You are planning that trip to Cameroon. That’s an awesome plan, and I celebrate your courage to dare come to the second most diverse country in Africa.If you’re like me, who compares several lodgings before boarding a bus or buying a flight ticket, here’s my honest review of what to consider before you pack your bags for Cameroon. Read to the end to get some of my tips on how I have dealt with staying at accommodations in Cameroon.

One major thing to note is that taxis in Cameroon drive only on the main road of every city. So, if you see a hotel that’s outside of the major city route, you will have to hire them and pay extra for them to take you inside. The best alternative is to rent a car or borrow one from friends. That’s always a pricey option. If you have a Cameroonian friend, it’s the most appropriate option as they’ll take you there even on foot or you can stay with them.

You’ll probably land if you use the air in either Douala or Yaoundé, two of the famous cities with international airports. These areas are part of the 8 former French colonies, while there are 2 former British colonies. It’s relevant to mention this colonial historic background because it shapes the way the accommodations in Cameroon experience will be.

Accommodations in Cameroon: the French regions

From the streets of many French cities or towns, it’s typical for houses to be crammed, poorly constructed, and weirdly designed. Construction, in general, is still ancient in many ways, so you’ll see many things that will surprise you.

As much as this review is blunt, it’s not aimed at condemning people or generalizing. There are exceptions.

Before you come, it’s extremely important to know that many accommodations don’t have online listings. That means it’s not easy to find some even from a Google Map search.

Also, even if the map indicates one, consider that time to go with a grain of salt as long as the place is not shown on the main road.

Hotel accommodations

First, you will see several hotels dotted around if you walk around. This somehow should be a sign of the quality of the place. If it’s not listed, it probably is a 1-star facility with a lot of issues you will not want to deal with.

You just asked what kind of issues? The first one will be the cleanliness of the room. Somehow, low-star hotels have always had many problems. For example, the water was extremely dirty because they are using a private water system where water is pumped from the ground.

This borehole concept to extract pure water from the ground is increasingly becoming famous and should be reliable, but most places I have been to, their water was as brownish as the ground. I will spare you the details of some of the many things, like broken faucets, toilet pots without seats and lids, wardrobes without hangers, two colors of bathing slippers, no restaurant, very few or no toiletries, bathrooms without a bulb or a wall that has plumbing water issues. These types of hotels will surprisingly be between 5,000 – 10,000 CFA francs ($10-$20). I don’t recommend them.

What are the most important aspects to check before booking accommodations in Cameroon?

I said all that to mention that, if it’s not a 4 or 5-star hotel, please don’t consider it. These are the Hiltons, so expect to come with a heavy pocket. A few 3-star hotels could be worth your money, but read the reviews first. I spend time reading at least 7 reviews before I pay a lot for a hotel in Cameroon. I ignore this process in developed countries because I am convinced about the quality of their hygiene. However, for Africa and Cameroon in particular, this is a must-do priority.

Regarding motel accommodations in Cameroon, in the French region called auberges in the language, it’s the worst option to consider unless you are really tolerant. Most of them are in shanty parts of the city.

Majority of the issues I mentioned above for low-class hotels are worse with these facilities. Their owners almost always don’t care about the maintenance of the facilities. I have tried a few times in desperate situations where I couldn’t find a hotel and wanted a budget-friendly place. The stenches were unbearable just when the doors were opened. As you suspected, I didn’t stay there.

This is within the least of my recommendations. The hygienic conditions are extremely below standard. It’s almost impossible to find one with a comfortable mattress, clean white sheets, clean running water, and a floor without dirty stains on the tiles, which haven’t been cleaned properly for a long time.

What aspect has mostly surprised me?

One of the major reasons for this is because most of these places don’t have enough or any staff. The owners are the cleaners sometimes. It’s challenging for them to maintain the quality hygiene because of time. Also, many people use these low-quality places for prostitution or hidden extramarital affairs.

