Cameroon

Encompassing the fringes of the arid Sahara in the north, to the lush rainforests of the Congo in the South, Cameroon is a land of dazzling extremes. The north is home to ancient Fulani tribes from the Sahel who gather in the foothills of the Mandara Mountains, venturing out from the traditional mud-baked villages once a week in Tourou, Pouss and Maroua to trade livestock, textiles, potions and gossip. The protected parks of Waza and Bouba N’Djida are home to wild dog, West African Black Rhino, Africa’s Big 5 and some of the best birding in Africa.

The south is almost another country, with thick, steaming rainforests and parks such as Campo Ma’an, Dja, Takamanda and Lobeke where Ba’Aka forest tribes live alongside lowland gorillas, the critically endangered cross-river gorillas, chimpanzees, drills and if local folklore is to be believed, mermaids. You can also enjoy some of the freshest seafood imaginable on the unspoilt sandy beaches of Limbe and Kribi on the Atlantic Ocean, after trekking Mount Cameroon and the western highlands, dotted with traditional villages on the famous Bamenda Highlands Ring Road.

However, Cameroon is as challenging as it is diverse and with one domestic flight a day (if you’re lucky) in a country twice the size of Britain, with few good roads, it is by no means an easy destination to explore. However, therein lies its charm and for those who enjoy their countries adventurous, surprising and pioneering, Cameroon is in a league of its own.