The Ultimate Yaoundé Travel Guide

Yaoundé is the second most populated city in Cameroon and equally is the capital of Cameroon. Though Yaounde is still a bustling city, it is smaller compared to Douala. This ultimate Yaounde travel guide is very important because Yaounde is home to people from all 10 regions of Cameroon. Yaoundé, also called the city of seven hills, is a great city to explore when it comes to entertainment, music, and food. With some of the best monuments, hotels and restaurants in Yaounde Cameroon, there are plenty of attractions and sites for you to explore.

In this article we will discuss all what you need to know if you are local or a foreigner looking to go for a Yaounde vacation. Based on my experience as a Cameroonian currently living in Yaounde, I believe this write up will help a lot of tourist and digital nomads looking to travel to Yaounde.

How about the climate in Yaoundé: The climate in Yaounde is very moderate and conducive. Throughout the year, Yaoundé offer a tropical climate with constant temperatures. The temperatures aren’t quite as hot (with daytime temperatures usually less than +30 degrees Celsius) in Yaoundé as you will expect as a result of the altitude even though it’s a city near the equator. From December to March Yaoundé experiences a dry season that is immediately followed by a long rainy season that remains right until the year ending.

Top Things to do in Yaoundé Cameroon

From hikes through EcoPark to the great live bands at Yao Ba to, I put together some of the best things to do in Yaoundé.

Popular activities in Yaoundé Cameroon

Lunch at Etok Koss Restaurant

In one of the gazebos built around a fish pond, you can enjoy a quiet evening alone or with your family. Delicious grilled rabbits and goose are served in this luxurious restaurant, and they even let you cash your own fish in case you arrive early enough. With a carousel for children and boat rides across a fish pond, it is perfect for family outing.

Enjoy a barbecue around the Grand Mosque of Yaoundé

In 1952 in the Briqueterie district, the Grand Mosque was built and currently houses a conference rooms, a school and library. Especially during the celebrations, the Grand Mosque plays an important role in the lives of Muslims throughout the city. The area is known for its soya sold at a small piece of thin stick, grilled chicken, and colorful textiles.

Stroll through the Marché Mokolo

To experience the bustle and hustle of Yaounde up close, wander through the crowds at Mokolo Market. Look at the various departments selling housewares, shoes, groceries, and clothing and add a pair of used jeans to your collection.

Stroll through the Hôtel De Ville

Here you’ll find large buildings, shops and parks here. A good place to stop at Independence Square on the way to the Hôtel De Ville is Calafatas Bakery, which has been baking since 1935. This is a great place for an evening picnic with lighting, gardens, and seating.

Stroll along Boulevard of 20 May

Here you’ll find post office, churches, museums, buildings, shops, and cathedral. With a parade on Boulevard 20 May in Yaoundé, events and national holidays are celebrated. The nearby attractions are endless; Notre Dame Cathedral, National Museum and Musée de la Blackitude. Shop at Mahima, in the woods at Bois Sainte Anastasie Enjoy a buffet, or visit the Hilton Hotel. The Ministry of Higher Education and the Prime Minister's Office are the two most important buildings on this street.

Running in Omnisport

With countless groups organizing morning training sessions, Yaoundé is a sports city. Its open spaces and seven hills offer great terrain for runners, also a sandy terrain for the team sports. Day and night, the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium attracts many athletes to its stands. Many of the nation’s soccer stars are a product of the sandy courts that can be found all around Yaoundé.

Eating at the Yao Ba Cabaret restaurant

If you are on a Yaounde vacation, you can dress up for a theme night out at the Yao Ba cabaret, with great live bands at the cabaret downstairs and upstairs you’ll find a restaurant serving fine dining. The band plays Pop, Soul, Makossa, Jazz and Bikutsi. With one or two international hit this theme restaurant will surprise you. Enjoy, beer, games, wine and cocktails.

Catch a show at the Goethe-Institut Yaounde

To promote cultural exchange between Germany and Cameroon, the Goethe-Institut Yaoundé organizes workshops. Part of a strategy to discover new talent in the arts field is music festivals, Art exhibitions and poetry recitals. The Institut Français carries out similar art project.

Experience the wildlife at Mvog-Betsi Zoo

Meet the royal pair of lions when you visit the Mvog-Betsi Zoological and Botanical Garden. Accompanying the kings and queens of the jungle are a congress of snakes primates, monkeys, hyenas, crocodiles, and birds in the garden where the animals are kept in large transparent enclosures and its shaded by towering trees,.

