Douala - Douala

Douala is a city in the Littoral region of Cameroon.

To know

Douala is the largest city in Cameroon and its economic capital.

Geographical notes

The city of Douala is located in the central part of the coastal plain of Cameroon, a short distance from the coast of the Gulf of Guinea, from the massive block of Mount Cameroon and from the island of Bioko, belonging to Equatorial Guinea. The city is built on both banks of the Wouri River, connected by the Bonaberi bridge.

When to go

Douala has the highest humidity in the world, 100%.

Background

The first Europeans to arrive in the area of ​​the city were the Portuguese in 1472 who baptized it "Rio dos Camarões" (riviera of shrimps). In the mid-seventeenth century, the town was populated by Duala-speaking immigrants from inland and over the next century Douala became an important center of the transatlantic slave trade.

Between 1884 and 1895 the German protectorate is focused on trade and the exploitation of resources, without a real occupation of the territories. The name of the city is Germanized in Kamarunstadt and the site becomes the capital of the German colony of Cameroon until 1902. Between 1896 and 1907 military operations are followed by the exploitation of concessions and plantations. In 1907 the city was renamed Douala and a colonial ministry was created; at the time the city had about 23,000 inhabitants. In 1919 it became part of French Cameroon, of which it was the capital from 1940 to 1946.

How to orient yourself

Neighborhoods

• Akwa is a neighborhood in the center of Douala crossed by the Boulevard de la Liberté, it is the nightlife district of Douala.
• Bonanjo it is the administrative district. There are government offices, the central post office, banks, airline agencies and some restaurants.
• Bell is a district to the south Bonanjo, bordering to the east with Bonapriso.
• Bonapriso is a neighborhood south of Bonanjo, bordered to the north-west by Bell and to the east and north-east by New Bell.
• New Bell is a popular district of the city, infamous for being the seat of the prison.
• Nylon
• Brazzaville
• Low
• Sic
• Bépenda
• Bonamoussongo
• Deïdo
• Bonabéri it is a district separated from the center by the river Wouri and connected to the Deïdo district by a single bridge.

How to get

By plane

Douala airport is served by numerous airlines with direct connections also to Paris, Brussels, Casablanca, Nairobi, Dakar, Johannesburg.The airport is very close to the city center which can be easily reached by taxi. There is a special area for taxis at the exit from the airport. It is advisable to avoid illegal taxis.

How to get around

By taxi

There are two types of taxi rides. Individual journeys and group journeys Individual journeys are taxi journeys in which you are the only or the only passenger. The price is agreed for the entire journey and no other passengers can get on the taxi. Taxi drivers know the neighborhoods, the big hotels and some landmarks. When you take a taxi first of all you tell the taxi driver the destination with the name of the neighborhood. If the taxi driver accepts the ride, before getting on he asks for the price and eventually contracts. Once agreed on the price you go up. It is good to know what is called the "place said" of the place where you are going; it is a name for a building, shop or other landmark in the neighborhood. This way, when you arrive in the neighborhood, if the taxi driver does not know the place, he can ask for information and find it. It is also possible to negotiate routes with multiple stages and stops with the taxi driver. Any stops must be agreed at the beginning of the negotiation. We recommend that you take individual rides in the evening and at night. Collective rides are taxi rides with multiple passengers. The rides have fixed rates based on the distances traveled; distances are calculated based on the distances between neighborhoods. These types of races are slower than individual races and are suitable for short trips. It is not recommended to take group rides in the evening especially for women traveling alone.

What see

• Palace of the ancient kings Bell (Palais des Anciens Rois Bell), Rue du Tribunal. 
• Espace doual'art (Doual'art art center), Place du Gouvernement, Bonanjo (Directions for taxis: next to the old courthouse), ☎ 237 33 43 32 59, @[email protected]. The art center also has a small garden bar. 
• National Maritime Museum (Maritime National Museum), Rue Clémenceau. 
• Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul (Cathédrale Saint Pierre et Saint Paul), Avenue de la Liberté. 
• Collège Libermann, Boulevard de la Liberté (In front of number 22). 
• Akwa Stadium (Stade d'Akwa). 

Events and parties

• ^{[link not working]}SOUTH Salon Urbain de Douala (Public art festival). A three-year festival that takes place in December every 3 years. The third edition is in 2013. The festival runs for a week with events in several districts of the city. 

What to do

• Center Culturel Français (French cultural center). The center houses a library and has a rich program of exhibitions, concerts and films. 
• Pool. Typical recreational activity for expats. It is possible to use the swimming pools of the hotels for a fee. 

Shopping

• Marché de Lagos (South of Ahmadou Ahidjo). The largest market in Cameroon. 

