Tourist Places to Visit in Maroua, Cameroon, Africa

Tourist Places to Visit in Maroua, Cameroon, Africa

Maroua is the capital city of the province of the Far North in the African country, Cameroon, situated at an altitude of 384 meters. Maroua is noted as the city of the cotton industry and also houses an airport, ethnographic museum and more importantly, the University of Maroua. Positioned on the Ferngo and Kaliao Rivers, Maroua is geographically positioned between 10°34′56.359″ N latitude and 14°19′39.16″ E longitude.

The Mount Maroua is a mountain overlooking the city and Maroua is also the nearest city to the popular Waza National Park. There is a military base that houses the BIR rapid intervention force, located to the south of Maroua. Maroua experiences a hot semi-arid climate with hot and dry weather year round.

Getting Maroua:

Salak Airport is situated near the town of Salak, around 15 kilometers away from the center of the city of Maroua. The airport is served by the Cameroon’s national airline Camairco with scheduled flights from Douala and Yaoundé. The distance between the airport and the city can be crossed by minibus service or airport taxi.

To get around the city, to reach airport, nearby cities and tourist attractions, visitors can hire local transportation like mopeds or cars from the local travel agency.

Maroua is situated about 1350 kilometers northeast of Douala, the largest city of Cameroon and 1150 kilometers northeast of Yaoundé, the capital of Cameroon.

Culture, and Shopping in Maroua:

Sufi Islam people live in Maroua dominate the city’s population. The University of Maroua is the prime educational center as well as the cultural center of Maroua.

The traditional market of Maroua offers a wide range of locally items for visitors like leather work, pottery, metalwork, jewelry and embroideries.

Things to do in Maroua:

Traditional shopping
Hiking
City tours

Places to see in Maroua:

Ethnographic museum in Maroua:

The Ethnographic Museum in Maroua is a place where visitors can get the most complete and interesting information about the local people, culture, tradition, cuisine and lifestyle from the origin of the city to modern days.

Mount Maroua:

The Mount Maroua, overlooks the Maroua city, is famous among visitors for its opportunity of adventure sports activities and can be explored best through a guided tour.

Protestant Church:

Although Muslim is the predominant religion in Maroua, the city houses a Protestant Church reserved for the Christian devotees. There are several historical as well as modern mosques in Maroua.

University of Maroua:

Established in the year 2008, the University of Maroua is one of the prominent universities in the northern Cameroon. Apart from providing various courses and quality education, the university is also famous for conducting programs showcasing the local culture.

Waza National Park:

Located about 130 kilometers northeast of Maroua, the Waza National Park was declared as a national park in 1968 and the park was promoted as a UNESCO biosphere reserve in the year 1979.The park spans over an area of 1,700 square kilometers in which a wide range of animal species including hartebeest, roan, waterbuck, reed and gazelle are living.

List of other places of interest in Maroua includes:

Salak Airport
Agricultural school
Textile research institute
Cotton factory
Bouba Ndjida National Park
Faro Reserve
Benoue National Park
Lake Lagdo
Akum’s Temple
Mankon Museum
Menchum Falls
The Bamenda Ring Road
The Mankon Fon’s Palace
The Bali Fon’s palace

Best time to visit Maroua:

As like the rest of Cameroon, from November to February is the best time to visit Maroua in Cameroon.

Accommodation options in Maroua:

It is difficult to find a number of modern hotels in Maroua, but plenty of vacation rentals can be found. Here is the list of hotels in Maroua and Garoua (around 210 kilometers):