Mount Kupe

Mount Kupe rises to a little over two thousand metres above the village of Nyasoso in the south-west, covered in forest from the farmland at its base to the summit, and it has a reputation among birdwatchers out of proportion to its size. The Mount Kupe bushshrike, a rare bird long thought to live only in Cameroon, is the one most visitors come for, and the mountain holds a list of species restricted to the Cameroon highlands along with a great many forest birds that are difficult to find elsewhere. The forest is also sacred to the Bakossi, with traditions attached to the upper slopes. Trails run from the village up through the forest with community guides.

Background

Mount Kupe, Mont Koupe in French, is a plutonic mountain of the Cameroon line of volcanoes, on the Western High Plateau, and at 2,064 metres the highest of the Bakossi Mountains. The Bakossi people revere it as the home of their ancestral and forest spirits, and missionaries in the 1890s noted its strong magical reputation. Once it was forested apart from a few small grassy patches near the summit; now clearing has reached 1,500 metres on the east and between 750 and 1,100 metres on the west and north, above Mbule and Nyasoso. Primary rainforest remained on the northern side in 2010, and its cloud forest shelters chimpanzees, several threatened primates and the endangered Mount Kupe bushshrike.

Source: Wikipedia, "Mount Kupe"

Highlights

• The Mount Kupe bushshrike - the rare bird named after the mountain.
• Cameroon highland endemics - species restricted to these mountains.
• Forest from farmland to summit - the unbroken cover on the slopes.
• Bakossi traditions on the mountain - the sacred status of the upper forest.

When to go

November to February for the drier weather; birding is best at dawn. A day or two. Community guides are arranged in Nyasoso and are required for the trails.

Before you go

The climb is steep, muddy and slippery, and rain is frequent even in the dry season. Birds are difficult and a guide who knows the calls makes the difference. Accommodation is village-level. Check with local contacts about the situation before you set off.

Nearby

Bakossi park is west; Mount Manengouba lies north.

Key facts