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The highest mountain in Western Africa is an active volcano right off the western shore of Cameroon. The last eruption was in 2012 and another one is due soon. At 4,020 m or 13,255 ft, it rises above the clouds where oxygen is much less, causing altitude sickness and the rate of ascent for a climb is also very drastic starting from almost sea-level all the way to the summit in about 24 hours.

Mount Cameroon or Fako as its known locally, has been recently designated a National Park in 2014, though people have been climbing it for centuries. Several tour groups can arrange for trips to summit. For my climb I worked with Ecotour Guides Cameroon, a company started by Buma Peter and his friends, all previous guides and porters. Contact details below

The majority of tours start from Buea, a relaxed town at the base of the mountain. There are varied options for the tours with the most popular being the two day summit and three day summit plus crater tour. The four day tour takes you to the wilderness reserve where you can find elephants.

For my tour I was slightly better prepared compared to my Kilimanjaro experience. I had warm clothes, proper shoes, and even a hat!

The night before the climb, I met with Buma Peter and Ekambi Peter for a beer and to discuss the next day.

They recommended the Presbyterian Guest House which is right near the start of the trial. The guest house was safe and inexpensive, but lacked internet so not my ideal choice.

On the day of the climb, Ekambi Peter came to the guesthouse to help pack up the bags. We then went to the local market to buy food for the two days. Besides some snacks, I left the food purchasing decisions to Ekambi the chef.

Then we stopped for some breakfast with Marcel, another member of the team, at an overpriced hotel restaurant. Not sure how I would react to 4,000+ m, I decided to try to get some altitude sickness pills. Both of the pharmacies closest to the trail had no idea what altitude sickness was or the pills for it. Forget it.

Near the park entrance we registered with park rangers before starting up the trail. Buma Peter was the guide, while Ekambi Peter and Marcel Ekonde were the porters for the trip. We were hiking the “Guinness Route” which could be due to Guinness sponsoring the Mount Cameroon Race of Hope.

With a bit of a late start, we were on the trail at 10 a.m. The first day was tough but manageable. The hike went passed an active prison, farmland, and into the tropical rainforest.

It was humid, hot, and the ants were merciless. One large soldier ant bit me through the sock and when I brushed it off, I felt it biting again a few moments later. I only brushed off its body. The head was still attached to my sock and actively biting. Ugh…

After around an hour and a half, we arrived at the entrance of the park where we stopped to rest. There was an archway and a welcome sign signaling the start of the park.

After another thirty minutes or so, we arrived at Hut 1. Here we stopped for rangers to register our hike and have lunch which consisted of a spicy fish and yam paste wrapped in a leaf. We didn’t see much wildlife besides birds and some rats that hung around the huts. They were quite cute.

Continuing up the mountain, we exited the forest and arrived at the “savannah”. This section is mostly high grass growing from the black volcanic gravel.

There is an intermediary hut (Hut 1.5) where we stopped to rest. Inside these graffiti covered metal huts were wooden platforms where you could set up sleeping bags and sleep. We heard a group frantically chanting or praying in the hut next to us.

After another 15 minutes, we continued up the savannah, the steepest part of the trail.

The climb was challenging as I’m out of shape, but I managed to make it up to Hut 2 just after sunset around 7 pm. The views over Buea were magnificent, especially in the sunset light.

At Hut 2, the crew got a tent set up and dinner prepared. Ekambi Peter was a great cook given the basic supplies and cooking utensils available. The fire burning in the middle of one of the huts was essential for heating us and our food. We had a spaghetti pasta for dinner with a homemade vegetable sauce. It was quite delicious!

I brought a bottle of whisky, 100 Pipers, also known as a “hot drink” as the guides like to call it. After dinner we had fun chatting over the fire each with a glass of whisky. Conversation drifted from politics, Boko Haram, corruption, the park, the mountain and life in Cameroon.

Then well exhausted from the day, I headed to sleep. Tomorrow was going to be tough.