As concerns renting apartments or staying with someone via Airbnb, I recommend this option though I had extreme differences. I got a very clean, classy studio and a fairly dirty one in Yaoundé. Both places had the same prices ($17) listed on Airbnb.

Their hosts weren’t living in Cameroon though they were the ones who responded to the requests. They have workers in Cameroon who weren’t giving them the full details of how the place is. When or before you book, ensure that the host gives you the phone number of the caretaker in Cameroon to ease communication because sometimes due to timezone differences, some might delay in responding and you can be stranded.

My honest review is that renting an apartment is the best of all the scanty accommodations in Cameroon.

Are there hostels in French Cameroon?

Concerning staying at hostels, that’s not possible. I haven’t seen or heard of any. As I earlier mentioned, most people use outdoor accommodations for illicit sexual activities. They don’t want others to see them or know about their secret affairs or jobs. This, I doubt there are hostels. Somehow they are considered to be public spaces and people don’t feel like their privacy is protected. Even at the universities, all accommodation facilities can be called hostels, but each room is completely separate with an indoor toilet, and some with a kitchen.

Finally, the last option is to consider couchsurfing. I was surprised to see many people offering their homes for free to foreigners and to Cameroonians. I dared to book for a lady in Yaoundé. She quickly accepted my request. I didn’t end up going there because my plans changed, but I was impressed.

Accommodations in Cameroon: the English regions

This is the smartest population in Cameroon and it consists solely of the southwest and northwest regions. Two of the 10 regions.

Before I go into details to explain the accommodation options, I must remark that you’ll notice that the streets in these regions are cleaner than most of the French regions. The difference is very clear based on the culture. English people are more continuous with maintaining a clean environment and their construction is far better than the other part. I cannot claim that they are extremely modern in every sense, but the differences are clear.

One key example is that it’s possible to find a place in the French city where there’s no window. I mean the room is as dark as hell with no natural light from the sun. They build and put the windows within the hallways, so the room is always dark. On the other hand, I have never seen a place without at least a small window for the toilet.

Another example is some French accommodations will not have a sewage bathroom door from the bathroom section, making it very uncomfortable to share with anybody. Whereas, most of, if not all, places in the English parts have separate doors, windows. Lately, many people build and join the kitchen with the bedroom like foreign apartments, but before, it was entirely separate.

How are the hotels?

Hotels here are cleaner and more comfortable. Of course, based on the stars, the prices will be higher, but there’s an assurance of a hygienic condition. I recommend reading reviews as always, but my observation is that rooms are more spacious, mattresses fairly comfortable, and constant running water. From the southwest region where I hail, tap water might not be regular every day, but it’s extremely clean. The source is from the mountain, so it’s reliable to drink, do laundry, and anything basic you might need it for.

I have rarely seen motels in the English regions. They might exist, but to some extent, I think the aspect of random illicit sexual activities is more regarded here than in the French areas. Most people are ashamed of the stigma of being seen coming out of the hotels with someone other than their wives. Also, many working guys have their own places, so they’re comfortable doing their private stuff at their private places. It might be an exaggeration to say if there were, it would be cleaner than those in the French regions, but I have never used any or heard of one.

What to expect at other accommodations in Cameroon

This applies to hostels too. The principle of sharing private spaces with foreigners doesn’t seem to be a thing for Cameroonians in general. The only time I have heard people sharing public rooms like a hostel is at boarding schools where the school is maximizing their building spaces. One room can have more than 4 bunk beds depending on the number of students, and male and female dormitories are always separated with a huge distance between them on the campus.

I have never used an apartment from Airbnb but I have heard stories from others. Everyone told me they were more than satisfied. The spaces were clean, modern to some extent, well maintained, and had functioning kitchens.

I saw a few people offering their places too for Couchsurfing. I don’t have a personal experience, so I cannot recommend, but if you’re daring, you lose nothing in trying.

