Limbe
Cameroon · South-West · 20 m
Description
Limbe sits between Mount Cameroon and the sea, and its beaches are black because the sand is ground-down lava from the volcano behind the town. The German botanical garden of 1892 still runs down to the water with its avenues of old trees and a jungle village where a cemetery holds colonial graves. The wildlife centre next door keeps gorillas, chimpanzees and drills confiscated from the bushmeat trade in large forest enclosures. Down the coast at Batoke and Seme the lava fields reach the shore. Fishing boats land the catch at Down Beach every morning.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 2 to 5 days (optimal 3 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: December – February
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Black sand beaches at Mile 6 and Seme
- Limbe Wildlife Centre
- Limbe Botanic Garden
- Down Beach fish market and grills
- Lava flows reaching the sea at Batoke
- Bimbia slave trade site and its forest walk
- View of Mount Cameroon from the shore
- German colonial cemetery in the garden
- Boat trips to Bota and the fishing islands
- Ferry to Calabar in Nigeria
- Drill and mandrill enclosures
- Palm-fringed Mile 11 beach
Getting there
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry