embassy and get the shocking quote of 150 Euros for the visa per person! The normal price would be 50 Euros but they simply add processing fees to the processing fees… For that kind of a price we’d rather try our luck in Libreville and skip the fees and other fees.
After sticking around in Yaounde for almost a week we can’t wait to hit the road. Perfect asphalt and heavy logging traffic all the way to Limbe, our next stop.
The logging trucks are terribly overloaded and much too fast. We can spot several of them turned over just beside the road. Again, traffic is definitely the greatest danger in here.

topcase ala cameroun

jungle eyes

flat tyre again... the second this day!

this embassy in bamenda wouldnt give us troubles

limbe oil platform view

boats in idenao

Limbe gives us the opportunity of relaxing after the quick ride through Nigeria. We’re visiting the local primate sanctuary, the poor maintained botanical garden and riding along the coast with beautiful views of the Mt. Cameroon till the roads end.

Kribi is definitely worth a visit. Kilometers of awesome beach without people, just a few mini eateries set up by the locals’ right at the beach serving seafood and beers. We’re spending easily 1 week in here, camping right at the beach. Here we catch up with Stefen and Lilly and meet some more overlanders in 4WD’s. This gives us a seldom opportunity for an update on road conditions or visa regulations and several beers.
The last leg in Cameroon is the dirt track from Kribi to Ebolowa. We make these 180kms in about 4hrs. Terrific ride through the dense jungle!

Having our passports checked for the forth time we must be through the border by now but no, we’re still in Cameroon we’re told… It just takes some time to copy the data from our passports to all different notebooks! Out of curiosity I want to know what happens to the notebooks when full; apparently they will be sent to the PRESIDENT! Hehehhehe.

our camp in kribi

kribi beach

lobe waterfalls

the only way to see gorillas for free in cameroun