Safety Tips in Cameroon

Cameroon is mainly made up of Rainforest in the South. I was shocked to see how much of it was stacked up at the Port in Douala ready to be shipped.
I don't know whether it is grown sustainably or not but there was an awful lot of timber there.............
I couldn't get out of the car and take a proper photo as one of the workers was shoutig at me not to photograph it.

Taking pictures of official buildings or staff (government, military, police) but also of buildings of strategic importance (like bridges, ports, airports and so on) is strictly forbidden.

When I took a picture of a monument in Yaounde someone tried to interrupt me. At first I didn't understand. Later I was told that a high rise building behind the square houses offices of several ministries. So if the police were around it could have got me into trouble.

Cameroon is a beautiful country but as with many developing countries there is widespread corruption. I had my fair share of experiences with authorities / corrupt officials whilst in Cameroon.

In particular when travelling anywhere you will come across the numerous police road checks. These are in place to check the safety of vehicles, monitor lorry cargoes etc. In the main you should have no problem at all as police are advised to leave tourists alone.

However, every now and again you will find an over zealous officer who is looking to get some quick cash out of tourists. Usually this will be the price of beer. These encounters are usually good humoured. Remember to remain calm and pleasant. Cooperate as far as possible but stand your ground. The usual tactic is to discredit your documents i.e claiming that you do not have the proper stamps in your passport. Stick with your story and the officers usually become bored and send you on your way.

There are many road checks on the roads into and out of Yaounde, however, I never had problems at these stops. It was more common to run into problem in the more remote regions such as the East Province. In particular around Abong Mbang.

Don't let this put you off travelling around Cameroon. In general you are unlikely to run into problems!! Rememebe to keep spare copies of all your documents and above all make sure that you have all the necessary documentation with you at all times inc. vaccination records such as a yellow fever certificate.

Most everyone who has travelled in less developed countries is familiar with this problem, but Cameroon must be the "we don't have any change" capital of the world. You can hear this refrain from taxi drivers, restaurants, stands, and even good sized hotels. It occurs not just when you present a relatively large notes--like the ones that always seem to come out of ATM's, but also with middle size bills (e.g. the 5,000 franc note, which is worth about 10USD). If you insist that you have nothing smaller, many prople will try to accomodate you by going to adjacent stores or acquaintances in search of change, but you can end up standing around a very long time waiting for them to return. Asking the ATM for odd amounts or asking for smaller bills when you first exchange currency or cash traveller's checks can help, but in the end, I always seemed to run out of coins and small bank notes. Remembering that that's just the way things are and grinning and bearing it are then the only solution.

Do not travel after dark if you want to avoid theives and pick pockets. Thieves tend to hang around bus stations and taxi ranks after dark. You will generally be O.K inside the stations themselves but beware when you leave. To avoid this problem only travel in daylight.
If you are travelling by night bus and arrive early in the morning, stay inside the bus station until the sun comes up.
This poblem is mostly a problem in the big cities (Douala, Yaounde, Bamenda)

Don't drink the water. Either filter it (drops, filter, tablets...) or drink Tangue (bottle water). Follow the simple rules of cook it, peel it...or don't eat it. I had not a one GI issue and i have a very weak stomach. i had more issues in Guatemala.
Bring pepto tablets and take 2 if you feel something's going on down there.

When you’re trekking in the rainforests for several days it isn’t always possible to carry a lot of drinking water.
So be sure you’ve got disinfectations tablets or a water filter to clean your water when you’re using the rivers.

When you're traveling in the forests and you're lucky to encounter a forest elephant.
But the elephant isn't happy with your presence, than the roots of these trees can offer you protection, if he attacks you.