Buea
Cameroon · South-West · 1000 m
Description
Buea lies on the eastern flank of Mount Cameroon at a thousand metres, cool and often in cloud, and it is the town every climber starts from. The volcano rises to 4040 metres and is the highest in West and Central Africa, still active and last erupting in 2012. The standard route takes three days up and down through rainforest, then montane grassland, then bare lava. The Germans made Buea their capital in 1901 and the governor's residence and several villas of that period still stand. Every February the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope runs to the summit and back.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 4 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: December – February
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Climbing Mount Cameroon
- Summit crater and the lava fields
- Hut One and Hut Two on the Guinness route
- German governor's residence
- Mount Cameroon Race of Hope (February)
- Rainforest belt and its birdlife
- Bakweri villages on the mountain slopes
- Tea estates below the town
- Cool highland climate and mountain views
- Elephant tracks in the forest zone
- Colonial villas of the Bismarck quarter