What to see in Cameroon: the must-see sites, region by region
Cameroon markets itself as “Africa in miniature”: Atlantic beaches, a volcano over 4,000 metres high, equatorial rainforest, northern savannah, and kingdoms and chiefdoms that are still very much alive. This page brings together the sites that make the journey worthwhile, giving for each one the region, the nearest town and what there is to see. It also states plainly which of them now lie in areas that foreign governments advise against visiting – and that includes a good number of the country's most famous sights.
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The sites at a glance
| Site | Region | Nearest town | Why go | Advice (FCDO, 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kribi beaches and Lobé Falls | South | Kribi | White sand, grilled fish, and a river that falls straight into the ocean, 7 km south of town | No restriction |
| Ebodjé (sea turtles) | South | Kribi, Campo | Fishing village where turtles come ashore to nest, with a conservation programme open to visitors | No restriction |
| Limbe: botanic garden, black-sand beaches, primate sanctuary | South-West | Limbe | Garden founded in 1892, Limbe Wildlife Centre (gorillas, chimpanzees, drills), volcanic sand | All but essential travel advised against |
| Mount Cameroon | South-West | Buea | Highest peak in West and Central Africa (4,040 m), an active volcano, climbed in 2 to 4 days | All travel advised against |
| Lake Ossa | Littoral | Edéa | The country's largest natural lake, a wildlife reserve since 1948, African manatees | No restriction |
| Douala: Doual'art, Akwa and Bonanjo districts, Maritime Museum | Littoral | Douala | Contemporary and public art, historic city of the Duala kings, port | No restriction |
| Yaoundé: National Museum, Mount Fébé | Centre | Yaoundé | Museum in the former presidential palace, views over the city | No restriction |
| Bamum royal palace and museum | West | Foumban | Palace completed in 1917, museum opened in 2024 (over 10,000 objects), craftsmen's street | No restriction |
| Bandjoun chiefdom | West | Bafoussam | A 17-metre great hall on carved pillars, museum of the dynasty | No restriction |
| Dja Faunal Reserve | South-east of the country | — | Rainforest on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1987, gorillas and chimpanzees | No restriction, but hard to reach |
| Mandara Mountains, Rhumsiki, Diy-Gid-Biy | Far North | Maroua, Mokolo | Volcanic spires, Kapsiki villages, the country's first cultural World Heritage Site (2025) | All travel advised against |
| Waza National Park | Far North | Maroua | Once the flagship savannah park; tourism has been at a standstill since 2013 | All travel advised against |
| Lake Nyos | North-West | — | Crater lake, site of the 1986 disaster (1,746 dead) | All travel advised against |
The coast: Kribi, Limbe and Lake Ossa
Kribi, 150 to 180 kilometres south of Douala depending on the source, is the country's main beach resort. Its best-known sight, the Lobé Falls, lies 7 kilometres south of town: the river pours straight into the Atlantic over cascades some 20 metres high, one of the few places in the world where this happens. The falls have been on UNESCO's World Heritage Tentative List since 2018. Further south, Ebodjé welcomes nesting sea turtles.
Limbe, at the foot of Mount Cameroon, owes its black sand to the volcano's rock. Visitors come for the botanic garden, founded in 1892 under German rule, and the Limbe Wildlife Centre, which cares for primates rescued from poaching (gorillas, chimpanzees, drills and mandrills). Near Edéa, Lake Ossa – the country's largest natural lake, according to Wikipedia – is a wildlife reserve known for its African manatees.
The western highlands: kingdoms and chiefdoms
This is the most accessible region in which to experience the country's living heritage. In Foumban, capital of the Bamum kingdom, the royal palace was completed in 1917 and the Museum of the Bamum Kings opened on 13 April 2024. Some twenty kilometres from Bafoussam, the Bandjoun chiefdom has one of the largest great halls in Bamileke country, 17 metres high. Practical details are on the heritage and chiefdoms page.
Further north-west, the palaces of the Fons of Bafut, Mankon and Bali Nyonga around Bamenda, and Lake Nyos, are in the North-West region, where the UK advises against all travel because of the Anglophone crisis. Lake Nyos is not an ordinary tourist site: on 21 August 1986 it released a cloud of carbon dioxide that killed 1,746 people, according to Wikipedia. Degassing pipes were installed there in 2001 and again in 2011.
The North and Far North: famous sites now out of reach
The Mandara Mountains and the village of Rhumsiki, whose Kapsiki Peak rises to 1,224 metres, were long the poster image of Cameroonian tourism. Rhumsiki lies about 3 kilometres from the Nigerian border. In July 2025 UNESCO inscribed the Diy-Gid-Biy cultural landscape – sixteen dry-stone archaeological sites spread across seven villages of the Mandara Mountains, dating from the 12th to the 17th century – as Cameroon's first cultural World Heritage Site.
Waza National Park, north of Maroua, was once one of the best-known parks in French-speaking Africa. According to a study published in the journal Oryx in 2022, tourists have not returned since a French family was kidnapped there by Boko Haram in 2013. The UK advises against all travel to the whole Far North region, apart from an area around Maroua, and to the 40-kilometre strip along the borders with Nigeria and Chad.
Planning your route
- The easiest loop links Douala, Kribi and Yaoundé, three cities outside the areas to avoid, with an optional detour via Edéa and Lake Ossa.
- The West (Bafoussam, Bandjoun, Foumban, Dschang) combines well with Douala or Yaoundé: Foumban is 335 to 360 kilometres from Yaoundé by road.
- Limbe is not off-limits, but the UK places it in the “all but essential travel” category, together with the 35-kilometre stretch of the N3 linking it to the Littoral region. Buea and the rest of the South-West are on the “all travel” list.
- Travel advice changes: check it just before you leave (see the safety page).
Frequently asked questions
What are the best places to visit in Cameroon?
The most often cited are Kribi's beaches and the Lobé Falls, Limbe and Mount Cameroon, Foumban and the western chiefdoms, the Dja reserve and, in the past, the Mandara Mountains and Waza National Park, which now lie in areas to avoid.
How many UNESCO World Heritage Sites does Cameroon have?
Three: the Dja Faunal Reserve (1987), the Sangha Trinational, shared with the Central African Republic and Congo (2012), and the Diy-Gid-Biy cultural landscape of the Mandara Mountains (2025).
Can you visit Lake Nyos?
The lake is in the North-West region, where the UK advises against all travel as of 2026. It is also the site of a disaster that killed 1,746 people in 1986, and the lake remains under monitoring.
Is Rhumsiki open to tourists?
The village is in the Far North, about 3 km from Nigeria, inside the area where the UK advises against all travel as of 2026. Tourism there has dwindled since the Boko Haram insecurity began.
Where should I go on a first trip to Cameroon?
Douala, Kribi, Yaoundé and the West (Bandjoun, Foumban, Dschang) make a varied circuit, entirely outside the areas the UK advised against in 2026.
Handle with care
The alert levels in the table are those of the UK government (advice of 9 February 2026). France Diplomatie (zones of 5 March 2026) divides the country differently: for example, it puts the Littoral and South regions under heightened vigilance (yellow), and only part of the South-West in red, the rest in orange; the safety page sets out these differences. The Douala–Kribi distance varies between sources (150 km on English Wikipedia, 180 km on French Wikipedia).