Our safari outfitter in Cameroon operates camps in both the southeastern portion of the country for forest species such as bongo and in the northern portion of the country for savannah species such as giant (Lord Derby) eland.

Forest Camps

Camps for the forest species are generally located to the east/southeast of Yaoundé in the East (Est) region, with concessions on both the north (Zone 37) and south sides (Zone 31) of Lobéké National Park, a third concession located on the south side of Nke National Park (Zone 38), and a fourth concession located on the south side of the Dja Faunal Reserve (Zone 46). Zones 31, 37 and 46 all have one existing hunting camp while Zone 38 has three camps: one in the northern end of the concession, one in the southern end of the concession and another in the southern end thereof.

The concession on the south side of and directly adjacent to the Lobéké National Park (Zone 31) is in close proximity to the border of Cameroon with Congo to the east/southeast and the Central African Republic to the northeast. Likewise, the southern border of the concession located to the south of Nke National Park (Zone 38) is on the border between Cameroon and Congo.

Savannah Camps

Camps for the savannah species are generally located to the east/south-east of Garoua and west of Moundou in Chad in the North (Nord) region in five separate concessions.

Two of these concessions (Zones 10 and 11) are located on the west and northwest sides of Bouba Ndjida National Park, another concession (Zone 23) is located on the east side of said park, and the remaining two concessions (Zones 20 and 25) that are located directly south of Bouba Ndjida National Park and east of Benoue National Park.

There is one hunting camp situated within each of the five zones (concessions) referenced above.

There are daily flights from Paris to Douala, two flights per week from Zurich to Douala/Yaoundé, and two flights per week from Paris to Yaoundé. The actual arrival and departure points will be determined, in part, by your final destination.

A company host person will assist all clients with their arrival at and departure from any of the airports in Cameroon including Douala, Yaoundé, Garouna, Ngaoundere, Bertoua, Moloundou, Kika or Lokomo.

Upon arrival in Cameroon, you have the following options to reach your final destination.

Forest Camps

1. Charter flight from Douala to Kika or Lokomo, where the client will be picked up and transported to the appropriate camp. The charter flight is approximately € 6,600 one way and the aircraft seats up to ten passengers with luggage.

2. Ground transfer from either Douala or Yaoundé (preferred) by vehicle requiring approximately two days of driving to reach the camp. The fare for a vehicle transfer is € 2,000 round trip.

Savannah Camps

1. Charter flight from Douala/Yaoundé to Garouna, which is about four hours by vehicle from the savannah camps. The charter flight is approximately € 5,800 one way and the aircraft seats up to ten passengers with luggage.

2. Domestic flight from Douala/Yaoundé to either Garouna or Ngaoundere, which are about four hours by vehicle (approximately 140 miles or 230 kilometers) from the savannah camps. The domestic air fare is approximately € 350 round trip.

Once in the hunting concession, ground transportation consisting of a four wheel drive vehicle will be provided within the hunt area where feasible; dugout canoes will be utilized to traverse the waterways within some of the forest concessions and will be combined with hunting on foot or from machans as appropriate for the species sought.

The accommodations in each concession consist of either thatched stone chalets or traditional tented fly camps. Each individual chalet has an en-suite bathroom with hot and cold shower and flush toilet.

Daily laundry service is provided at all camps as a courtesy for the guests.

Breakfast and dinner will be served each day and will include a selection of breads, meats, fruits and vegetables based on availability and individual preferences. Meats served during your stay will include a sampling of the local wild game and will be expertly prepared for your dining pleasure.

On most days, the hunting party will return to camp for lunch and an opportunity to rest during the middle of the day when most of the game animals are inactive. In those instances where the hunting party will stay out all day, packed lunches and drinks will be provided

Alcoholic beverages will be provided and will include a selection of wines, domestic beer and a limited supply of distilled spirits. Those individuals wishing to imbibe a specific brand of American, Canadian or Scottish spirits would be advised to purchase a bottle in the duty free shops in transit to ensure that your preferred brand is available. Mineral waters are also provided.

Fair chase hunting utilizing spot and stalk techniques early and late in the day.

Eland, elephant and buffalo hunting will be conducted almost entirely by tracking, with the early morning hours spent cruising local roads within the concession or visiting local mineral licks looking for fresh tracks. Once a suitable track has been located, the hunting party will follow the track until the quarry has been located or the track become untenable.

Bongo hunting in the forest is conducted using dogs and pygmy trackers. As above, the early morning hours will be spent cruising local roads within the concession or visiting local mineral licks looking for fresh tracks. Once a suitable track has been located, the pygmy trackers will follow the spoor until the animal is jumped, at which time the dogs will be released to bay the bongo until a determination be made as to trophy quality.

The various forest duikers are typically hunted by calling, with shots usually taken at very close range utilizing a shotgun.

Forest Camps

Bates pygmy antelope, bay duiker, black-fronted duiker, blue duiker, bongo, bushpig, dwarf forest buffalo, elephant, forest sitatunga, Gabon duiker, giant forest hog, Ogilvy’s duiker, Peter’s duiker and python.

Savannah Camps

Baboon, bushbuck, civet cat, elephant, giant (Lord Derby) eland, harnessed bushbuck, hippo, Nigerian bohor reedbuck, Northwestern buffalo, oribi, python, red-flanked duiker, sing-sing waterbuck, Western bush duiker, Western hartebeest, Western kob, Western roan, and warthog.

The hunting season in Cameroon runs from December 20 through July 31 of the following year. Hunting for bongo is generally best after the rains begin in mid March or early April. On the other hand, hunting for giant eland is best in January, February and early March (at the latest) when the bulls are in their more colorful winter coats.

