Bamenda Tourist Places to Visit in Bamenda, Cameroon, Africa

Bamenda is the capital city of the North West Region of Cameroon, situated around 365 kilometers northwest of Yaounde, the capital of Cameroon and 300 kilometers northeast of the country’s largest city, Douala. Also called Mankon Town and Abakwa, Bamenda is famous among visitors for its winsome hill stations and cool and healthy climate.

Other than markets, museums and palaces, Bamenda is also noted for the coffee production which is grown in the area surrounding the city. Bamenda is located between 5°56′ N latitude and 10°10′ E longitude, around 1,610 meters above sea level.

History of Bamenda:

The city of Bamenda was founded with the merger of three villages Mendakwe, Nkwen and Mankon. Before the defeat of Germany in World War I, Bamenda had seen around 30 year rule of the Germans beginning of 1884. After this major incident, Bamenda became a part of the British along with the other Western Cameroonian towns and finally gained liberty in 1961.

How to reach Bamenda?

Bamenda has an airport, but it is served by only charter flights, so it would be better if one can choose to reach either Douala Airport (310 kilometers) or Yaounde Airport (390 kilometers) and then take bus or taxi from there to Bamenda. Both of the above airports have international flights, including Paris, Istanbul and Johannesburg.

Through roadway, Bamenda is connected to all the major cities of Cameroon including Douala and Yaounde, served by buses and minibuses.

Culture, Food and Shopping in Bamenda:

Bamenda is a culturally diverse city with people belonging to the different communities, dominated by Tikar people. The Mankon Museum is an important cultural center in Bamenda exhibiting a variety of woodcarvings, beads, and baskets made by locals and that are also available for purchase.

Dreamland Restaurant and Pres Café are the two famous tourist favor restaurants in Bamenda.

Things to do in Bamenda:

Hiking
Visiting museums
Shopping

Places to see in Bamenda:

The Mankon Fon’s Palace:

The Mankon Fon’s Palace with the museum is focused on displaying the culture of Mankon people who are one of the original settlers and ethnic groups in the area and have a distinct style in celebrating festivals. The museum is in the suburb of Mankon.

The Bali Fon’s palace:

The Bali Fon’s palace is situated in the nearby town of Bali, around 20 kilometers away from Bamenda and well known for its ancient architectural designs and strong construction.

Mount Oku:

The Mount Oku is located along the Bamenda Ring Road, around 3,011 meters above sea level. This stratovolcano encompasses many noteworthy rocks of which some have around 25 million year history and can be explored best through a guided tour.

Menchum Falls:

The Menchum Falls is a spectacular natural beauty receiving water from Menchum River, located around 80 kilometers north of Bamenda. Accessing it would be a difficult task, although it is worth a watch, and to make it possible, visitors can take help of natives or guided tour.

The Bamenda Ring Road:

Measuring a length of 367 kilometers, the Bamenda Ring Road begins at Bamenda passing through many scenic towns like Bafut, Wum, Nkambe, Kumbo and finally end up in Bamenda. While travelling through this route, visitors can visit many famous natural attractions including Kimbi River Game Reserve and Mount Oku.

List of other places of interest in Bamenda include:

Kimbi River Game Reserve
Bafut Palace
Akum’s Temple
Mankon Museum
Markets in Bafoussam
Brewery in Bafoussam
Marche des Fleurs
La Nouvelle Liberte
Doual’Art
The Basilique Marie-Reine-des-Apôtres
Waza National Park
Korup National Park

Best time to visit Bamenda:

As like the most, other cities of Cameron, from November to February is the best and most popular time to visit Bamenda.

Accommodation options in Bamenda:

Bamenda houses many standard accommodation centers, of which the most are vacation rentals, offering all kinds of basic facilities, charging around CFA 45.000 per night for double excluding breakfast and also they offer discount on age group. Here are some selected standard accommodations in Bamenda in Cameroon: