Bus
To Douala, Central Voyages and Guaranti Express have services CFA3800, three hours leaving regularly during the day. The former has a 'prestige' service costing CFA7500. Its office is south of the centre in Mvog-Mbi unlike most companies, you can book lst-class tickets a day before and they leave on time. Guaranti Express is recommended for Limbe CFA5000, five hours , Bamenda CFA5000, six hours , Bafous-sam CFA2500, three hours and Kumba CFA4000, four hours . Its office is in Quartier Nsam, 3km...
Getting There Away Spz
All agencies running transport to Bafous-sam CFA800, one hour have their offices on Route de Bafoussam at the entrance to town, west of the town gate and about 3km from the market CFA100 in a shared taxi . Moungo Voyages and Butsis Voyage have a few daily direct departures to Yaounde CFA3000, five hours and Douala CFA4500, six hours otherwise you'll need to change vehicles in Bafoussam. Non-agency minibuses departs from the gare routi re near the market. Transport between Foumban and Kumbo...
Dassazoum
What makes Dassa Zoum , the 'city of 41 hills', so interesting are the awesome rock formations overshadowing the town's sleepy streets. Every August, Catholic pilgrims pay a visit to La Grotte cave , which is where the Virgin Mary is said to have to appeared. Behind the cave, a short walk leads to the thirteen shrines hidden among the rocks. There is an evenings-only Internet caf and a Bank of Africa in town, and plenty of cheap food stalls lining the main road. Auberge de Dassa Zoum S fax 22...
TOP END Dsl
Hotel Praia Mar 2-613777 praiamar cvtelecom.cv Rua do Mar s d CVE10,800 13,500 PI g B B Set right on the water, this is the city's top address, with large, luxurious rooms, almost all with large balconies and ocean views. Hotel Pesta a Tr pico 2-614200 www.pestana .com RuadoMar s dfromCVE9800 12.100 PI g B B Another luxury option just above Prainha Beach with all amenities, including a courtyard with a large pool and ocean views.
Sleeping 1
Le Jardin Brasilien Auberge de la Diaspora s 21 34 10 11 r CFA7500-20000 P gl On the beach near the Point of No Return, this tranquil place is an excellent choice. There are three categories of rooms in the 34 bungalows among the windswept palms. The restaurant meals CFA3000 to CFA9000 is pricey but has a beautiful view and a good selection of fish. Casa Del Papa 21 4921 01 matbenin serv.eit.bj Ouidah Plage rCFA30,500-51,000 PI g This beach resort has 57 bungalows between the beach and the...
Transport In Cte Divoire
GETTING THERE amp AWAY Entering C te d'Ivoire A yellow fever vaccination certificate is mandatory and will be requested when applying for a visa and on arrival. Port Bou t is C te d'Ivoire's only international airport. Ignore the touts who offer to speed you through passport control and customs, and if someone is picking you up, make sure the person holding the sign with your name is really who they say they are. Airlines servicing C te d'Ivoire and with offices in Abidjan include the following...
Lake Aheme Around
Possotome, Bopa and the other fishing villages on the western shores of Lake Aheme, 40km southeast of Lokossa, are voodoo strongholds and you'll spot fetishes in their shops and houses. There are also regular voodoo ceremonies, which tourists are generally welcome to attend. In Possotom , ask around on the beach near the gare routi re to meet a fetish priest, who can prepare you a talisman. Possotom is famous for its thermal springs, the country's primary source of mineral water. The springs...
Abidjan
Abidjan, the capital in all but name, was an unimportant town until it became a major port in 1951 when the French finished the Vridi Canal connecting the Ebrie Lagoon with the ocean. Since then, its population has skyrocketed from 60,000 to 3.5 million. If you've just flown in from the USA or Europe, you won't fully savour the uniqueness of Le Plateau, the business district. But if you arrive after a few weeks of bus- and bush-taxi travel around West Africa, you'll gasp. Your first glimpse of...
Abomey 1
Centre Agonglo Tissage Artisinal see 6 Mus e Historique d'Abomey 5 B3 Auberge Mon Repos Chez Monique H tel Guedevy 1 Auberge Mon Repos Chez Monique H tel Guedevy 1 Buvette Au Video 20 B4 Cafeteria Les Delices du market - take a zemi-john. Run by local legend Monsieur 'La Lutta' Adjolohoun Jean-Constant and his French-novel-read-ing teenage daughter, it's an endearingly eccentric establishment, with voodoo dolls grinning in the gloomy parlour and extraordinary plumbing in the rooms. Meals are...
