Lake Oku

High on Mount Oku, the second highest mountain in mainland Central Africa, a crater holds a lake the colour of bottle glass - and around it survives the largest remaining patch of Afromontane forest in West-Central Africa, the Kilum-Ijim, kept standing by an alliance of conservation and Oku custom that declares the lake sacred and its forest fon-protected. The walking is the reward: mossy trails under giant lobelias and orchid-hung trees to the crater rim, Bannerman's turaco - the region's crimson-winged endemic - calling through the mist, and the lake below in its perfect green bowl.

Background

On the Bamenda Plateau of Cameroon's Northwest Region, Lake Oku fills a crater at 2,227 metres on Mount Oku and is enclosed on every side by cloud forest. That explosion crater dates from the last stage in the growth of the Oku Massif, a volcanic field about 100 kilometres across, crowned by the 3,011-metre stratovolcano of Mount Oku. The lake covers 243 hectares and is the only known home of the Lake Oku clawed frog, and local people tell many stories about it. BirdLife International set up the nature reserve that protects the Kilum-Ijim Forest around it, home to many rare species.

Source: Wikipedia, "Lake Oku"

Highlights

• The crater lake - the bottle-green bowl from the rim paths.
• Bannerman's turaco - the endemic's crimson flash in the canopy.
• The Kilum-Ijim forest - montane giants, lobelias and orchid mist.
• Oku village life - the honey and carving traditions of the mountain.

When to go

November to February gives the driest trails and clearest rims - mist is resident in all seasons and part of the mountain's character. Oku's white honey harvest adds a sweet excuse in season.

What to expect

The lake is sacred: no swimming, no fishing, conduct as guides direct - the rules are the reason the place survives. Paths are steep, muddy and cold-wet by tropical standards; layers earn their weight. Arrange locally - Oku's community hosts know the picture best.

Nearby

Kumbo's hill town, the ring-road highlands and Bamenda's grassfields.

Key facts