Cameroon's national parks: wildlife, access and safety
Cameroon has around fifteen national parks and several wildlife reserves, from the northern savannah to the forests of the Congo Basin. Two of them, the Dja reserve and Lobéké National Park (part of the Sangha Trinational), are among Cameroon's three UNESCO World Heritage Sites; the third is the Diy-Gid-Biy cultural landscape of the Mandara Mountains, inscribed in 2025. But there is a wide gap between the brochure and reality: several once-famous parks now lie in insecure areas, others have been devastated by poaching, and most have almost no visitor facilities. This page gives an honest overview.
Information checked on
The main parks at a glance
| Park | Region | Area | Created | Signature wildlife | Access and safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Waza | Far North | 1,700 km² | Hunting reserve 1934, park 1968, biosphere reserve 1979 | Giraffes, kob, declining lions, waterbirds | No tourists since 2013; all travel advised against |
| Bénoué | North | 1,800 or 1,979 km² | Reserve 1932, park 1968, biosphere reserve 1981 | Giant eland, hippos, lions | Reached from the Ngaoundéré–Garoua road; North under “all but essential” advice |
| Bouba Ndjida | North | 2,114 to 2,200 km² | Reserve 1932, park 1968 or 1980 depending on the source | Antelopes (23 species), elephants decimated in 2012 | Near Chad; the 40 km border strip is under “all travel” advice |
| Faro | North | 3,300 or 3,418 km² | 1980 (forest reserve from 1947) | Hippos, elephants, lions | On the Nigerian border; the 40 km strip is under “all travel” advice |
| Mbam and Djerem | Centre and Adamawa | 4,235 or 4,290 km² | January 2000 | Elephants, chimpanzees, buffalo, 360 bird species | Forest–savannah mosaic; no documented tourist facilities |
| Dja Faunal Reserve | South-east of the country | 5,260 km² | 1950; UNESCO 1987 | Gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants, leopards | Outside the areas to avoid; dense forest, hard to reach |
| Lobéké | East | 2,150 to 2,178 km² | 1999 or 2001; UNESCO 2012 (Sangha Trinational) | Forest elephants and gorillas in the bais | Borders the Central African Republic; the 40 km strip is under “all travel” advice |
| Korup | South-West | 1,260 km² | October 1986 (reserve from 1937) | Drills, Preuss's red colobus, chimpanzees; one of Africa's oldest forests | Entered via Mundemba; South-West under “all travel” advice |
| Campo Ma'an | South | 2,640 or 2,680 km² | 2000 | Western lowland gorillas, chimpanzees, forest elephants | Near Campo and Kribi; outside the areas to avoid |
| Mount Cameroon | South-West | 581 km² | 2009 | Forest elephants, drills, two endemic birds | Starts from Buea; all travel advised against |
| Takamanda | South-West | 676 km² | 2008 (forest reserve from 1934) | Cross River gorilla (200 to 250 animals) | Reached via Mamfe; all travel advised against |
The northern savannahs: a heritage at risk
Waza, Bénoué, Bouba Ndjida and Faro built Cameroon's reputation among safari-goers. At Waza, a study published in Oryx in 2022 reports that tourists have not returned since a French family was kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2013, that funding has shrunk and that wildlife has declined sharply: on a three-day visit in December 2021 the authors saw only six kob. Around the same time some 2,500 herders with 35,000 cattle had taken refuge in the park to escape clashes between communities. An aerial survey by the Wildlife Conservation Society nevertheless counted at least 350 Kordofan giraffes there.
In early 2012, heavily armed poachers from Sudan and Chad, travelling on horseback, slaughtered the elephants of Bouba Ndjida. The toll varies with the source and the date: about 200 elephants in the first reports of February 2012, then 458 carcasses counted and nearly 500 elephants killed according to park officials quoted in the press. Bénoué is still known for the giant eland, Africa's largest antelope, and for its hippos; Faro is said to have the largest hippo population in West and Central Africa, according to Wikipedia.
