Cameroon

Call it a sleeping giant or an Africa in miniature, Cameroon is hugely diverse, demonstrated by 19 national parks spanning everything from Mount Cameroon West Africa's highest peak and lush rainforest, to coastal mangrove and wildlife-rich savannah more readily associated with the south and east of the continent. Beautiful, and largely empty, beaches of golden sand stretch along much of Cameroon's 250 mile coastline from the resort town of Kribi in the south to Limbe further north, by way of Douala. The country's largest city, this bustling port metropolis boasts alongside capital Yaoundé many of the country's best hotels, restaurants, and nightlife, whether that's live performances of makossa music or the latest home-grown hip-hop, alongside a growing number of unmissable museums. Cameroon has a fascinating pre-colonial and colonial history, resulting in an officially bilingual nation of 275 ethnic groups, around 160 dialects and multiple religious faiths living peacefully side by side. It is one of the few places on the continent where it is possible to visit Baka hunter-foragers (better known to many as pygmies) in their rainforest home and northern Arabic-speaking trading towns still dominated by ancient customs and ruled by Fon chiefs. Hikers and nature lovers can not only summit Mount Cameroon, but absorb Cameroon's extraordinary biodiversity in its myriad lakes, some the remnants of historic volcanic activity, while birders have the chance to sight one of the world's rarest shrikes on Mount Kupe and grey-necked rockfowl, part of a family of hard to see species. Head to Waza National Park in the north for safaris in search of elephant, lion, hippo, giraffe and cheetah, in addition to ostrich, herons, ibis and saddle-billed storks. AUTHOR: Ben West has written on a wide variety of subjects for numerous newspapers and magazines including The Guardian, The Independent, the Daily Telegraph, The Times, the Daily Mail, Vogue, The Spectator and Reader's Digest. Travel writing has taken him to more than 85 countries, including a number in Africa, and his first trip to Cameroon netted him four tropical diseases. He is a member of the British Guild of Travel Writers. He was chief property correspondent of the Daily Express and the Sunday Express from 1999 to 2001, at which time penning one too many features on the joys of bungalow living became too much. He has had various columns in publications from time to time, including the Financial Times and Mail on Sunday. He has written several travel and property books, and his theatre show, Gertrude's Secret, featuring Prunella Scales, Natalie Cassidy, Angela Griffin and around 30 other actors, toured throughout the UK theatres for three years. He has also produced live shows for comedians, writers and musicians including Arthur Smith, Jenny Eclair, Richard Herring, Hal Cruttenden, Will Self and The Christians. 40 colour photos, 26 maps