Best Time to Visit Cameroon

December and January: the easy months

If you only get one window, pick December or January. Both Douala and Yaoundé score best then. The rains have eased, roads are easier to drive, and you can plan days outdoors without watching the sky. Douala is hottest in January at 32°C, so it's warm and sticky by the coast. Yaoundé is hottest in February at 29°C, a little gentler on the hills inland.

This is also the main tourist season. Flights fill up around Christmas and New Year, as many Cameroonians travel home to their villages. Expect busy buses out of Douala and Yaoundé. If you hate crowds, aim for early January after the holiday rush.

Coast versus capital

The two cities share the same best months but feel very different in the wet season. Douala sits on the Atlantic and gets soaked. September is its wettest month at 386 mm, which is heavy even by tropical standards. Streets in neighbourhoods like Bonabéri can flood, and trips to the beaches at Limbe or Kribi turn grey and muddy. Yaoundé is wettest in October at 234 mm. That's still a lot of rain, but it comes in showers, and the city's hills and markets stay workable.

Want Mount Cameroon? The climbing season is generally the drier months, so December and January suit it well. Cloud and slick trails make the wet months a poor bet.

Holidays and low season

Low season runs roughly from the heavy rains in September and October. Hotels are quieter, but some roads outside the cities get rough. Travelling by road then takes longer than you'd guess.

Two national dates shape travel. National Day on 20 May brings parades, especially in Yaoundé, and many offices close. Youth Day on 11 February also draws crowds and closures. Islamic holidays such as Eid matter in the north, where many people are Muslim, so transport and shops can shift on those days.

Heading north to Waza National Park? That's a different climate, and our city data doesn't cover it. Check conditions separately before you go.