- Saka-saka (pounded cassava leaves): the forest-region staple.
- Maquis restaurants around the city serve the full Cameroonian repertoire.
Yaounde City Guide
The Star Building, Yaounde. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Yaounde is Cameroon's political capital: ministries, embassies and grand public buildings set among forested hills. It is calmer and greener than Douala, and the base for the Centre region's ecotourism.
Key sights are the National Museum, the Reunification Monument at Ngoa Ekelle (1973-1976), and the Mvog-Betsi zoo and botanical garden. The primate sanctuary of Mefou and the pirogue trips of Ebogo are easy day trips.
What to do in Yaounde
City
- 1National Museum Cameroon's national collections, from prehistory to the modern state.
- 2Reunification Monument The 1973-1976 monument at Ngoa Ekelle commemorating the 1961 reunification of the two Cameroons.
- 3Mvog-Betsi Zoo and Botanic Garden Zoo and botanical garden on the edge of the capital.
Day trips
- 1
Mefou National Park Primate sanctuary run by Ape Action Africa, about 45 km south: rescued gorillas, chimpanzees and mandrills. - 2Ebogo Pirogue trips on the Nyong River through swamp forest; a Ramsar wetland site.
Yaounde Hotel Guide
How to choose the best places to stay in Yaounde. Verified properties below; for the full list, search live availability on Booking.com.
Luxury
Hilton Yaounde
The capital's landmark international hotel, central and long-established.
View on Booking.com
Where to eat
Getting there and around
Yaounde Nsimalen (NSI) is about 20 km south of the city. Camrail trains link Yaounde with Douala and the overnight sleeper to Ngaoundere.