Mount Bamboutos

Mount Bamboutos reaches two thousand seven hundred and forty metres on the boundary between the West and North-West regions, which makes it the third highest point in Cameroon, and what stands today is the eroded remnant of a large volcano whose caldera rim forms a broad horseshoe of grassland and rock above the farmland. It is not a difficult climb, more a long walk up through fields and pasture to open ridges. What visitors notice is the state of it: the forest that once covered the upper slopes has almost entirely gone to farming and grazing, gullies have cut deeply into the ash soils, and a restoration programme is working with the communities to replant.

What you actually see

• The eroded caldera rim - the horseshoe of high ground.
• Open grassland ridges - the walking country at the top.
• Deep erosion gullies - the visible cost of clearance on ash soils.
• Restoration planting - the replanting work with the villages.

When to go

November to February in the dry season; the upper slopes are wet and misty for much of the year. A day. Guides from the villages are needed for the routes.

Honest expectations

The mountain has been heavily degraded and there is little forest left to see. It is often in cloud. Tracks are rough and the walk is long. Check conditions in the region locally before planning a trip.

Nearby

Mbouda is south-east; Bamenda lies north.