My suggestions for all accommodations in Cameroon

For the sake of good health, whether you’re going to any of the above listed areas, I suggest buying a disinfectant. I used to ignore this before until my sister called my attention to how the possibility of non-regular cleaning, which is common in these places, can cause a health issue later. Now, I disinfect anything I know I will use or touch.

Bring extra blankets/sheets. That might sound too much for someone who just wants to pack light, but if you consider that those sheets you will be sleeping on were hand washed by one person who probably didn’t spend a lot of time on one, it might be something to be taken seriously. I have seen several laundry women washing sheets and the rinsing water was almost as dirty as the washing water.

What has been my most surprising experience?

Equally, I have the unverified feeling that to reduce the load of work, these people don’t wash sheets when clients spend only a night. I might be wrong, but that’s my impression. I say that because several times, I have seen hairs and strange stains on sheets. So now, before I pay, I ask them to show me the room. If they refuse, I quietly walk away. Most will show you if they really care. I have always spent a few minutes to observe.

If I saw any strange stain, I ask for the sheets to be changed. They’ve always done it. One motel worker at an average place in Ebolowa grumbled a bit but did what I asked.

Don’t drink tap water. This might sound like obvious advice, but as explained above, water sources are not very safe. I know only the Southwest region water is perfectly treated. I use it for everything. But water in Yaoundé and other regions are brownish and dirty. I don’t recommend traveling with white clothing unless you plan to throw it away after use.

What are the most important things to take note at accommodations in Cameroon?

See the room before you pay. One major reason to request to see the room first is so you can evaluate what facilities they are offering. They’ll give you prices, and most times, the differences are not really much. Take your time to compare each of them based on the prices before you pay.

This is not just about the money but about the hygiene too. This is my suggestion for low star facilities. I observe to see if I see roaches or rat holes, then check the toilet pot to observe, and the odor to assess if the sewage has issues, which sometimes causes a pungent smell at night hours.

Don’t use their blankets. In places like Yaoundé, where it gets cold at night, I have never used the blankets. This is because I’m unsure of how often they warm them, but I’m more concerned about where they’re dried and how they’re washed.

Some people give thick and heavy clothes like that, which cannot be washed easily with the hands, to those who wash carpets on the street. These people go to streams or use fairly dirty large pond waters to wash those. I am almost convinced they don’t pay for pressing to wash every time.

If you are like me, where the weather seriously affects our well-being, there’s always a necessity to verify if the fan or air conditioning you see in the room is working. Sometimes, it’s there, but it’s not functioning. When you pay, they’ll tell you it got bad a few minutes before you came. This is common in the French regions.

What are my final remarks about accommodations in Cameroon?

My final advice is that since most places are managed by a single receptionist, it’s not uncommon to enter a hotel and not see anyone who will attend to you. Sometimes, and many times, I have had to call the numbers I saw on the wall before waiting for a receptionist to come, and it’s never immediate. Very few have apologized for that, so don’t expect one.

On the other hand, there are some very rude receptionists who will not respond to your greetings for reasons best known to them. A receptionist in Bertoua shocked me to my bones. She replied to my smiling greeting with a hum. Then, when I asked to see the rooms before paying, she gave me the keys and proceeded to give me directions on where to find the room.

This was the peak of disrespect. I just told her I wouldn’t and would leave. She didn’t apologize or look remorseful. She told me goodbye. This is typical for French Cameroonians.

Another pointer you should consider is the outside view of the establishment. If you see the building looking old, dirty, and worn out, there’s a 99% guarantee that the interior is worse. Building plans are always done without sustainability.

So, plumbing and paints peeling off the walls is a clear proof that maintenance inside could be worse. If the curtains at the receptionist are dirty, as it’s common in the French regions, the ones in the bedroom will be having all the dust in Cameroon.

I don’t have pictures of English region hotels but I will ensure to update this later.

If you’re intersted in similar reviews about accommodations in other countries like this, check my old posts.