Mandara Mountains

The Mandara mountains run along the border with Nigeria in the far north, a range of old volcanic rock eroded into domes, boulder fields and standing spires, with villages built into the slopes and hillsides terraced with dry stone walls that have been maintained for centuries to hold soil and water. The communities of the range, among them the Mafa, Kapsiki and Podokwo, farm those terraces and keep distinctive building traditions of round houses and granaries. Rhumsiki, where volcanic plugs stand out of the plain, is the best-known viewpoint. The landscape is dry, rocky and worked to the last metre, and it looks unlike anywhere else in the country.

What you actually see

• Volcanic spires and plugs - the eroded rock towers of the range.
• Dry stone terracing - centuries of walls holding the hillsides.
• Round houses and granaries - the building traditions of the villages.
• Rhumsiki viewpoint - the plugs rising from the plain.

When to go

November to February, the cool dry months; from March the heat is extreme. Two to three days. Guides from the communities are needed and fees are agreed locally.

Honest expectations

Access to the Far North has been restricted for security reasons in recent years; check the current official position and ask locally before going. Roads are rough, heat outside the cool season is severe, and facilities are very limited. Photographing people requires asking and often payment.

Nearby

Mokolo is in the range; Maroua lies east.