Experience the best of Douala

Douala lies on the estuary of the Wouri River, where it opens to the Gulf of Guinea, and is Cameroon's largest city and its chief port and commercial centre. The Bonanjo district, with colonial-era government buildings and a cathedral, sits beside the riverfront, Akwa nearby is the commercial heart, and the Deido and Bonabéri quarters spread around bridges and creeks.

Doual'art, a contemporary art centre, shows the city's lively creative scene, and Douala is the home of makossa, a dance music that spread across Africa. Mount Cameroon, an active volcano of 4,040 metres, rises to the north-west near Buea, and the coastal town of Limbe, with black volcanic sand, lies beyond. The beaches of Kribi, with the Lobé falls plunging into the sea, are to the south.

Ndolé, a stew of bitterleaf, peanuts and fish or beef, eaten with plantain or bobolo, is the national dish, and poisson braisé, grilled fish with a spicy sauce, is served at open-air stalls in the evening. The city is very wet, and the heaviest rain falls in July, August and September.