Menchum Falls

The Menchum river drops over a wide rock shelf into a gorge on the road between Bamenda and Wum, and the fall is broad rather than tall, a curtain of brown water in the wet season spread across the full width of the riverbed and pouring into a rocky basin. The viewpoint is at the roadside above it, and paths lead down toward the water for those with a guide, though the rock is smooth and the current strong. In the dry months the flow drops sharply and the shelf is exposed. The country around is the open highland of the north-west, with scattered villages, and the road itself is rough for much of its length.

What you actually see

• A wide curtain of water - the fall spread across the riverbed.
• The roadside viewpoint - the standard place to see it from.
• The rocky gorge below - the basin the river drops into.
• Open highland country - the north-west landscape around the road.

When to go

July to October, when the river is in flood and the fall is at its widest; it shrinks a great deal by February. Two hours as a stop on the road.

Honest expectations

The rock around the falls is smooth and slippery and people have been swept away; keep well back. Flow in the dry season is disappointing. The road is rough. Confirm what conditions are like in the area before travelling out.

Nearby

Bafut is south-east; Wum lies north-west.