Cameroon: The Bradt Travel Guide [Paperback]

Ben West (Author)

Book Description

Series: Bradt Travel Guide | Publication Date: November 1, 2004

A full-length Bradt country guide to Cameroon, in West Africa.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Cameroon is a country of contrasting landscapes, encompassing thick rainforest and scorching near-desert. It is home to Mount Cameroon, West Africa's highest peak, and also boasts pristine beaches, beautiful crater lakes and extensive national parks.
Cameroon: The Bradt Travel Guide provides thorough coverage of a country that entices lovers of adventure and nature in equal measure. Visit ancient tribal kingdoms in the western highlands, colorful trading towns and "pygmy" hunting camps. Experience the thrill of watching endangered lowland gorillas in their natural habitat.
In this, the first dedicated guide in English, you will find information on: wildlife, including birding sites; accommodations, from camping to luxury city hotels; crossing from neighboring countries; history, geography, local cultures and the environment.

About the Author

Ben West is a freelance journalist and guidebook writer who has written on a variety of subjects for newspapers and magazines. His articles have included topics such as travelers' health in the tropics.

Product Details

• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Bradt Travel Guides; 1st edition (November 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1841620785
• ISBN-13: 978-1841620787
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,882,204 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Helpful, but very dated info, January 17, 2006

By 

Gregory Mast (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Cameroon: The Bradt Travel Guide (Paperback)

I have just returned from 3 weeks in Cameroon and this book made the trip with me. My trip was not the usual tourist excursion, as I traveled with expat Cameroonians and lived exclusively with africans. I could go for days without seeing another european and when I did they were usually zipping past in a tour bus or in an NGO vehicle.

First, the positives. The book is well organized and the local Cameroonians were usually impressed that someone would write so much about their country. The advice presented in the book is generally sound and the descriptions accurate. Douala is an "armpit": shrouded in smog during the dry season, scented by the smoke of burning garbage, and made all the more enjoyable by sweltering heat and oppressive humidity. On the basis of the positives, I would award the book 4 stars.

The negatives? Much of the information regarding accommodations is quite dated. For instance, the description of the Skyline Hotel in Bamenda is at least five to seven years old. It has been years since the pool had water, the night club is closed, the hotel is frequently without electricity and is in a general state of disrepair and decay. Of course, this is merely symptomatic of the overall decay prevalent throughout Cameroon. Do not rely on the phone numbers listed for the hotels, as many may have changed. On the basis of the negatives I would award the book 2 stars.

Overall, however, I can recommend the book as a serviceable resource for planning a trip and as a useful tool while in country.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great guide! Look for the new edition, though, June 23, 2008

By 

D. Reid - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cameroon: The Bradt Travel Guide (Paperback)

I used this guide in Cameroon for one year while I was on a Fulbright grant from 05-06. I have to say that the guide was surprisingly accurate for about 90% of things I wanted to know: lodging, restaurants, and museums. I toured much of the country when my family visited, and it helped us immeasurably in our travels. I would take the sections regarding trails and nature sites (waterfalls, caves, etc.) with a grain of salt. We spent a day or two in Western Cameroon fruitlessly searching for some caves that the book mentioned. All in all a great guide, but hold out for the revised edition if you can!

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book made me cancel my trip to Cameroon, November 27, 2005

By 

Ashley H "Ashley H" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cameroon: The Bradt Travel Guide (Paperback)

This book describes Cameroon as the armpit of Africa. Seriously. It said that. At least 1/3 of the book is on all the different types of diseases one is sure to catch being there. It says that Cameroon is unique in that there is a type of malaria that will KILL you in 24 hours of the first symptom. This book scared me so much that I went to Egypt alone instead of going with my friends to Cameroon. There arent really any books just on Cameroon. Lonely Planet has one on West Africa which I should have gotten. My friends went and had a wonderful time. The book should have talked about the good things this country has- which as it turns out there are other things there that Malaria! Perhaps if I would of read a different book then I would have not canceled my flight to Cameroon.