In writing this post I feel this post is incomplete. After 13 years, we revisited the coastal city of Limbe in Cameroon and a day trip did not do it justice. With the ongoing COVID pandemic, travel is not what it used to be and with Cameroon hosting the African Cup of Nations in a few days from our visit, there was much preparation with road construction between Douala and Limbe. Between the road detours and increased traffic after the Christmas holidays, a day trip was not enough time to revisit all those places Mark and I had enjoyed so many years ago. After hiring a driver and vehicle, we loaded up the van with all the kids and left Douala on a 90minute drive for an afternoon in Limbe visiting the beach and family.
The drive was visually stunning particularly for the children as we drove past rubber plantations, palm nut farms, with the rolling hills in the shadow of Mount Cameroon and views of the coastline on the other side of the road. It was a great opportunity to talk about the processes involved in rubber and palm oil manufacturing. We went through Limbe town to the closest beach, down beach. Down beach is most popular for the outdoor restaurants where fresh fish is grilled along the shores accompanied by roasted plantains. We stopped here for a quick look around before meeting family for lunch at Hot Spot Restaurant which is located in the Limbe Botanical Gardens. This two minute mini vlog from our you tube channel brings these scenes to life.
LIMBE BOTANICAL GARDEN
This botanical garden is home to a variety of plants and beautiful flowers. It is designed more like a park one can walk through. 13years ago Mark and I stayed at a lodge on the property which has since expanded to include a swimming pool and restaurant. We did choose to dine at Hot Spot where we would have a clear view of the Atlantic coast while we ate. The garden itself was closed on arrival but the kids walked around the grounds with their cousins while we waited for our meal. It was clearly the dry season with less foliage and blooming flowers but the memories of our previous visit had us trying to repeat pics at some of the same locations in the park. Here are some pics from last month and others from 13years ago.
Q: Why is Limbe always sooo overcast?
Fun fact: Limbe lies at the southern foot of Mount Cameroon, the highest peak in sub-Saharan western and Central Africa ( >13k feet). It is also only 18 miles from the 2nd wettest place on the continent (6th in the world), Debunscha, which records an annual rainfall of 10,299mm.
SEME BEACH
As Floridians we were ready to hit the beach and had packed our swimsuits and beach gear. Covered in soft dark volcanic sand, the most coveted part of this beach is located in Seme Beach Resort which would is another 30minute drive along the coast from the botanical gardens. The afternoon proved to be cloudy with a chance of rain which postponed our visit to Seme beach but we have included some old photographs of our last visit there.
Our afternoon in Limbe served as an appetizer for more. Now high on our list, we can’t wait to return to this coastal city for our share of time on the dark sand beach under the tropical sun!
