For many travellers making their way to explore the jungles, misty mountains and coastal stretches of West Africa, Yaounde will be a first stop. And while it’s true that this capital city is finely located for anyone eager to get lost beneath the primate-peppered canopies of the Mefou National Park, it’s also got a lively, buoyant feeling of its very own that surely makes it worth a visit.

There’s nowhere better in town to begin than amidst the sprawling, frenetic fray of the Mfoundi and Mokolo markets, which exhibit stacked rows of spice and farmer’s goods and craft trinkets. Nearby, the Nlongkak roundabout throbs with food stalls, the aromas of freshly refried beans twisting and turning in the air. There are then the exhibitions of the Cameroon Art Museum, the Afhemi Museum and the National Museum that bring up the cultural end of the city’s offering. And if you really want to sample the local vibe, be sure to ask your Yaounde tour guide about attending a match at the Stade Ahmadou Ahidjo, which bursts to life whenever the Cameroonian team are in town!