Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
NORTHERN CAMEROON
The north of Cameroon is the fringe of the world's greatest dry zone. This is the Sahel, a
red and ochre and yellow and brown rolling sea of dust, dirt and strange, utterly beautiful
hills and pinnacles of rock, crisscrossed by the dry wind, the thin strides of Fulani people
and the broad steps of their long-horned cattle.
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N'Gaoundéré
N'Gaoundéré is the terminus of the railway line and beginning of the great bus and truck
routes to the far north and Chad. The sense of adventure imparted upon reaching the Sahel
is helped by the sight of government soldiers - there's a major training facility nearby -
striding through the desert lanes with AK-47s strapped to their backs and extra banana clips
taped to the stocks of their guns.
Some areas of N'Gaoundéré have a bad reputation for safety at night, including the area
around the stadium and north of the cathedral. If in doubt, take a
moto-taxi.
Sights
Palais du Lamido
PALACE
(admission CFA2000, guide CFA1000, camera CFA1000; 9am-5pm)
To enter the Palais du Lamido, the
palace of the local Muslim ruler, you pass between three pillars stuffed with the remains of
individuals who were buried alive to consecrate the site of the royal residence. One of
Cameroon's more macabre foyers, yes, which leads into a complex of low-slung, heavily
thatched roundhouses whose aesthetic feels more West African than Islamic. Some rooms
are underwhelming, but if you come on a Friday or (especially) Sunday, when nobles pay
their respects and thin, gorgeous desert music settles over the nearby square dominated by
the Grande Mosquée, there's a palpable sense of being…well, somewhere else. Beware of
black- painted areas within the compound - these sections are reserved for the
lamido
.
