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Just north of Bamenda is the large Tikar community of Bafut, traditionally the most powerful of the Grassfields kingdoms. The fon's (local chief's) palace here is home to a 700-year-old dynasty and is a fascinating insight into traditional culture.
The palace compound consists of numerous buildings, including the houses of the fon's 150-or-so wives (not all of whom are presently in residence), and the sacred Achum building, which is off-limits to everyone except the fon and his close advisors. In front of the palace compound are several stones marking the burial sites of nobles who died while serving the fon, and the Takombang House which holds the fon's ceremonial drum.
The imposing colonial building above the palace is now a museum. It holds many interesting (and slightly scary) carvings, traditional costumes and weapons.
In late December, Bafut holds a huge four-day celebration to mark the end of the year's ancestor worship with masked dancing and drumming. Bafut also holds a large market every eight days (every 'country Sunday').
(North-West Province)
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Trekking in the spectacular landscapes of the Mandara Mountains west of Maroua is one of Cameroon's best and most popular attractions, especially for the more adventurous travellers. The whole region is full of traditional hillside villages of round huts, huge stone formations and wide green valleys.
There are many fascinating villages, including Rhumsiki, with its striking mountain scenery; Djingliya and Koza, set against steep terraced hillsides; Tourou, known for the calabash hats worn by local women; Maga, with its unique domed houses made entirely of clay; and Mora, which has a particularly notable weekly market. Hiking between villages is one of the best ways to appreciate the scenery and culture alike.
(N Cameroon)
Waza National Park is Cameroon's most accessible and rewarding wildlife-viewing experience. Visitors can reasonably expect to see large numbers of elephants, giraffes, hippos, antelopes, monkeys and abundant birdlife. There are lions in the park, but seeing them requires some luck and a very early start.
Late March to April is the best time for viewing, as the animals congregate at water holes before the rains.
(northern Cameroon)
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Though touristy, Foumban is one of Cameroon's major attractions and an important centre of traditional African art. Its jewel is the Palais Royal, seat of power for the Bamoun people. The ruler of the Bamoun is known as the sultan, and the Bamoun can trace the lineage of their sultan back to 1394.
The palace, completed in 1917, resembles a medieval chateau. It houses the Sultan's Museum, which contains a multitude of royal gowns, arms, musical instruments, statues, jewellery, masks and colourful bead-covered thrones carved in the shapes of the men who sat on them.
A few hundred metres south of the palace is the Musée des Arts et des Traditions Bamoun. This extensive collection has exhibits on Bamoun history and art, including cooking implements, musical instruments, pipes, statues, masks, gongs and an ornately carved xylophone. The road that connects the two museums is the Rue des Artisans, home to sculptors, basket makers, weavers and embroiderers, and one of the best places in Central Africa to buy wood carvings.
Once a sleepy colonial capital, Yaoundé is now a bustling urban centre of meandering streets and undulating hills, offering excellent museums and a cool climate. In the lively African quarters of Messa, Mokolo and Briqueterie you'll find the best grilled chicken this side of the Côte d'Ivoire.
A few kilometres north of the city centre is the Benedictine Monastery's Musée d'Art Cameroonais. Despite its small size, it has one of the best collections of Cameroonian art in the world, including masks, bowls and Bamoun bronze pipes. The monastery's chapel is also beautifully decorated.
A few kilometres west of downtown is the Quartier Melen, home to the Musée d'Art Nègre. The museum's collection includes Bamoun pipes from north-west Cameroon, Baoulé textiles from Côte d'Ivoire and Congolese-Zaïrian masks, as well as pieces from Algeria and Ethiopia. Melen is also home to the Paroisse de N'Djong Melen, a church whose open-air Sunday mass you shouldn't miss. For over two hours, a priest recites the mass in Ewondo to the accompaniment of African drumming, dancing and singing.
Yaoundé is in the south-western corner of the country, about 200km (124mi) from both the Atlantic Ocean and the southern border.
