Lake Oku

High on Mount Oku, the second summit of Cameroon's volcanic line, 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, swum by nobody, by rule and by respect.

What you actually see

• 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.

Honest expectations

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. Check current Northwest travel guidance when planning and arrange locally - conditions vary, and Oku's community hosts know the picture best.

Nearby

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