Bamenda is a lovely city in the northwestern part of Cameroon and offers greatest tour pleasures. Also known as Mankon and Abakwas , this is the capital of the North West province. This is situated around North West of the Yaounde region which is the capital of Cameroon. Bamenda is very well known for the scenic splendour of the beautiful place and for the cool climate here.
A fantastic place to visit in the north western part of Cameroon, this is a mix of three villages – Nkwen, Mendakwe and Mankon. Bamenda enjoys a great weather and the bright and cool summers in the months of October to march are what make travels here greatly enchanting.
With a great political culture, this is the biggest political hub of Cameroon and has played a major role in the independence of the country. This is an agricultural and trade centre and has the Tikar community which is the main ethnic group here.
The city has five ethnic groups which were founded by the Mankon Fon. The Tikars had faced a lot of invasion from the inhabitants of the surrounding hills and sometime between the years 1700 and 1800 the Tikars joined a group which was founded by the Mbum mainly for defence purposes.
Bamenda has witnessed a lot of colonialism of the Germans sometime in the late 19th century and there is lot of proof of occupation of the Germans in this region. The Germans have influenced a lot and the architecture and sculpture of this region is totally influenced by the presence of this power here. When the Germans were defeated in the First World War during the years 1914 to 1918, then the League of Nations shared a lot of territories of German colonialism under the British till the year 1961. Then the country got independence and today the inhabitants here are English speaking. In fact English is the main language here and the Bamenda streets have many shops speaking English. The rest of Bamenda is Francophone.
The residential compound of the chiefs here is a great attraction here. This is a short drive from Bamenda. So this is a major attraction here in this land of Bamenda.
Then there is Belo which is around 45 minutes from Bamenda. Explore the countryside here and enjoy trekking in this beautiful land. Then experience the pleasures of horse riding here and enjoy the lovely delights of being in this beautiful land of Belo.
Also see Fanta Benji which is an arts hub . This is the pace where you would get to see the lovely abstract oil paintings of the Rasta Artist. There are lot of stories behind these works and it is interesting to go deep inside the mystery of these stores here.
Go up the mountains around Fundong and enjoy the trekking pleasures here. Meet the Fulani tribe here and walk through these regions and experience the pleasures of being in a beautiful land filed with pleasures. Enjoy the sights of the lovely waterfalls and the luscious green surroundings. There is a local market here which gives you the chance to buy some fresh fruit.
Then go to see the King of the Kom tribe,Fon. This is around two hours of trekking from Fundong so go up to the Impenetrable palace and see how the lovely land looks overlooking from the Kom kingdom. Arrange the visit with BERUDEP in Fundong or Belo and surely make it a point to buy wine here.
Ayaba Hotel in Bamenda is said to be the best in Bamenda and it is decently comfortable and luxurious. Maintenance has been neglected here over the years and yet tourists coming here do stay here.
Then there is the Belo Rest House which is available on a long term basis and has clean rooms, a gas cooker, and there are around 8 rooms here .
Then visit the NWCA Coffee shop and enjoy this comfortable coffee shop in Bamenda and experience the pleasures of being in this coffee hub that is run by the North West Coffee Co-operative ..
With memorable travel pleasures, this is certainly a land to be in , and an obvious attraction to many who come to this part of the world.
