Mount Cameroon: climbing, seasons, guides and costs
Mount Cameroon â called Mongo-mo-Ndemi by the Bakweri people, its summit known as Fako â is the highest peak in West and Central Africa and one of the continent's most active volcanoes. It rises straight up from the ocean, between Buea and Limbe. The climb is demanding but requires no mountaineering skills. A guide and a porter are compulsory. This page sets out what you need to know before you go, including the security situation, which has weighed heavily on tourism since 2016.
Information checked on
At a glance
- Elevation
- 4,040 m according to most sources (up to 4,095 m according to others)
- Type
- Active volcano
- Last eruption
- 3 February 2012 (brief)
- Region
- South-West, Fako division
- Starting point
- Buea
- National park
- Created in 2009, 581.23 kmÂČ
- Duration of the climb
- 1 to 4 days, usually 2 or 3
A volcano that is still active
French Wikipedia counts nine eruptions in the 20th century and describes it as the most active volcano in West Africa. Recent eruptions, in 1999, 2000 and 2012, sometimes produced lava flows that reached the Atlantic. The one on 3 February 2012 was brief and produced no significant lava flow. The volcano is huge: around 1,400 kmÂł, with about a hundred cones on its flanks.
| Century | Years |
|---|---|
| 20th century | 1909, 1922, 1925, 1954, 1959, 1982, 1999, 2000 |
| 21st century | 2012 (3 February) |
The climb
The main trail starts from the upper part of Buea. It is nicknamed the Guinness Track, after the annual race long sponsored by the brewery. You cross farmland, then forest, before an abrupt change to high-altitude grassland at around 1,850 metres, on the edge of old lava flows. According to an account of a climb in December 2022, the first hut is at 1,850 metres, the second at 2,350 metres, and a camp with a kitchen and chalets at 2,850 metres. The summit is then a few hours' walk away the next morning.
- A guide and a porter are compulsory; foreigners may not climb on their own.
- Permits are issued in Buea and checked along the way; porters may legally carry no more than 15 kg.
- Climbs are arranged through the Mount Cameroon Inter-Communal Ecotourism Organisation (Mount CEO) in Buea, or through private guides.
- You need to be fit: 6 to 8 hours' walking a day over rough ground.
- The huts are basic and unheated, and it is cold at altitude.
How much it costs
No official Mount CEO price list could be found online. The prices below come from dated travellers' accounts: they give an idea of costs, not current rates.
| Source and year | Package | Price given |
|---|---|---|
| Pink Pangea, 2015 | General range depending on guide and length | 75,000 to 400,000 CFA francs |
| Pink Pangea, 2015 | Private outfit, all-inclusive, 3 days / 4 days | 280,000 / 350,000 CFA francs |
| Where Sidewalks End, 2018 | Mount CEO package, 3 days and 2 nights | about $150 |
| Country Highpoints, December 2022 | Park office in Buea, 2 days | 120,000 CFA francs per person (about $200) |
| Country Highpoints, December 2022 | 1 day | about $85 |
When to go
The dry season, during the northern-hemisphere winter, is the best time: fewer clouds and less rain. Travellers single out January as the ideal month, with skies often clear until May or June; one Buea outfit does not run climbs in August. The volcano's slopes receive some of the heaviest rainfall in Africa: one station there recorded 14,655 millimetres in a single year.
The national park and the Race of Hope
Mount Cameroon National Park was created in 2009 and covers 581.23 kmÂČ. It is home to more than 100 forest elephants, chimpanzees, drills and several species of guenon, as well as two birds found nowhere else, the Mount Cameroon spurfowl and the Mount Cameroon speirops. Every February the Race of Hope takes runners from Buea to the summit and back, in about four and a half hours for the fastest (see the Race of Hope page).
Safety: the Anglophone crisis
Mount Cameroon is in the South-West region, affected by the Anglophone crisis since 2016. In 2026 the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to this region, Buea included, with the exception of Limbe and the N3 road linking it to the Littoral, which are under âall but essential travelâ advice (advice of 9 February 2026). France Diplomatie (zones of 5 March 2026) currently advises against climbing Mount Cameroon. According to a Bournemouth University researcher writing in 2022, efforts to protect the park have been hampered by the conflict. Check the latest travel advice before making any plans (see the safety page).
Frequently asked questions
How high is Mount Cameroon?
4,040 metres according to most sources, though some give up to 4,095 metres. It is the highest peak in West and Central Africa.
How long does it take to climb Mount Cameroon?
Usually two or three days there and back from Buea; some do it in a single day, others in four days on a longer variant.
Do you need a guide to climb Mount Cameroon?
Yes. A guide and a porter are compulsory, and permits are checked on the trail. They are arranged in Buea, through Mount CEO or private outfits.
How much does it cost to climb Mount Cameroon?
No official price list is published online. One traveller paid 120,000 CFA francs per person for two days in December 2022; all-inclusive packages from private outfits cost 280,000 CFA francs for three days in 2015.
Is Mount Cameroon an active volcano?
Yes. It erupted nine times in the 20th century, and again briefly on 3 February 2012.
When is the best time to climb Mount Cameroon?
The dry season, roughly December to February; January is often cited as the best month. Avoid the height of the rainy season in July and August.
Handle with care
The elevation varies between sources (4,040 m on Wikipedia and on this site's nature page, 4,070 m or 4,090 m in travellers' accounts, 4,095 m at most). No official Mount CEO price list was found; the prices quoted are those reported by travellers between 2015 and 2022. No source gives figures for how many people still use the trail since the Anglophone crisis.