Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
EASTERN CAMEROON
Cameroon's remote east is wild and untamed. Seldom visited by travellers, it's very much a
destination for those with plenty of time and the stamina to back up an appetite for adven-
ture. There's little infrastructure and travel throughout is slow and rugged, with dense green
forest and red laterite earth roads. The rainforest national parks are the main attraction,
along with routes into the Central African Republic and Congo.
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Bertoua
The capital of East Province, Bertoua is a genuine boomtown, born of logging and mining.
Here you'll find all the facilities lacking elsewhere in the region, including banks and
sealed roads.
The town's best hotel is
Hotel Mansa
( 2224 1650; Mokolo II; r CFA25,000-35,000; )
, which
comes complete with an artificial lake, satellite TV and a tennis court. It's definitely worth
a splurge if you've been lost in the forest.
Buses to Yaoundé (CFA5000, seven hours), Bélabo (for the train; CFA1000, one hour)
and Garoua-Boulaï leave from the
gare routière
near the market.
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Garoua-Boulaï
If you're looking for a rough African frontier town, Garoua-Boulaï is it. On the Central
African Republic border, it's a place of bars, trucks and prostitutes. The
auberges
aren't re-
commended, so try the
Mission Catholique
(dm for a donation, r about CFA5000)
instead.
There's a bus to N'Gaoundéré (CFA4000, 12 hours, one daily) during the dry season and
year-round service to Bertoua; both roads are just tolerable. The Central African Republic
border crossing is on the edge of Garoua-Boulaï next to the motor park.