How to have fun

Where to eat

Douala has good food and excellent fruit. Among the easiest dishes to find on the menus are meat skewers (brochettes), grilled fish and typical Cameroonian dishes.

Moderate prices

There are numerous food stalls scattered throughout the city.

• Jedu, Bonateki. 
• The modern glaciers, Immeuble SOCAR. 
• Chez la blanche, Youpwe Plage. 
• Complexe belavie (In front of the BEAC bank). 
• The pirogue, At the traffic lights Deido Plage. 
• Le provençal, 369 avenue du Général de Gaulle. 
• Le Sawa, Rue de Verdun. 
• Les échos de Bonanjo, Rue Ivy. 
• La Paillote, Boulevard de la Liberté. 

Average prices

• The Sorento, Avenue de Gaulle, Bonapriso, ☎ 237 99-91-01-66, 237 99-91-01-69. Open only in the evening. — 
• Africa saga, Boulevard de la Liberté. 
• Le Boj, Avenue du Général de Gaulle. 
• Bistro Latin, Rue Batibois. 
• Chez Tonton Samy (Between the traffic lights of Deïdo Plage and the Saker market). 
• Le Sénat, Rue Boué de Lapeyrère. 
• Masseina, Rue Toyota. 
• The méditerranée, Boulevard de la Liberté. 
• La cigale. 
• Gourmandises Katerina, Rue de l'Union français. 
• La baleine blue de massa, Youpwe Plage. 
• The fourchette. 
• The great marmite. 
• The cabanon, Rue Uta, doors 21. 
• Le café des palabres, Place du Gouvernement. 
• Le dernier comptoir colonial, Youpwe Plage. 
• The paradis. 
• Maï Thaï, Bonapriso. Thai restaurant. 
• Mandarine, Rue Tokoto (Opposite the Le Paradise restaurant). 
• Central Marina, Youpwe Plage. 
• Okinawa, Bonapriso. 
• Restaurant Aladin. 
• Restaurant chinois chez Wou, Avenue du Général de Gaulle. Chinese restaurant. 
• Restaurant La Marseillaise. 
• Restaurant La Paillote chez Francis. 
• Restaurant le Paquebot, Youpwe Plage. 
• Shangrila. 
• Oriental Garden. 

High prices

• The Ovalie (Known by the name of Njo-Njo), Rue Paul Soppo Priso. 
• The tournebroche (In the Akwa Palace Hotel). 

Where stay

Moderate prices

• Madiba hotels. 
• Sportif hotels, Avenue des Palmiers. 
• Hotel l'oubangui, Boulevard de la Republique. 
• Hotel de la côte, Boulevard de la Republique. 

Average prices

• Residence Borel. 
• Astoria. 
• Le foyer du marin, Rue Gallieni. 
• Vallée des Princes, Bouvalrd de la République. 
• CAD, Rue du Tribunal. 
• Complexe Aquarius Marina 2000, 12567 Youpwe (The hotel is located in the fishing village of Youpwe, on the River Wouri 10 minutes from the airport.), ☎ 237 77706833. 
• Séréna Palace Hotel. 

High prices

• Les berges du Wouri, Rue des Écoles. 
• Akwa Palace Hotel, 920, Boulevard de la Liberte. 
• Somatel Hotel, Bali neighborhood, ☎ 237 33 43 66 65, @[email protected]. 
• Hotel Palace Bano, Rue Drouot in Akwa. 
• Ibis Douala. 
• Planet Hotel, ☎ 237 33 43 31 31. 
• Prince de Galles Hotel. 
• The Meridian Douala, 35 avenue des Cocotiers, ☎ 237 3343 5000. Check in: 15:00 to 00:00, check-out: 6:00 to 12:00. 
• Sawa hotels, 488 rue Verdun. 

Safety

A useful thing to know is that when in Douala people call a traffic light or a street "the traffic light of the bandits" or "the street of the bandits", it means that usually there are the bandits there. Bandits are gangs of criminals who can rob, threaten or strike with weapons or commit other violence. When in doubt, it is better not to walk those points, especially at night, alone and on foot. Better to use a taxi.

Douala is a city known for its high level of crime, assaults and robberies.

How to keep in touch

Around

Thanks to being the largest city in Cameroon with the most important airport, Douala is a great starting point for getting around the country. In addition to airlines, many buses and taxis depart from Douala for inland regions.

The best-equipped and best-known seaside resorts in Cameroon are

• Kribi
• Limbe

Starting from Douala, you can explore the parks and cities that are rich in museums and documentation on Cameroon traditions and arts.

• Édéa

Other projects

• Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Douala
• Commons contains images or other files on Douala

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