Camerun

Sleep

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.

Because of the overvaluation of the local currency, accommodation in Cameroon is only slightly cheaper than in Europe, Hotels in the major cities will range from FCFA 7,500 to FCFA 50,000. Western standards can only be expected in the luxury segment. Camping is possible, but should be avoided if possible due to the security situation in the country.

Most hotels do not accept credit cards. In the hotels below 4-star, hot water is not always available (either not installed or the installation is defective). Hot water can be ordered in buckets in the hotel (give a small tip) and can also be self-supplied with a stick kettle (about 2000 CFA) and a bucket.

You can have your dirty laundry cleaned in all hotels. Either there is a service provided by the hotel (more expensive) or you ask the hotel staff (cheaper) who will do this for you with additional income. Remember that this is a hand wash, which is less suitable for delicate garments (intensive scrubbing). If you want boiled linen, this must be ordered separately. Laundry must be ironed if it is dried outdoors.

Stay safe

As is the case in any developing country, you should do whatever you can to blend in with the local population. What this means is that you should avoid presenting yourself in a way that would get others to think you are rich, and you should most certainly avoid isolated areas and travelling alone at night.

As long as you apply a modicum of common sense, your visit to Cameroon will be hassle free.

Stay healthy

As Cameroon is a developing country, health care facilities are poor and are much below western standards. In addition, you should expect a language barrier at healthcare facilities if your French-language skills aren't good enough.

Yellow fever is prevalent in the country. You are required to get vaccinated against it before travelling to the country.

Malaria is prevalent. To lower your chances of contracting malaria, regularly use insect repellent and consider draping a mosquito net over your bed. You may also want to consider getting vaccinated against the disease before travelling to the country.

Avoid drinking tap water, even in restaurants. Only stick to bottled water.

The country's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among adults is at 3.2%. The situation has been getting better since the early 2000s, but still, be safe and be aware of your surroundings.

Respect

It is very common for people, including people you've never even met before, to greet people around them. You will easily observe that it's common for people to exchange greetings and say things like "good morning", "how's your health", "how is your family", and so on. Don't be fazed or surprised by this; this is how the Cameroonians get to know others, and you can very easily make a friend or two by following suit!

Connect

To make local and international calls you need to buy a pre-paid SIM card. Check if your cell phone has a compatible GSM standard (Africa/Europe) - if not, in addition to a SIM card you probably need to buy a new phone. "MTN" and "Orange" are two major telephone companies in Cameroon. E-SIMs are available for data connections from various companies such as Airalo and Ubigi. The local networks offer 4G connections which are neither fast or stable.

It had been possible to find Internet access all over the place, but the speed was often slow. In 2017, all Internet access was shut down in the largely-anglophone western portion of the country.

National post service is considered to be unreliable.