Mbere Valley National Park

The Mbere valley in Adamawa is part of an old rift system, a broad depression running north-east to south-west whose sediments have yielded vertebrate fossils that record the animals of this part of Africa millions of years ago, and the national park created there in 2004 covers a section of the valley and its escarpments. The landscape is wooded savanna with gallery forest along the rivers, cliffs along the valley edge, and waterfalls where streams drop off the escarpment. Buffalo, hartebeest, kob and hippopotamus occur, and elephants pass through. It is little visited, has minimal infrastructure and is reached by rough track.

History

The park was established on 4 February 2004 to protect the water reserves of the south of Cameroon and the scenery of the Mbéré valley, to keep the river flowing, to encourage ecotourism for the people living around it, and to secure the habitat of hippopotamus, buffalo and mountain reedbuck. Building in the park needs approval after an environmental assessment, and its plan sets a buffer zone with measures to support the economy of local residents (Wikipedia, Mbéré Valley National Park).

What's there

• The rift valley depression - the broad trough the park follows.
• Fossil-bearing sediments - the deposits recording ancient fauna.
• Escarpment waterfalls - streams dropping off the valley edge.
• Wooded savanna wildlife - buffalo, kob and hartebeest.

When to go

December to March in the dry season. Two days. Guides and permits are arranged with the conservation service. There is no lodging inside the park.

What to expect

There is essentially no visitor infrastructure. Tracks are rough and impassable in the rains. Fossil sites are research areas and not on display. Wildlife densities are low and sightings uncertain.

Nearby

Meiganga is north-east; the Central African Republic border lies south.

Key facts