Cameroon is often referred to as "Little Africa" due to its diverse geography, climates, and cultures. In Cameroon, you can find tropical rainforests, mountains, active volcanoes, black sand beaches, grasslands, and deserts, all in a country under 200,000 square miles (about the size of California).
I was lucky to see many of these different landscapes on a hike to two craters lakes up in the mountains. The lakes are side by side and separated by a large grassy ridge. The larger lake is considered the female lake. It is considered "gentle" and you can swim in it. The smaller lake is the male lake, which no one swims in.
At 9000 feet, it was a strenuous hike, but well worth it. The temperatures got quite cold that high up and it was a nice break from the stifling heat of Douala. We hiked through forest, villages, and the wide, grassy slopes of the mountains alongside grazing sheep. Wildflowers and butterflies were abundant.
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| Female Lake |
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| Male Lake |
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| My hiking buddies Steffi, Des, Missy, and Anne and our 2 guides Aliou and Sebastian |
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| A refreshing swim after our 10 km hike |
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| We stayed overnight in a small shelter above the lakes. |
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| Relaxing at our shelter |
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| The view around the lakes |
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While everyone else was enjoying our campfire...
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...I was hanging out with s village kids who were fascinated by my "white person" hair.
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Good thing I like braids!
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| Along the way |
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The forest section of the hike; see the butterflies?
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| I counted at least 20 different types of wildflowers, after that I lost count. |
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| Hiking with the sheep |
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| I tried to pet the sheep but they kept running away before I could get close enough! |
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| Grazing cattle near the end of our hike |
Thank you for posting all these pictures! The Christmas ones are lovely too. Keep them coming, your adventures are so exciting! Love you.
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