The currency of the country is the Central African CFA franc, denoted FCFA (ISO currency code: XAF). It’s also used by five other Central African countries. It is interchangeable at par with the West African CFA franc (XOF), which is used by six countries. Both currencies are fixed at a rate of 1 euro = 655.957 CFA francs.

ATMs:

Master Card and Visa ATM withdrawals are possible in many banks – for example, SGBC – which can be found in most major cities. All Ecobank ATMs in Cameroon have cash withdrawal with Master Cards and Visa cards.

BY PLANE:

Camair-Co operates as a national carrier and on domestic flights.

BY TRAIN:

Rail services operated by Camrail, run from the capital, Yaoundé, to the port city of Douala and the northern city of Ngaoundéré. While bus service is quicker and more reliable to Douala, the overnight train is the best mode of ground transport to the north. Check for current schedules and pricing.

BY BUS:

Between the major cities you can get a ride on modern, comfortable buses, sometimes with air conditioning. Away from the larger centres you will most likely end up on the ever present Toyota bush taxis. These are slightly elongated Toyota minivans that can hold up to 20 people (or more if necessary) along with their luggage piled up on top. Safety can be a concern with dangerous roads, overworked/drunk/hungover drivers and poorly maintained vehicles the norm. However, other than extending your stay an extra day or two in bad weather your options are limited.

Buses rarely leave at a set time. Instead, they wait until they are full and then depart. For buses later in the day, sometimes they never fill up. When this happens, the operator will normally set you up with a bush taxi to take you to your destination. If you do not want to take the bush taxi and are persistent enough, the operator will normally refund your money. The point is that you should leave plenty of time to get to your destination, because sometimes the wait will take hours and you are never guaranteed a departure.

BY CAR:

Rental cars are available although very expensive. As paved roads are rare away from the major cities of the west and northwest areas of the country, a 4 x 4 is a necessity when travelling to the east or central areas of Cameroon. The roads in the north are paved between cities and even the dirt roads tend to be in decent condition due to the lack of rain.

You can hire a private car and have its driver take you to places of your choice. Expect to pay around USD60 per day to the driver and foot the gas bill. The driver will also expect you to provide food and accommodation. But you can bargain.

These days, due to bad roads and congestion, motorcycles are a common form of transportation. The driver can take you wherever you want and they can be the only alternative to remote villages that do not have paved roads.

Signature dishes:

• Poisson brézè: barbecue fish
  
• Ndole: slightly bitter vegetables with peanuts, fish, prawns or beef. Often considered the national dish
  
• Poulet DG: chicken with sauce
  
• Tripes: tripe in tomato or peanut sauce
  
• Sauce arachide: peanut sauce with rice and meat
  
• Brochettes: barbecued skewers
  
• Kilichi: dried beef
  
• Mbol: black vegetable sauce served with kilichi, beef in some other form or prawns
  
• Nkui: brown vegetable sauce eaten with corn couscous
  
• Bush meat: from monkeys to snakes, perhaps a bit too exotic to visitors
  
• Mielie meal: maize porridge

garnishes include:

• Koki: white bean dumplings
  
• Banane plantain: grilled, steamed or deep fried plantains
  
• Couscous maniok: cassava couscous
  
• Couscous de mais: polenta-like corn-based couscous Polentaähnlicher Couscous auf Maisbasis
  
• Frites de pommes: French fries
  
• Pommes: fried potatoes
  
• Bobolo: steamed cassava bars
  
• Miondo: thinner version of the former

Moreover:

• Safou fruits, barbecued or boiled

DRINK:

Always check “best before” when buying a bottle – some drinks are way out of date.

Coca-Cola is available everywhere. For something different try one of the flavourful TOP sodas. They are much sweeter than most European or North American sodas but they are very tasty.

Cameroon is rich with choice when it comes to good beer due to its past as a German and later French colony. Bottled Guinness can be found everywhere although in the heat, try one of the excellent lighter beers such as Castel, Beaufort, Mützig, Isenbeck, Satzenbrau or 33. These are inexpensive and excellent in the heat. Castel Milk Stout is an excellent choice for those who like darker beer. Outside of the cities you will sometimes be hard pressed to find them chilled (due to a lack of electricity).

Hotels in the major cities will range from FCFA 7,500 to FCFA 50,000. Clean and safe rooms can usually be found for under FCFA 11,000.

In more rural areas prices vary wildly depending on demand and local economy. It is not uncommon to find comfortable accommodations for FCFA 4,000-5,000 per night.

Some good ways to spend your money include local handicrafts in Marche de Fleurs (Douala – Bonapriso quarter) and on fresh fish and prawns in Youppe village close to Douala (early morning).

Unless you are in stores and restaurants, you must bargain for everything. Demand 20-50% of the first price requested.