Disturbingly delightful: Cameroon offers monkeys, mountains, art and champagne
Jan 18, 2011
Julie Isabelle, 32, moved to Douala, Cameroon from Quebec four years ago. In this Q&A, the mother of four shares her insights on what adventurous travelers can expect to find in Douala in 2011.
VGDBK: What should travelers know about Douala, Cameroon?
Don't freak at the airport. It only gets better after that.
VGDBK: How did you celebrate the New Year in Douala?
My husband, Sylvain, and I rented our friend’s beach villa at Kribi (a three hour drive from Douala). We celebrated the New Year on the beach with our kids and friends, eating foie gras and drinking champagne—this is soo French.
Kribi is always a nice, weekend getaway with the kids and Toupie (the family’s yellow Lab). We watch the local fishing guys coming and going. We bring our own food and beds sheets to the villa, but it’s totally worth it. There is a guy at the house who helps clean and prepares amazing braised fish with plantains. The house is in a fishing village at Longhi beach and is very rudimentary, but on the beach you are alone with only your feet in the sand. It’s the perfect place for a midnight bath.
VGDBK: What is the newest hotspot in Douala?
Definitely Le Boj, (a modern, upscale bar and restaurant which serves enormous prawns). Le Boj has a big open bar downstairs and a formal dinning room upstairs. I go there for champagne with my girlfriends or for a date with Sylvain.
VGDBK: Where do you go for a day trip from Douala?
We love going to the beach at Limbe, with a quick stop at the wildlife reserve, where we walk around among the monkeys. The kids love it, and the staff is kind. Then we go eat under the tiki-huts on Etisah beach (an hour drive from Douala).
We also discovered a French lady who has a nursery for orphaned baby chimpanzees, whose moms have been hunted and killed. She lives on a little island beside Edea (about 45 minutes from Douala). You can go there and play with the chimpanzees. This is a unique and disturbing experience. It’s difficult to visit the orphaned monkeys with young kids because the animals want all the attention, and they get jealous of the little ones.
VGDBK: What is it like to climb one of Africa’s highest volcanoes, Mount Cameroon?
The first time I climbed Mount Cameroon a couple of years ago, I went with Sylvain and my sister, who was visiting from Canada. We didn’t make it far up the mountain before Sylvain’s hiking shoes started to fall apart. The humidity in Cameroon had rotted his boots while they were in our storage closet. Our guide made us go back down the mountain after seeing Sylvain’s shoelaces tied around his foot to hold the soles of his shoes in place. He never could have made it back down the mountain without shoes.
We want to try the climb again this year. When we do, we’ll arrive at the bottom of the mountain in Buea (about an hour from Douala) around 6 a.m. My goal is to climb directly to the top in one day, passing from 1,000 meters at the bottom to 4,000 meters at the top, then coming back to the second shelter and sleeping at an altitude of 2,800 meters. Last time, we reached 2,800 meters and already felt dizzy and out of breath every step we made. The website was great for getting ready and looking at the map of the trails.
VGDBK: What is the coolest thing for visitors to do in Cameroon?
We haven’t done this yet, but I've heard the most attractive park for Safaris in Cameroon is the Boubandjida National Park. Five different friends have told me the camp is cool and not as disorganized as the rest of Cameroon.
VGDBK: Can you find interesting crafts in Cameroon?
You may have to ask around to find the craftsmen in the markets, but you can find unique furniture made from tree roots. I have a table that I love made from Padauk root. Also, my walls are covered with Max's (Lyonga) paintings.
