20TH MAY COVERAGE: TRAVEL & TOURISM

Cameroon is popularly known as "Africa in miniature” because of its diverse climate, culture, geography and people.

Its wildlife draws safari-goers and big-game hunters from around the world. Iconic animals including cheetahs, chimpanzees, elephants, giraffes, gorillas, hippopotami, and rhinoceroses grace its forests and parks. However a relatively minor but improving system hampers a full exploration of Cameroon’s splendour. But as one Africa’s older countries, Cameroon boasts several World Heritage Sites. The diversity of languages is also one of Cameroon's great cultural heritages.

MUST SEE DESTINATIONS

Dja Faunal Reserve: This is a UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site inscribed in 1987. Covering the South Eastern part of the country, the national park is one of the largest and best protected rain forests in the country. With about 90% of the area still undisturbed and bordered naturally by the Dja River which almost completely surrounds it, the bio diversity and wide variety of primates from this reserve deserve special mention. Along with 5 threatened species, there are 107 mammal species in this reserve. There are more than 1,500 known plant species in the reserve and more than 320 bird species in the park. The Dja Faunal Reserve covers 5,260 km².

***************************************************************

Archaeological Remains of Shum Laka: Sheltered by a huge 1200 sq role, this spectacular spot lies close to Bamenda. An archaeological heritage site, it has remnants of a typical forest land, where skeletal remnants of men living thousands of years ago were unearthed. Belonging to the Community of Baforchu, Shum Laka presents vital clues of human evolution in Africa.

****************************************************************

Baka Rainforest: nestled in the southern eastern part of Cameroon is this beautiful rainforest that is home to the Baka pygmies an indigenous group known to have been in Cameroon before it was discovered or colonised.

Baka Rainforest.


Baka Rainforest

Baka Rainforest

Don't forget about the COMPETITION, to recap, check out this post and send in your answers asap! http://dulcecamer.blogspot.com/2009/04/win-win-win_28.html

Kapsiki Peak / Mountain: found in the Adamawa province, this is worth seeing!

Kribi Beach

Falls of the Lobe: 310 km from Yaoundé these falls constitute a small arms progressing in a series of smaller falls which cascade into the mighty Atlantic Ocean. Bask in the stunning scenery and mix friendly locals.

Korup National Park: Created in 1986, this rain drenched park is located in the southern parts of the country. The four types of vegetation particular to this forest are - The Atlantic forest biafrèene, the marshy forest, the forest submontagnarde and the forest of piedmont. It houses 1700 species of plant, 410 species of birds representing 53 families, 480 species of butterflies, 82 reptilian species and 161 species of mammals. If bird watching is your thing, the Korup is the place to be!

Korup National Park

Korup National Park

Menchum Falls

Menchum Falls

Craters of Mount Cameroon

Waza National Park: A jewel of the North, Waza is Cameroon’s most accessible and rewarding wildlife viewing experience. Elephants, giraffes, hippos, antelopes, monkeys and abundant birdlife welcome the visitors to this natural reserve. With some luck and a very early start, tourists can catch sight of a lion within the premises of the park.

Waza National Park

Limbe Botanical and Zoological Garden: Internationally recognized as one of the most active gardens in tropical West and Central Africa, this garden as a natural gateway to the Mount Cameroon region. It is also ideal for picnics and parties.

***************************************************************

Museum of Bandjoun: Bandjoun was one of the important centres of artistic creation and tradition in the Cameroonian Grassland and the museum exhibits over 100 important objects depicting this cultural heritage. Rare and wonderful remnants symbolizing African art can be seen in the museum.

****************************************************************

Mefou National Park: Situated about an hour and a half away from the capital city, this national park covers about 1044 hectares of forest land. It houses chimps, gorillas, baboons and various other species of monkeys.

*****************************************************************

Babungo Museum: Once the most important iron work centres in Cameroon, it houses very well preserved objects from the rich cultural and artistic heritage of the Babungo tribe of Cameroon’s North West province. The art objects are clear indications of the various aspects of social life and the artistic heritage of the kingdom. Although a whole range of objects were not available for preservation, the remaining ones speak of the rich tradition and heritage of the Babungos.

*******************************************************************

The Diy-Gid-Biy of the Mandara Mount: Meaning ‘Eye of the Chief at top', this archaeological heritage site consists of dry stone. Its structure indicates that the presence of a prior civilisation three centuries ago.

********************************************************************

The Rupestral Engravings of Bidzar: The Bidzar petroglyphs are located near Bidzar village, on the Maroua-Garoua road toward Guider. An area of marble flagstone extending around the village circa 2.5 km from north to south, and one kilometre from east to west displays around 500 engraved figures in total. The marble is of a calcareous type called cipolin; it has an ideal composition for engraving, having low resistance to friction and breaking easily. Figures were engraved into the marble using a hammer and an engraving tool. The drawings are mostly geometrical, consisting of groups of circles, some isolated and some in groups. It has been speculated that the engraving represents concepts or stories from myths, or elaborate a cosmogeny.

The age of the engravings has proven difficult to determine. Radiometric dating has produced a range of estimates, dating various carvings to between 300 and 3000 years of age. The petroglyph site was discovered in 1933 by a French researcher named Buisson.
In the twentieth and twenty first centuries, the calcareous marble on which the engravings stand has been extracted for use at nearby cement and marble factories. This activity endangers the engravings, which received provisional protection when the site was included in the Cultural category of the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List, on April 18th, 2006.

*********************************************************************

The Bafut chiefdom or Fon Palace: A requested Cultural World Heritage Site, this site is located near Bamenda. This area displays about 50 buildings, most of which are terracotta structures, with tiled roofs. The central structure known as "Achum" is architecturally and religiously most important. The Bafut Palace counts among one of the oldest traditional architectural structures in Cameroon.

***********************************************************

KEY FACTS

Airports: Douala International Airport & Yaounde Nsimalen Airport.

Airlines: Cameroon Airways aka Camair. Some other airlines that fly to Cameroon includes Airfrance, SN Brussels, Swiss Air, Air Maroc, KLM, Kenya Airways, Ethiopian Airlines, Virgin Nigeria, British Airways

***********************************************************

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/
http://www.pbase.com/richardmartin
http://www.njeitimah-outlook.com/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yuh/1180847172/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cofree/3334179956/
http://www.travelpod.com/travel-photo/modernnomad67/3/1199318880/1-lobe-beach-near-kribi.jpg/tpod.html
http://www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/nominees/africa/c/LakeChadLake/
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://www.maanystavat.fi/indigenous/sunlight%2520in%2520rainforest,%2520small.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.maanystavat.fi/indigenous/Baka.html&usg=__uzwGtbcJdrUFcFf3PE7WwmgWbtY=&h=295&w=229&sz=145&hl=en&start=186&um=1&tbnid=oEofgeP8TWAQVM:&tbnh=115&tbnw=89&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimages%2Bof%2Bbaka%2Brainforest%26ndsp%3D18%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26start%3D180%26um%3D1
http://images.google.co.uk/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Mount_Cameroon_craters.jpg&imgrefurl=http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mount_Cameroon_craters.jpg&usg=__FWGBuQxCYj3neHCQYFEreXvNjS8=&h=667&w=1000&sz=658&hl=en&start=3&um=1&tbnid=LZN9zpaf7doqGM:&tbnh=99&tbnw=149&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dimages%2Bof%2Bmount%2Bcameroon%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DX%26um%3D1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tourism_in_Cameroon

*****************************************************************
Looking forward to visiting Camer soon? Well get booking and don't forget your cameras...do I hear cheesssssseeee!

Stay sweet

Dulce

xxx