The twin crater lakes of Manengouba are perhaps the most delightful place I have ever visited in Cameroon (Maroua and Kribi are on the list too). Just a three-hour walk from Bangem (and Bangem is an attraction in itself!), the lakes lay under the crater ridge of Mount Manengouba (2,411 m). You’ll hardly meet anybody up there – probably a guy will pop up from nowhere to check your entry ticket and camera permit (the fee is collected in the last village along the ascent, just before passing a small gate and a wood cabin), but that’s it. The lakes are sacred: the big one is the ‘woman lake’ and the small one ‘the male lake’ (only the big one is accessible for picnicking, swimming or camping).

The pictures published here have been taken by my partner in crime during his first visit to Manengouba (analogical pictures in a fog-free day… yes, he’s been inexplicably lucky) and by the two of us during our Nigeria-Cameroon journey (digital pictures in a very foggy, bone-drenching day – ooops, rainy day in rainy season, what a surprise!).

Path to the lakes

Right direction

Welcome to Mbat

Path to the lake

Last village before the gate

Cows and fog

The Woman Lake

The Woman lake

The Woman lake

The Male lake

The Woman Lake

Happy ending at the Prestige Inn in Bangem: a pilsener before a well-deserved dinner!