Cameroon: interesting facts and tips

Putting my feet up on Ethiopian Airlines

While putting my feet up on my flight out of Cameroon, I took some inspiration from an Ethiopian Airlines destination guide video and have changed the format of my own tips videos. I hope you like the new format.

Facts about Cameroon:

Population: 22.25m (2013)
Languages: French and English (though a lot of people speak pidgin English)
Currency: Central African Franc. £1 GBP = 825.59 Francs
Cost of a 1.5l bottle of water is 400 Francs (under 50p GBP)
Capital city: Yaounde
Largest city: Douala

Some of the children of Cameroon

The name Cameroon comes from the Portuguese Rio dos  camarões which means river of prawns
Cameroon became independent of France and England in 1960
The colours of the Cameroon represent vegetation (green), independence (red) and sunshine (yellow)

Tips for traveling in Cameroon

1) you only pay airport tax (10,000 francs) on the way out of the country. Don't be fooled by anyone in the airport on your way in claiming to be a security guard
2) don't exchange money with the touts at the airport, do it before hand
3) this isn't a luxury holiday so be prepared to rough it. On my trip I had limited access to running water and electricity (though this wasn't necessarily a bad thing)
4) if carrying your passport in your luggage , make sure that once your bag is unlocked it's easy to get to. I had to leave my passport in my bag when my bike broke down as the whole backpack was strapped to the bike meaning I couldn't access it
5) keep your passport on you when traveling as there are a lot of roadside police checks
6) in the rainforest always have water purification tablets and a timer (smart phone) on you, refilling mid hike is a life saver

One taxi I took had 10 people in (7 adults & 3 babies)

7) try public transport a couple of times, but make sure you know the details of a private driver - your hotel should be able to help
8) insect repellant is a must for the rainforest
9) if you have tattoos cover them up, people will stare - I was also told that it was against the word of God
10) Church is very... let's say, old school (you're all sinners unless you stay in the church, God caused 40 days and nights of floods to kill sinners like homosexuals). Only go if you're completely ready for this

Well that's it. Hope you liked it and please do watch the vid, subscribe, like, comment, etc : )

Peace out,

Ni