The next morning, we started around 9 am with breakfast. The night was cold and windy but luckily no rain. For breakfast there was toast, jams, chocolate spread and coffee or hot cocoa.

One porter was going to lead the summit hike while the other two guys got lunch ready and packed up.

It was really foggy and humid, making the volcanic ground quite slippery. I was already sore from yesterday and was feeling the burn.

Rain drops. Uh oh. I didn’t have a poncho and though my jacket seems waterproof, it wouldn’t cover my backpack with my sensitive electronics inside.

The guide said we should turn back, as the last stretch near the summit becomes very cold if it starts raining and is “risky”. I didn’t make the trip here to NOT climb Mount Cameroon. We decided to push on.

The pace was slow and the four hour hike took a lot longer than expected. The rain seemed to stop which was a relief. Vegetation at this altitude turned into strange bunches succulent plants with pink flowers. Very few animals were seen, though some birds were still chirping.

Two runners passed us on the way up and after an hour or so, passed us on the way down. They were training for the annual race up and down Mount Cameroon. The record is something around four and a half hours.

Hut 3. We made it to the last hut of the mountain. From here it was only another hour or so to the summit.

We pushed onward. My quads and calves were burning but we eventually arrived.

The summit was a bit of a disappointment because of the limited visibility with the fog and the unappealing collection of items. There were several signs, two of them tipped over on the ground, a stone compass, and some other items.

Yet, we stood at 4,040m (13,255 ft) and celebrated by taking some pictures before heading back down. With the summit complete I had a new burst of adrenalin so I was actually running down the volcanic gravel slope.

Then it started to rain.

This time it wasn’t just a couple of drops, it was a full on storm which pelted down hail, flashed lightning, and poured buckets of water.

I used my jacked to protect my backpack, exposing my sweatshirt in the front. Before we even made it to hut 3, we were drenched. I was soaked all the way through to my underwear. The one part I was able to keep dry was my head and backpack.

We took a brief rest in hut 3, but couldn’t sit for long as we didn’t have dry clothes or anything to warm us up. We had to continue down and keep our body temperature higher by moving.

It was easier to go down, but still a challenge especially in the downpour which created rivers of water where the hiking paths use to be.

Stopped only for seconds, I would start to shiver and shake uncontrollably. My body temperature dropped very quickly if I wasn’t moving. We continued in a steady pace all the way back to Hut 2 where Buma Peter and Ekambi Peter were waiting for us. Ekambi funnily apologized as if he had anything to do with the weather.

I got under the sheet metal roof of the hut and started to strip. It felt great to get the wet clothes off, but my body started shaking from the lack of motion. I changed into some semi-dry clothes, hug my soaking clothes up, and huddled by the fire.

We then had lunch consisting of rice and vegetables, with hot tea. After about an hour by the fire, my body stopped shaking and we got ready to make the final hike all the way down to town. Fortunately the storm passed.

It was already 4 p.m. which was late. Knowing our speed, Buma Peter said we’ll be hiking in the dark.

The savannah was difficult going down as it was very steep and also slippery from the rain. At Hut 1.5, we met a group that was stranded there from the storm and missed the summit. They would spend the night there.

A guy told us about how people have died near the summit because of the rain. With a first hand experience of being drenched at the top of the mountain, I can see how easy it is to come down with hypothermia and then death.

We continued down and just as we entered the forest, the sun set.

Phones and flashlights out, we made the slow and tedious walk back to Buea. This last section was mentally exhausting, the end was right there, but it never seemed to come.

Step after step, over roots, ant trails, poison plants, and rocks we eventually arrived where we started at 11 p.m.

Having already climbed the highest mountain in Africa, I expected Mt. Cameroon to be a breeze. Though a shorter climb and easier in terms of altitude, Mount Cameroon is still a formidable foe.

I will spend the next week recovering from an unforgettable challenge.

Contact Ecotour Guides Cameroon:
Website: http://ecotourguidescameroon.com/
Email: ecotourguidemtcam@gmail.com
Tel: +237-677-037-475