Just an hour north-west of Douala, Buea offers a refreshingly cool climate and an invigorating 3000m (10,000ft) climb up Mt Cameroon. The town has a long history of short-lived glory. It became the capital of the German protectorate in 1901, basking in the limelight for all of eight years. Shortly after independence, Buea became the capital of Western Cameroon - a distinction that was to last barely 11 years before the federation was made a republic and Yaoundé the sole capital. Today it's a sleepy place best known as the stopping off point for Mt Cameroon. The town's main sight is the Mountain Hotel, which has a rustic English charm. It's a great place to wash down the atmosphere with a cold drink.On the mountain, you'll pass through dense tropical forests and sub-alpine meadows. It's a fairly easy climb, about 27km (17mi) round trip, and though you can make it in one day if you're in good shape, most people take two days and stay overnight in cabins, most of which are located above the 2000m (6600ft) mark. Bear in mind that, while it can be 20°C (68°F) at the foot of the mountain, it can be below freezing at the summit, so dress and pack accordingly. Bush taxis run regularly between Buea and Douala.

Douala has done a lot to earn the sobriquet 'armpit of Africa' - dull architecture, stifling humidity, crime and economic chaos. So why go? The main reason is that it's a good base for exploring much more interesting places nearby. Kribi, Limbe and Mt Cameroon are all within a few hours' journey. Given that Douala is also Cameroon's main hub for air travel, you'll probably end up spending some time in the city.Douala does have a couple of interesting sights of its own, including the landmark Hôtel Akwa Palace, located in the heart of town, a few hundred metres south-east of the shore of the Wouri River. It's the perfect spot to hang out on the terrace with a morning coffee and croissant, sizing up your fellow travellers. A kilometre to the south-west is the Musée de Douala, located in the hôtel de ville (the town hall). Though disorganised and filled with mostly mediocre Bamoun and Bamiléké pieces, the museum's free and by studying its exhibits you'll be better able to judge the craftwork for sale on the streets.The best place for artifacts is the Artisianal Camerounais, an open-air crafts market located about halfway between the Akwa Palace and the town hall.Douala is located in the middle of Cameroon's Atlantic coast, a few kilometres inland on the southern shore of the Wouri River. It's 200km (124mi) west of Yaoundé, accessible by air, train, bus and bush taxi.

Though slightly touristy, Foumban is one of Cameroon's major attractions and an important centre of traditional African art. Its jewel is the Palais Royal, the seat of power of the Bamoun people. The ruler of the Bamoun is known as the sultan, and the Bamoun can trace the lineage of their sultan back to 1394. The palace, completed in 1917, resembles a medieval chateau. It houses the Sultan's Museum, which contains a multitude of royal gowns, arms, musical instruments, statues, jewellery, masks and colourful bead-covered thrones carved in the shapes of the men who sat on them.A few hundred metres south of the palace is the Musée des Arts et des Traditions Bamoun. This extensive collection has exhibits on Bamoun history and art, including cooking implements, musical instruments, pipes, statues, masks, gongs and an ornately carved xylophone. The road that connects the two museums is the Rue des Artisans, home to sculptors, basket makers, weavers and embroiderers, and one of the best places in Central Africa to buy wood carvings. Foumban is about 250km (155mi) north-west of Yaoundé and accessible by a combination of bus and bush taxi.

Waza has some of Central Africa's best wildlife, though its scrubby, flat terrain isn't particularly scenic. The major attraction is the hundreds of pachyderms that congregate at Mare aux Eléphants, the main watering hole. Visitors are also likely to spot lions, giraffes, hippos, antelope, kob, baboons and monkeys. The park's many species of birdlife include hornbills, ostriches, crested cranes, herons and storks. The best time of year to see animals is from March to May, which unfortunately is also the hottest season. Driving to the main watering hole takes at least three hours from the entrance at the north-western edge of the park, a few kilometres south-west of the village of Waza. Waza is in the far north of Cameroon, just a few kilometres from the borders of Nigeria (west) and Chad (east). The best way to get there is to take the train from Douala or Yaoundé to N'Gaoundéré (about 18 and 12 hours, respectively) and either take a rental car or bush taxi the rest of the way. Sleeping in the park is forbidden, but you can camp at the park entrance or stay in Waza.

Once a sleepy colonial capital, Yaoundé is now a bustling urban centre of meandering streets and undulating hills, offering an unusually cool climate, excellent museums and really good grilled chicken. Ave Kennedy is the main commercial corridor. At its northern end are the Place Kennedy and the Centre Artisinal, a giant tent filled with local artisans and their handicrafts. The lively African quarters of Messa, Mokolo and Briqueterie, a few kilometres north-west of downtown, are where you'll find many of the city's unlicensed chicken houses, serving the best grilled chicken this side of the Côte d'Ivoire.A few kilometres north of the city centre is the Benedictine Monastery's Musée d'Art Cameroonais, a highlight of any visit to the capital. Despite its small size, it's got one of the best collections of Cameroonian art in the world, including masks, bowls and Bamoun bronze pipes. Even the monastery's chapel is decorated with a beautiful array of local textiles and crafts. The monastery is near the foot of Mt Fébé and is accessible by bus or taxi from downtown.A few kilometres west of downtown is the Quartier Melen, home to the Musée d'Art Nègre. The museum's collection includes Bamoun pipes from north-west Cameroon, Baoulé textiles from Côte d'Ivoire and Congolese-Zaïrian masks, as well as pieces from Algeria and Ethiopia. Melen is also home to the Paroisse de N'Djong Melen, a church whose open-air Sunday mass you shouldn't miss. For over two hours, a priest recites the mass in Ewondo to the accompaniment of African drumming, dancing and singing.Yaoundé is in the south-western corner of the country, about 200km (124mi) from both the Atlantic Ocean and the southern border.