Southwest Travel Guide
Mount Cameroon (4,040 m) seen from Limbe. Photo via Wikimedia Commons.
Southwest (Sud-Ouest) is Cameroon's adventure corner: the smoking cone of Mount Cameroon, black-sand beaches at its foot, and Korup, one of the oldest rainforests in Africa.
Buea, the regional capital at about 1,000 m on the mountain's flank, was the capital of German Kamerun and later of British Southern Cameroons. It is the gateway for Mount Cameroon climbs and the annual Mount Cameroon Race of Hope.
⚠ Official travel advisories warn against travel to parts of the Southwest. Check current government advice before planning a trip here.
Destinations in Southwest
Mount CameroonActive stratovolcano (4,040 m), the highest peak in sub-Saharan West and Central Africa. Last erupted February 2012; climbs start in Buea.
Korup National Park1,260 sq km of ancient rainforest: drills, Preuss's red colobus, famous birding. Entry via the Mana suspension bridge near Mundemba.
Limbe Wildlife CentrePrimate rescue and rehabilitation centre (gorillas, chimpanzees, drills, mandrills), founded 1993.- Mount Cameroon Race of HopeAnnual mountain race (38 km, stadium to summit and back), January/February since 1973.
Black-sand beachesSeme and Down Beach: volcanic black sand at the foot of the mountain.
Limbe Botanic GardenHistoric garden at the mouth of the Limbe River.- BimbiaHistoric slave-trade embarkation site on the coast.
Cities & towns
Getting there
Buea and Limbe are reached by road from Douala (under two hours). Korup is remote: base yourself in Mundemba.