Douala Travel Guide

AIrport tax on departure at 10,000 CFA.

taxis appear to charge 2000 CFA for everything if you let them, but negociate hard with them, depending on the journey length this can be knocked to just 400-500cfa.

vaccine card on arrival is a con, easy if you have a vaccine card if not, again negociate hard.!!

walking around felt safe enough and i didnt feel over concerned at any point even at night, although some areas are obviously more touristic traps than others.

Driving around Douala is not as dicey as one might think and certainly not as bad as other, more congested and over crowded, African cities. However, keep your papers about you…road blocks are frequently set up by the police or military to check identification, and for foreigners, passports and valid visas…but if caught short it’s nothing a few hundred (or thousand) CFA placed in the palm of a hand won’t solve…

If you do spot a road block ahead, another solution is to follow close behind a large truck / lorry through the road block…often times the guards won’t stop the truck and by the time they see your car it’s too late to try to stop you…

Lets face it, if you are a Westerner, you are going to stand out like a sore thumb in Douala. Fact number two, the locals are going to try to do whatever they can to squeak out an existence in this poverty stricken land. Put those two facts together and you have every "shoe clerk" in the city trying to rip you off.

Although Douala really wasn't that bad, my point is that you have to watch your back and realize that you're are in an environment that is not going to protect you from being ripped off. There's a thousand scams going on every minute. I actually had a little kid run up to me, grab a cigar from my shirt pocket and then try to sell it back to me...

Clothing/Shoes/Weather Gear: It's bloody hot and humid in Douala...duh...it's practically on the equator...but if the mosquitos are out definitely wear pants and long sleeve shirts. Remember, one bite and you're dead...

Toiletries and Medical Supplies: Did I mention one bite and you're dead...although I am being sarcastic about those malaria spreading b@stards, do bring some heavy duty deet with you and don't bother with malaria medicine, it only hides the effects if you do get it and may trick you into thinking you don't have malaria, thus, putting off that all important visit to Doctor Happi for the real malaria medicine...

Along the coastal road North of Douala and passed the town of Limbe, the road is abruptly cut-off by the last few meters of a lava flow that originated 14 kilometers to the East and up the slopes of Mt. Cameroon during an eruption in March 1999. Although the lava flow is obviously cool enough to climb and walk on some five years after the eruption, locals will tell you that steam still rises from the molten mass of rocks when it rains. The lava flow stopped some 200 meters short of reaching the Atlantic Ocean, disrupting traffic between Batoke and Bakingili. Fortunately, the lava flow did stop; otherwise, traffic would have to detour all away around Mt. Cameroon instead of the short curve of the coastal road around the end of the flow that exists today.

Anyway, the lava flow is remarkable to say the least. As you approach the lava flow driving along the coastal road, this mass of black volcanic rock sits on the road like an impenetrable wall. Climbing the 7 to 10 meters to the top of the lava flow can be somewhat tricky as volcanic rock tends to crumble, but once on top the sight of all the black volcanic rock in this massive flow rising abruptly from the surrounding lush green jungle is incredible. As far as the eye can see, the lava flow extends up the slopes of Mt. Cameroon and just beyond the end of the flow is the dark blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean, quite an awe inspiring sight…