Yaounde is the beautiful capital city of the Republic of Cameroon and it is one of the few places that you might want to visit while you are in the Republic of Cameroon.There are two ways that you can arrive Yaounde from overseas. The first would be to get in through the Douala international airport. Douala happens to be the economic capital of Cameroon. From Douala you can then either drive to Yaounde or used one of the many bus services that transport passengers between the two cities.
The alternative method of arriving would be through the Nsimalem international airport located in the outskirts of the city. From the airport you can then find your way throught the various areas that you would like to visit.
Places to visit it the city would include the downtown Yaounde area. You would find here one of the better designed round-abouts in the Country. Plan on taking some pictures. If you come when the weather is decent; there would be quite a few photographers around.
The 20 may boulevard is where each year there is a national day match past ceremony marking the countries re-unification. The match past is quite an event with displays from both civiian and military men. The event is attended by the President of the Republic Mr Paul Biya. Avoid taking pictures in this boulevard. Out of sight security men can get hold of your camera and it would be history. Personal experience here. There is a Cathedral accross from the round-about: The Cathedral I remember from my days at the local university in the Ngoa-Ekelle campus. There are located behind the 20 may boulevard, a group of buildings that make up the office of the prime minister. Some of the structures were just recently put up. Nice touristic sight.
If you are looking for souvenir items, there is a supermarket call Score, you would be able to get most of the things that you need in this one stop. Alternatively you could go with the street vendors for you souvernir items. Street vendors would be found all over the place in downtown Yaounde. Two more places worth visiting would be the Ahmadou Ahidjo Stadium and the famous marche central. The Indomitable lions play their home games in this stadium that was built in 1972 when Cameroon last hosted the African cup of Nations. If you can catch the lions in action, it would be quite a treat. The marche central is a group of stores where you can get all type of goods. Best time to visit the market would be during the day. I have heard some not so good things about the general area in which the marche is located.
Lodging
For lodging look for either the famous mt Febe hotel or the Marriot Courtyard Hotel. The Marriot courtyard is located in the downtown area. A lot of companies used it when they get into the country for their meetings and lodging needs. The Mt Febe is a more quite located hotel. You get a great view of the city and if you like to tee off, there is a 18 hole golf course located around its vicinity. Price on the mt Febe would be around $45 per night.
Transportation
To get around, there are yellow cabs all over the place. Single drops run about 200 francs cfa and on longer distances you would be charged about 400 francs. Both amounts are less than a dollar.If you own a car you can drive yourself but this could be challenging, during around here is a little bit different. Most of the expatriates in the city get drivers to take them places.
Time to visit
Best time to visit would be during the dry season that runs from November to around the month of June. It would be much easier to get to different places and enoy the sunny weather. Yaounde is one of the few places in the country where during the sunny season the weather is still pleasant to go outside. There is a cool feel to the breeze and you do not get the suffocating heat that is find in places such as Douala. It would not advice people coming in during the rainny season. The rains come down hard and getting around would be difficult.
To conclude the Government of Cameroon is embarking on a program to develop Yaounde into one of the most beautiful capital cities in the continent. The mayor of the city says work should be completed by the end of 2010. This last information is to warn you that their are currently many constructions projects underway to fully modernise the city. Road work and construction of apartment buildings. Quite a few finanacially challenged people were displayed and international assistance had to come to their rescue.
