Ring Road

The Ring Road runs a loop of around three hundred and sixty kilometres through the highlands of the North-West, linking Bamenda, Bambui, Kumbo, Nkambe, Wum and Bafut and passing through country that is green, high and densely settled: grassland ridges, crater lakes, waterfalls, forest patches and a succession of fondoms each with its palace and its own traditions. Long stretches have never been surfaced and deteriorate badly in the rains, so the circuit has always been more of an undertaking than the distance suggests. It is the classic road journey of the western highlands, and the villages, markets and chiefdoms along it are the substance of it rather than any single site.

What you actually see

• Highland grassland ridges - the open country the road crosses.
• A chain of fondoms - palaces and traditions along the circuit.
• Crater lakes and waterfalls - the natural features off the road.
• Village markets - the trade the road exists to serve.

When to go

November to February, the dry season; long sections are impassable or dangerous in the rains. Three to five days for the full circuit with a capable vehicle and a driver who knows it.

Honest expectations

Much of the road is unsurfaced and rough, and vehicles break down on it. Travel in the North-West has been restricted through several years of serious disruption; current official guidance and local advice both need checking before any trip is planned.

Nearby

Bamenda is at the southern end; Wum and Kumbo lie on the circuit.