Sites are reserved for camping in the park, the lodging in cabins and tents in the Fako Mountain and Mann’s Spring Lodge is obligatory for visitors, guides and porters for the tours between Buea, Summit and Mann Spring.

 

No wild camping close to these sites or at any other place is authorized, except Camp 1 and Camp 2 between Summit and Mann Spring if required by the tour planning or in case of urgency, for now, Camp 1 and Camp 2 can be used free of charge.

 

Other places for camping which can be used so far free of charge are P&T station (not operational for now) and the camping site in the forest close to Elephant opening. There are no facilities – water, toilets, electricity, shelters- in these places; Please take care to keep them clean.  

 

Use of firewood for cooking and warming

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Use of firewood harvested in the park is forbidden. Firewood harvesting specially at Fako Mountain Lodge with an increasing number of visitors will have a negative impact on the environment. A kitchen for guides and porters has been built in Fako Moutain Lodge or is under construction in Mann’s Spring Lodge, tour operators shall bring up their own cooking gear (gaz, kerosene or charcoal ovens) for their cooking, they can be stored in the lodging facilities. The tours shall then transport their kerosene or charcoal for the tour. For visitors cooking of simple meals can be ordered in the lodges. As the lodges are in a National Park it is not authorized to use any part of the natural vegetation (bushes, grass, bark, dead timber) from the park to make a fire in order to cook or to warm yourself. Fires in the park especially in the dry season can have dangerous consequences and cause huge bush fires spreading over many kilometres of the grassland and destroying trees and shrubs. In future the concessionaire of the lodge may organise official fireplaces in the restaurant or outside the lodge for creating a “warming” ambiance”, however firewood will be brought from outside the National Park.   

 

Drinking water

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Water is found only at a few places in the mountain, at Hut 1 or Mosake spring at 1,865m, Mann’s Spring – Mowe in Bakweri – at 2,400 m, Nitele at 1820 m, Elephant Opening –Mosingiseli in Bakweri – at 1585m.. In Mann Spring you can fill your bottles with clean spring water – the other springs are not managed and may need filtering in order to avoid any contamination. Tour operators organize your water bottles with mineral water for the day. Please think to carry the empty bottles back to town. In the Fako Mountain and Mann Spring Lodge you can buy mineral water.   

 

Harvesting of plants or animals

In a national park any harvesting of plants or animals is strictly forbidden if not authorized by specific permits and management measures. Therefore guides and porters shall strictly observe that no plants or animals, even dry flowers are collected in the park. Keep the beauty of the flowers in your photographs! ‘’Take nothing but pictures---Leave nothing but foot prints.’’

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Waste management under the motto “Trash in – Trash out”

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All waste which is brought up by tourists, guide and porters has to be carried back by them to town. It is not authorized to dump it at one of the lodges or on the trails. A good example to follow is to take up the waste of people who have dropped it on the way before you. The waste is not heavy because it consists of mainly plastic bottles, papers, sardine tins, etc. All guides shall give voluntarily this good example (see picture below) and waste management will be not any more a problem in the National Park. You as a tourist will not complain that the park is dirty. For this please, tourists should find out before you start the tour, if the guides/porters who are accompanying you are carrying along an empty plastic bag to collect the waste of your own tour but also that of people who have dropped waste on the way before you. The management of the different tour facilitation organisation are equally solicited to control the respect of waste management measures adopted. 

        

Toilets in the National park

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So far water flushed toilets only exist in Fako Mountain Lodge and Mann’s Spring Lodge. They also exist in P&T lodge but the lodge is not yet operational and the toilet facilities cannot yet be used. No other toilet facility (latrine or dry toilet) has been installed on the trails. Please ask your tour operator to take a plastic spade or trowel along before you start the trip. If you need to relieve yourself during the trip please go at least 20 m to one of the sides of the trail, dig a hole with the spade or trowel, and cover the whole with earth when you have finished.  

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Cleaning of guides and porters facilities in the lodges

Guides and porters are responsible to clean the cabins which they are using and leave the place clean for the next team.

 

Smoking in the lodges and in the park

All the constructions of the lodges are made of timber. Smoking is not allowed by tourists/guides/porters or any other person in the cabins and in the restaurant. Special attention should be paid in the dry season for smoking outside – the grassland can easily burn and create damage to persons and infrastructure.

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Other rules to be respected in the lodges

The lodges are of simple and solid construction in an isolated but very rewarding natural environment. To guarantee a most pleasing stay for all visitors we ask you to respect the following rules:

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• Please remember that lodges and places for tents have to be reserved with the lodge operator or the tour operator; space is limited!

• Please announce your arrival to the manager of the lodge immediately when you arrive – he will arrange all necessary that your stay will be comfortable.

• Please respect the instructions of the camp manager and eco-guards of the National Park

• Please order your food and your drinks in the restaurant; it is not allowed to bring food and drinks from outside for consumption in the restaurant. To give you a pleasing stay the place has to be permanently managed and these services have to be paid by your lodging and consumption.

• Please respect the place, keep it clean and take along the waste brought by you, so that people behind you will enjoy the place also

• Please inform the camp operator if you detect any faulty part in the infrastructure of the lodges

• Please respect other people who are lodging in the site and want to enjoy an extraordinary quiet environment, keep silent specially in the night.

• Please use the toilets in the lodges also in the night even if you have to make some steps to reach the toilet – the visitors using the lodge after you will thank you for this effort, because seeing or stepping through toilet paper and other stuff on the ground is not of the nature to make you feel comfortable….

 

The lodge management encourages you to leave a comment, appreciation or suggestion in the guest book available in each site!