Ecotourism in Mount Cameroon National Park
How to get to the National Park ?
You can choose Buea or Limbe as base for discovering Mount Cameroon National Park.
Buea and Limbe are 65 km and 75 km respectively from Douala (1,5 hours). Limbe is situated at the coast whereas Buea stretches from 600-1100 m up the mountain.
The international airport is in Douala, then buses and taxis are regularly circulating between Douala and Buea/Limbe.
How to organize your tour activities in Mount Cameroon National Park ?
After having got an overlook of the possible activities on this website the best for you is to contact one of the official authorized local tour operators (see list below).
Their services comprise organising your activities with guides and porter, booking and paying accommodation in the park and/or providing you with camping equipment, provide food for the day and paying the park entries.
It is not permitted to enter the park without a guide from a registered local tour operator. The park is currently only accessible on foot.
It is not allowed and permitted to enter with a vehicle into the park; a regulated shuttle service to the lodges will be organized in future with improved road access.
Contact our local tour operators
If you would like to reserve or have any further information, here is the main contact to join:
Adress: EMICAM Buea, Mt Cameroon National Park Headquarter
Tel: (+237) 6 75 09 97 06
(+237) 6 80 09 85 08
Email: emicamlodge@gmail.com
Reservations can be made also through the local tour operators .
Click there to find the complet list of tour operators:
Fees
Park entrees
Park entry fees are fixed by a decree of the Ministry of Finance of Cameroon for all National Parks in Cameroon.
Park entry fee per person per day ( FCFA ) :
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1 500 FCFA for Cameroonians
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3 000 FCFA for foreign residents in Cameroun
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5 000 FCFA for foreigners
Accomodation
Cabins
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For one person : 20 000 FCFA
Any additional person : 10 000 FCFA per person
Tents
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Camping in a tent (not provided), on or outside of platform : 8 000 FCFA
Shower
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For camper, inclueding soap and towel : 2 000 FCFA
These prices include dinner and breakfast, drinks other than tea or coffee for breakfast are excluded.
Lodging for guides and porters
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1 000 FCFA, excluded food
Accomodation on the Mount : Eco- Lodges
Designed and imagined by the architect Dirk Harder, constructed by United Skills: Two spots, eleven cabins, twenty tent platforms... located on the slope of the moutain, between savannah and forest.
Activities and attractions
Accomodation on the mount : Discover our eco lodges
There are three lodges in Mount Cameroon National park of which two are operational: Fako Mountain Lodge and Mann’s Spring lodge. These lodges have been built by the Programme for Sustainable Management of Natural Resources – South West Region (PSMNR-SWR) with funds from the German Development Bank KFW. (see also flyer: Discover Mount Cameroon National Park and its lodges).
Fako Mountain Lodge
Fako Mountain Lodge is situated at 2,800m altitude on the main hiking trail from Buea to the summit.
The site offers great views of the landscape stretching down to Buea, Limbe and the coastal line up to Douala.
The site is protected against wind through lava ridges all around.
Fako Mountain lodge has a restaurant, a bar and six cabins with three beds.
All facilities are powered by solar energy. Ten tent platforms are available.
Guides and porters have their own accommodation and kitchen.
Mann's Spring Lodge
Mann’s Spring Lodge is situated at 2,300 m altitude, on the edge between the forest and savannah. It offers splendid panoramic views.
The lodge can be reached on a day’s walk directly from Buea or from Fako Mountain lodge. It can be used as a base to go to elephant view points around the crater lake.
Mann’s Spring lodge has a restaurant, bar and six cabins : two in the savannah and four in the forest, each with three beds.
The site is equipped with water and solar energy. The restaurant is a beautiful wooden structure, nicely integrated into the forest-savannah edge, with a wide terrace to the West catching the evening sun and on the other side with a view into the forest.
Restaurant
Food and drinks (coffee, tea, beer, soft drinks, wine, spirits) can be ordered on site. For larger groups it is advisable to order meals in advance.
The kitchen is excellent and run by experienced cooks. They serve breakfast (eggs, pancakes) and good meals (vegetable soup, smoked chicken and fish, spaghetti, rice with vegetables,…)
The food is included with the reservation for a night in the lodge (dinner & breakfast).
Developing of new experiences and activities
Mount Cameroon National park is a relatively “young” national park. The Eco-tourism Development Plan has identified quite an important potential for further eco-tourism development. Some experiences which could be developed in the future through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) are:
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Interpretative (game) drives by giving controlled access to vehicles managed by a concessionaire; pre-condition is to find means to rehabilitate the degraded road.
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Construction of a canopy walkway.
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Mountain-biking could be developed outside the park and on certain sections inside the park.
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Improving wildlife sightings.
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Astronomy in one of the lodges – there are perfect conditions for star gazing when the sky is clear as there is no light pollution.
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Night-tours – organize a walk in one night or on a over-night trip and experience the life of the forest during night hours.
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Horse-riding may present an opportunity to the park but has to be carefully studied.
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Beside the mountain race new events could be created as trail runs, mountain bike races, or even wedding events in one of the lodges.
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It may be possible to organize small executive meetings in P&T lodge.
Also the park discovery centre of the National Park it is planned to be constructed with the support of the German Cooperation close to the Park Headquarter in Buea. The natural history and attractions shall be made accessible in a pedagogic manner to a wide public including school pupils.