The forests of the South and East
The Dja Faunal Reserve, created in 1950 and a World Heritage Site since 1987, is almost entirely encircled by the Dja River. Around 90% of its area remains undisturbed. It is home to more than 1,500 plant species, over 107 mammal species and more than 320 bird species, and about 40,000 people live there, including Baka hunter-gatherers. In the far south-east, Lobéké is part of the Sangha Trinational, inscribed by UNESCO in 2012 together with two neighbouring parks in the Central African Republic and Congo, covering 7,463 km² in all. Its bais – mineral-rich forest clearings – draw some of the highest densities of forest elephants and gorillas in Africa.
Campo Ma'an, created in 2000 as compensation for the damage expected from the Chad–Cameroon oil pipeline, runs along the Atlantic and the border with Equatorial Guinea. It is the forest park closest to a tourist area, Kribi. It is home to western lowland gorillas and chimpanzees but suffers from illegal hunting and logging; some Bagyeli now work there as guides.
In the South-West, Korup, inaugurated in 1986, is renowned for primate and bird watching; it is entered via Mundemba and a suspension bridge built in 1989. Takamanda, created in 2008, protects the Cross River gorilla, the most endangered gorilla subspecies. According to a Bournemouth University researcher (2022), poaching of chimpanzees and elephants rose in Korup and Takamanda after the rangers fled because of the Anglophone crisis.
Seeing wildlife safely: accessible ecotourism
- The Limbe Wildlife Centre in Limbe cares for gorillas, chimpanzees, drills, mandrills and baboons rescued from the wildlife trade. Open 9am to 4pm, closed on Mondays; 3,000 CFA francs for a foreign adult, 500 CFA francs for a Cameroonian adult (prices listed in 2026). The UK lists Limbe under “all but essential travel”.
- At Ebodjé, near Campo, the Tube Awù association shows visitors its sea-turtle conservation work (see the beaches page).
- Lake Ossa, near Edéa, is a wildlife reserve known for its African manatees and can be reached from Douala.
In the parks themselves, Wikipedia states that a guide is compulsory at Waza and that the park opens only from 15 November to 15 June, during the dry season. No official schedule of national park entry fees could be found online.
Frequently asked questions
How many national parks are there in Cameroon?
Wikipedia's list counts thirteen national parks, plus Mount Cameroon (2009), wildlife reserves such as the Dja and Lake Ossa, and several sanctuaries.
Which Cameroonian parks are UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
The Dja Faunal Reserve (1987) and Lobéké National Park, as part of the Sangha Trinational (2012). Waza, Bouba Ndjida and Campo Ma'an have been on the Tentative List since 2018. Cameroon's third World Heritage Site, Diy-Gid-Biy (2025), is a cultural one.
Can you still visit Waza National Park?
The park is in the Far North, where the UK advises against all travel as of 2026, and tourists have not returned since 2013, according to a study published in 2022.
Where can you see gorillas in Cameroon?
Gorillas live in the Dja, Lobéké and Campo Ma'an and, in the case of the Cross River gorilla, in Takamanda. The easiest way to see one is still the Limbe Wildlife Centre, which cares for animals rescued from the trade.
What happened at Bouba Ndjida in 2012?
Armed poachers on horseback from Sudan and Chad killed hundreds of elephants there in early 2012: about 200 according to the first reports, nearly 500 according to park officials.
Handle with care
Several figures differ between each park's Wikipedia page and the list of protected areas: the size of Bénoué (1,800 or 1,979 km²), the date of Bouba Ndjida (1968 or 1980), and the date of Lobéké (1999 or 2001). The toll of the 2012 massacre ranges from about 200 to nearly 500 elephants depending on the date and source. The UNESCO data given here comes from secondary sources (Wikipedia, the press) rather than from the UNESCO and Protected Planet pages. No official entry fees were found.