Grand Popo
Some 82km from Cotonou and 20km from the Togo border at Hila-Condji, Grand Popo is Benin's best getaway spot for travellers to spend a few idle days on the sand - although swimming is limited due to strong currents. It's Benin's most tourist-focused location, but this hasn't lessened its sleepy charm. If you do tire of lounging by the pool, nearby are some fascinating landscapes and voodoo culture. In the small villages lining the coastal highway, the white flags flying from poles identify...
European Intrusions Colonisation
In 1472 Portuguese explorers sailed up the Wouri River, naming it Rio dos Camaroes River of Prawns and christening the country in a single stroke. Over the next two centuries, coastal Cameroon became an important port of call for Dutch, Portuguese and British slave-traders. However, the first permanent European settlements were not established until the mid-19th century, when British missionaries arrived in protest against the slave trade. In 1845 British missionary Alfred Saker founded a...
Cte Divoire Directory
Many of the country's hotels have shut down and most that remain are going to pot. Most cheapies double as brothels. Before the war, accommodation was generally expensive and poor value for money, but now places are so desperate for guests that you can bargain over the already low rates in some four-star hotels. Note that there is no running water in the north. In this chapter budget accommodation is CFA15.000 and below, while top end is over CFA40.000 and midrange is in between the two. The...
Manengouba Lakes
The beautiful Manengouba Crater Lakes are set in a grassy caldera southeast of Bangem town. The lakes, known locally as Man Lake and Woman Lake, are the subject of various local superstitions. Camping and swimming is permitted at Woman Lake, but not at Man Lake. A visit costs CFA1000, which you're supposed to pay at the police station in Bangem get a receipt , though it's often easier to just pay the guy near the lakes who will approach you to collect it. The lakes are about three hours uphill...
Progemis.douala Camnet.cm
Centre d'Accueil Missionaire 342 2797, progemis .douala camnet.cm Rue Franceville r with without shower CFA7000 8000 P g S Sat back from Douala's frantic main drag, this is a real oasis. There are clean twin rooms, a pleasant veranda and a pool to cool off in. Part of the Catholic Mission, it's poorly signed - it's next to the pink Axa building. glise vangelique de Cameroun 342 3611 eec wagne.net Rue Alfred Saker s d tr CFA6500 8000 11,000 This is an adequate option as church missions go, but...
Transport In Cape Verde
GETTING THERE amp AWAY Entering Cape Verde Proof of yellow fever vaccination is only required if you are coming from an infected area see p852 for more details . Most international flights land on Sal, though Praia is seeing an increasing amount of international activity. TACV has flights three to four times weekly from Lisbon, and once or twice per week from Boston, Amsterdam, Basel, Fortaleza, Madrid, Munich and Paris. TAP Air Portugal has daily flights from Lisbon. South African Airways...
Midrange 1
El Panaden Hotel Map p182 222 2765 elpana den yahoo.fr Place de l'Ind pendance r CFA15,500-28,000 g This centrally located hotel is Ministry of Immigration 9 C2 Standard Chartered Bank 12 C1 Notre Dame Cathedral 15 C3 La Marseillaise Plus 21 B2 Centre Artlsanal 22 C2 TRANSPORT Cameroon Airlines 24 D3 Shared Taxis to Mvan, Nsam Swiss International Airlines 25 C2 an old traveller's favourite. Helpful staff complement clean and generously sized rooms, most with balconies. La Terrasse bar next door...
Sagba Bamessing Ndop
From Bamenda, the eastern section of the Ring Road climbs quickly into some gorgeous mountain scenery. Stretching from the villages of Sabga to Ndop, this is one of the most beautiful stretches in the whole region, lush and green, particularly at the end of the rains. This section of the Ring Road makes an ideal day trip from Bamenda if you're short on time. At Sabga, it's worth breaking your trip to climb Sabga Hill on the eastern side of the village. Ask to be dropped off about 500m after the...
Budget
Relais Ferngo SI 229 2153 off Blvd de Diarenga r CFA6000 I PI g This is a delightful budget choice. Simply furnished but quite spotless boukarous sit between shady trees, ideal for whiling away the hours. It's well-located for buses and is near some great suya stalls. Bicec Bank 1 C2 A3 C2 CCA Bureau de Change see 9 Extr me Nord Safaris 4 A3 C2 Meskine Hospital 6 A2 Police Station 7 A2 Porte Mayo Voyages see 17 Post Office 8 A2 SGBC Bank 9 C2 Centre Artisanal 10 C2 Mus e d'Art Local de Diamar...