July 26th, 2015 by Rachel | Tags: Peace Corps, Photography, Travel | No Comments »
Last March, after having been in Peace Corps service for six months and not having had a vacation, I decided I very much needed a break from work to relax. Alex and I travelled to the Southwest region to see Twin Crater Lakes located by a little village named Bangam for two days where we saw two very beautiful lakes nestled in the mountains. This is a little known tourist site that has shown me that Cameroon is a treasure trove filled with many natural beauty spots that are not known to many people around the world. Alex and I were the only tourists at the time of exploring the lakes. This destination is so relaxing that it does not require anyone to have a strong physical strength. While one could hike for two to four hours from the hotel in Bangam where all tourists stay to the lakes, Alex and I opted to hire a bike driver and take a moto bike directly to the lakes so that we could maximize our time at the lakes. Alex and I both spent several hours resting by the lake and eating snacks, which we brought with us. The beautiful scenery has totally blown me away as I felt like I was inside a fairy tale movie.
On our way back to Bamenda, we stopped by Ekom Waterfalls located in the Littorial region, about an hour and half from Bangam. I was once again reminded that Cameroon has endless opportunities see as a tourist. This waterfall is surrounded by stunning greeneries. This spot has many stairs and so one would need to be prepared to have a lot of energy to climb up and down many steps. However, the workout is a worthwhile to see the waterfalls.
Tourists can get to Bangam by taking a bus that travels to and from Douala and Bamenda and asking the driver to be dropped off in Melong. Alex and I both took Vatican Express from Bamenda leaving at 10 AM. Once the tourists have arrived in Melong, they need to find a bike driver and ask the driver to be taken to the spot where there are bike drivers who will drive to Bangam. It should not cost more than 200 to 300 CFA to be driven from the bus stop to the bike spot for Bangam. The bike ride from Melong to Bangam is about an hour to an hour and half and it should cost no more than 2,500 CFA for one person or 4,000 CFA total for two people.
Bangam has one hotel called Prestige Hotel. A regular room costs 10,000 CFA per night. A large room with a water heater for the shower costs 20,000 CFA per night. Alex and I opted for the large room but the water heater didn’t work and so, they reimbursed us some money. There is also a little restaurant inside the hotel with a small selection of food. They take about an hour to cook the meal.
Some Peace Corps Volunteers have camped by the lakes instead of staying in the hotel, but they did certainly need to bring their own camping gear.
There is a fee to enter the lakes and that is 2,000 CFA. There is also a fee for photographing which is additional 2,000 CFA.
To get to Ekom Waterfalls, the tourists will need to head back to Melong and then look for a driver who is willing to drive them to Ekom Waterfalls. The drive is about 20 minutes from Ekom Waterfalls. For a private driver and round trip between Melong and Ekom Waterfalls, it costs 10,000 CFA. The price also includes 2 hours wait time.