While they are not well known, Cameroon has established minimum caliber requirements for game species included in each of the following groups as follows:

• Group I: for bongo, buffalo, elephant, giant eland, hippo, roan and sitatunga a caliber larger than 9mm (.354) must be used. No minimum energy figures are provided.
  
  
• Group II: for bushbuck, bushpig, civet, duiker (including bay, Peter’s, and yellow-backed), giant forest hog, sitatunga, warthog, Western hartebeest, and Western kob a caliber from 6mm (.240) to 9mm (.354) must be used. No minimum energy figures are provided.
  
  
• Group III: for baboon, Bates pygmy antelope, the remaining duikers, Nigerian bohor reedbuck, oribi and sing-sing waterbuck of 6mm (.240) or less and/or a shotgun must be used. Again, no minimum energy figures are provided.

For the game animals listed in Group I, we strongly recommend a .375, whether the .375 H&H Magnum or the new .375 Ruger. The bullet selected should be a premium bonded core soft point for the soft-skinner game with solids used back-up for buffalo/hippo and the primary selection for elephant. Specific recommendations on bullets can be made upon request.

For the game animals in Group II, any flat-shooting caliber from the .270 Winchester upwards should be sufficient for most of these game species. Again, the bullet selected should be a premium bonded core soft point.

For the forest duikers and pygmy antelope in Group III, a 12 gauge semi-automatic or pump shotgun with a short barrel is highly recommended as the shots are quick and at close range.

For forest hunting, either open sights or a variable power scope with a low power setting somewhere around 1X to 1.5X is strongly recommended as shots at animals such as bongo will typically be taken at close range and in thick cover.

For the savannah, we would recommend a variable power scope with a low power setting somewhere around 2.5X and a high power setting somewhere around 10X as shots at giant eland often occur in the open woodlands at longer ranges.

Much of the shooting on the savannah hunts will be done while standing utilizing shooting sticks – as is standard practice throughout Africa. We highly recommend that you obtain a pair of shooting sticks such as those offered by Long Grass Outfitters or African Sporting Creations and practice shooting from the standing position off of the sticks.

Shots on some of the savannah species may exceed 200 yards (183 meters), so you need to know the ballistics of your rifle and be comfortable shooting out to 200 yards. In other words, practice, practice, practice!

A maximum of three firearms may be imported into Cameron by any one individual.

Be advised that semi-automatic and/or military-style rifles are generally not allowed in Africa.

A list of recommended clothing and equipment will be furnished upon booking. For initial hunt planning purposes, general recommendations can be made upon request.

Cameroon lies between latitudes two and thirteen degrees north or directly north of the equator. As a result, seasonal variations in temperature generally are not extreme, but are subject to altitudinal influences as one travels inland from the coast.

Generally speaking, the southern and northern regions of the country are two distinctly different climatic areas:

* The southern area of the country is quite humid and receives significant annual rainfall ranging between 100 and 160 inches (250 and 400 cm) in the coastal areas and between ; in the inland south, between 670 and 100 inches (150 and 250 cm) in the inland south. The western slopes of Mt. Cameroon receive 240 to 350 inches (600 to 900 cm) of rainfall annually. The mean temperature ranges from 72° to 84°F (22° to 29°C) along the coast. There are two dry seasons in the south from November to March and June to August.

* The northern part of the country has a more comfortable climate. Total rainfall drops from 60 inches (150 cm) annually in the central plateau to 24 inches (60 cm) northward near Lake Chad, and mean temperatures range 73° to 79°F (23° to 26°C), although temperatures can reach 122°F (50°C) in the far north. The dry season in the north is from October to March.

Forest Areas

The central-south area has an equatorial climate with lighter rains between April and June and a more intense rainy season between September and November. The two dry seasons are discussed above. Temperatures in the capital of Yaoundé, which is approximately 2,460 feet (750 meters) above sea level, are subject to very slight changes with the seasons, the average minimum temperatures vary between 68°F (20°C) in February and 57°F (14°C) in March, while the average maximum temperatures vary between 88°F (31°C) in January and 79°F (26°C) in July.

Savannah Areas

The north of Cameroon has a rainy season that starts in April and ends in September, the warmest months are between March and May, with temperatures sometimes reaching 104°F (40°C) or higher.

Take a small digital camera that you can carry in your shirt or vest pocket for your trophy photos and learn how to use the camera before your trip. I would also recommend taking a slightly larger camera such as the Canon PowerShot SX-1 IS or the PowerShot SX-10 IS – both of which have a 20X optical zoom (equal to a 560 mm telephoto lens) for shots of wildlife while you are driving around the bush or sitting at the waterhole. After four trips to Africa, I assure you that you won’t regret the investment and you will bring home outstanding photos of the African wildlife that the smaller cameras just don’t have the optical zoom to capture.

Hunting in Cameroon generally requires a considerable amount of walking whether hunting bongo in the forest or giant eland in the savannah. In either case, the terrain is not overly challenging, but the heat and humidity can be factors. The tracking process is typically slow and methodical up until the point that the quarry is sighted and then it may be necessary to move quickly in order to get into position for a shot. Make sure that your hunting boots are well broken in before your safari!

On a fitness scale of one to ten (with one being very poor physical condition and ten being excellent physical condition), I would only rate the physical level of this hunt at a five. So long as the hunter is able to walk reasonable distances and drinks plenty of water to remain hydrated, there should not be a problem from a physical standpoint.

Keep in mind that your Professional Hunter will be very happy to gear the pace of the hunt to fit your particular physical abilities – so don’t hesitate to advise if he is moving too fast, walking too far, etc. After all, it is your safari, so don’t be afraid to speak up and advise your PH of your expectations, physical abilities or physical limitations!