Relaxation in EcoPark Younde

The plan of the developers of this park was to create a Cameroon in miniature kind of park. This idea has already been implemented in the ecological park Yaoundé, which has a restaurant, raises animals, grows plants, offers a sports center plus a playground, and maintains a fish pond. Though already attracting so many tourist in Yaoundé, this best park in Cameroon is still under construction.

Experience the Palais des Congrès Yaounde

The Yaoundé Congress Hall is home to many cultural festivals and, with its vast yard and slopes, it is also a great place to get some exercise. This spot offers perhaps the most expansive view of Yaoundé and is the perfect place for a picnic. You can enjoy a meal and swim at the nearby Hôtel Mont Fébé, and the Museum of Benedictine, both opposite the embassies.

How can you tour Yaoundé Cameroon?

Private tour to Yaounde Airport

Pre-book a private Younde tour to suit your group size (up to ten people), by taking the worry out of your departing flight to Yaounde Airport, Cameroon. Travel comfortably in a premium car or minivan/minibus that frees you from the long lines of hotel taxis.

Yaounde Grassland Tour

You can on this tour experience the rich local culture of the Bame-like locals. Discover the culture and traditions in the beautiful palaces, each having a museum full of history. Explore the beautiful mountains, Visit the home of Tarzan, Ekom-Nkam waterfall. Near the top of Mount Manengouba you will discover the beautiful green and blue twin lakes. At the Museum of Civilization you can experience the history of the locals.

Visit Dja Forest Reserve Yaounde

The reserve has rich fauna and flora, and this Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the entrance to the reserve, you can also meet a tribe of "real" pygmies. This best reserve in Yaounde has many animals such as buffaloes, chimpanzees, monkeys, borers, gorillas, elephants and many more.

Outdoor activities in Yaoundé

SAFARI DJA BIODIVERSITY RESERVE

Declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, this reserve is located in southern Cameroon, it covers an area of 5,260 km2. More than 1,500 types of vegetables have been identified in this reserve. As for the fauna, there are around 320 species of birds and 107 species of mammals scattered throughout the nature reserve and its surroundings.

The fauna is ideal for lovers of ecotourism as it consists mainly of: chimpanzees, elephants and gorilla. Experience the unique company of the pygmies in the Dja Biodiversity Reserve; the first inhabitants of the equatorial jungle who will introduce you to honey gathering at night, fishing and hunting and, traditional medicine the whole community will perform a circular fire dance for you.

Yaounde Cultural Tour

Beaches, Architecture, Culture and Traditions "Discover Cameroon’s rich Cultural Treasures and Architecture". The main cultural tourism areas in Cameroon are the North Western and Western regions. Known by their chiefs, the most famous are Fungon, Bafoussam, Bafut, Bandjoun and Ndop.

To discover Bamileke palaces, crafts, arts and huts, you can visit the chieftaincies. Another testimony of Cameroonian traditions is Foumban, which is the capital of the Bamoun Sultanate. For culture lovers, the city is a gold mine with its museums of art, markets, tradition, crafts and palaces.

Azobe East Adventure Safari

In the equatorial rainforest of southern Cameroon, you can go for an adventurous journey. Here you’ll have the chance to see chimpanzees or gorillas roaming the jungle with the pygmies, which are believed to be the oldest Cameroon inhabitants. The baka pygmies, musicians of souls, live in the vast equatorial jungles.

These little people who will perform the Buma ritual dance for you as you immerse yourself in their universe, the dance represents their life among the forest animals. You can also take the chance to be part of their traditional activities.

Best Yaoundé Attractions

National Park Mefou

Located a 45-minute drive south of the city of Yaoundé, the Park is managed by an organization created to protect Cameroon's primates called Ape Action Africa. Your expert guide will show you the baboons, gorillas, chimpanzees and borers that live in a beautiful natural environment, all rescued from the trade of bush meat.

Yaoundé National Museum

This former residence houses cultural and ecological treasures. The museum is the perfect place to visit if you are on a Yaounde vacation and looking to explore the ancient cultures of Cameroon.

Mont-Febe Benedictine Museum

An intricately carved dried fruit bowl, Abbias is the pride of this small yet charming museum.

Other top Yaoundé attractions experienced by the Allotraveller team are

Basilique Marie-Reine-des-Apotres, Musée Ethnographique des Peuples de la Fôret, tatue of Charles Atangana, Museum of Blackitude, and Monument de la Réunification.