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Neighbourhood guides, tried-and-tested places, real prices and ideas for going out. Written by the NiceThings team, on the ground.

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L’eau verte du lac au pied d’une haute paroi de roche, vue depuis le bord de la carrière

FeaturedGuides

The green lake of Akak: the quarry that became a lake

On the edge of Yaoundé, a pit of red rock and, at the bottom, deep green water. Nothing about this landscape is natural: it is an old quarry. Its story, how to get there, and the golden rule: you look, you do not swim.

3 min readRead the article

Un burger épais avec sa viande grillée, sa salade et sa sauce, vu de près

Food

Fast food in Yaoundé: yes, it's not healthy… but when your belly calls, eat!

Poulet mayo, BHB, dripping burgers, shawarma eaten on the go, then a film at the Majestic. Yes, not every day. But when hunger talks, here is where to go, no lecture, no fuss.

6 min read· Yaoundé

Un plat de ndolé servi avec du crabe et des crevettes sur une feuille de bananier

Food

PlaYce Yaoundé: one roof, every craving

In Warda, opposite the Palais des sports, PlaYce brings together a Carrefour hypermarket, some fifty brands and restaurants for every taste. The answer when the group cannot decide: everyone finds their plate. What is there, how to get there, and our tips.

7 min read· Yaoundé

Des tables de bois sous des toits de chaume, avec une planche où est écrit Mankon

Food

Chepele, “Man with the Pot”: the village comes to Douala

One pot under a mango tree, then a restaurant where you eat off leaves and drink from horns, behind IUC in Logbessou. How a table can bring together traditions that the big city keeps apart.

4 min read· Douala

Une rue de Douala à la tombée de la nuit, un moto-taxi de dos

Nightlife

Going out in style: how to have a good evening

Style is not the price of the bottle. It is choosing the right setting, arriving at the right time and getting home in one piece. Lounges, rooftops, cabarets: what the map of Yaoundé and Douala really says, and five simple rules.

2 min read

Le lac de cratère de Tison, entouré de verdure, sous un ciel bleu

Chill

7 date ideas that work (and 3 that never do)

We were asked what kind of dates women prefer. Honest answer: there is no “women”, there is the one you are inviting. But some dates leave room for conversation, and those almost always work.

3 min read

Les chutes d’Ekom-Nkam tombant de 80 mètres dans la forêt

Culture

12 facts about Cameroon that raise eyebrows

A country named after a prawn, the biggest frog in the world, a king who invents a script, Tarzan, Michael Jackson and a goal at 42: twelve checked facts to shine at your next meal.

4 min read

Une rue de Yaoundé la nuit, vue d’en haut, avec ses taxis et ses lumières

Culture

The snack-bar, the neighbourhood’s living room: a Cameroonian culture

Elsewhere, a snack-bar serves sandwiches. Here it is a terrace, a loudspeaker, a screen for the match and friends around a table. What the word means in Cameroon, the music you hear there, and where to find them. For adults, in moderation.

3 min read

Le palais des rois Bell, dit la Pagode, à Bonanjo

Culture

La Pagode: the house of the Bell kings, in the heart of Douala

In Bonanjo, a house with stacked roofs has watched Douala go by since 1905. Behind its light nickname lies the story of a dynasty and of Rudolf Douala Manga Bell, the king who said no.

2 min read· Douala

Des rochers dans l’eau, sur le rivage de Bimbia

Culture

Bimbia: on the shore where so many lives were overturned

Ten minutes from Limbe, a former slave-trading port listed as national heritage. You do not come here for fun: you come to see, and to remember. How to get there, and in what spirit.

2 min read· Limbé

Les chutes de la Lobé se jetant dans l’océan, près de Kribi

Culture

The Lobé falls: where a river drops into the ocean

Seven kilometres from Kribi, the Lobé river does what almost no river does: it falls into the Atlantic as a waterfall. How to get there, what to look at, and why you remember it for a long time.

2 min read· Kribi

Un tricycle chargé de casiers de bière devant un dépôt, à Douala

Culture

Beer in Cameroon: a story best served cold

A brewery born in Douala in 1948, a “33” that arrived in 1962, crates crossing the country by tricycle: beer also tells the story of Cameroon. For adults, and in moderation.

2 min read

Un ruisseau entre les arbres et les massifs du bois Sainte-Anastasie, à Yaoundé

Guides

Yaoundé for two: six ideas for a date that goes well

Walk first, sit down after: a park, a lake, three tables and a big breath of air. Six date ideas in Yaoundé, four of them places the team has been to.

3 min read· Yaoundé

La façade du palais des sultans bamoun à Foumban, en brique, avec ses arcades

Culture

Foumban: walking through the city where a king invented a script

A red-brick palace that is still lived in, a museum shaped like a two-headed serpent, workshops where bronze is still cast: Foumban is a city to visit on foot, slowly. How to get there, what to see, and what you bring back.

4 min read· Foumban

Un plat d’eru dans une assiette en bois, avec une boule de water fufu, posé sur une feuille

Culture

Eru: the leaf the Bayangi gave to Cameroon

A forest vine, a knife, hours of patience: behind one of the country’s best-loved dishes stands a people, the Bayangi of Manyu. And a question: if the leaf were not cut, would it still be eru?

4 min read

Des brochettes de soya posées sur du papier, à côté de pains

Food

Soya: the grill that gathers Cameroon at nightfall

As the sun goes down, the smell of grilled meat and pepper settles at the junctions. Soya is more than a skewer: it is a whole country’s evening meeting place, and almost no map knows where the best ones are.

3 min read

Une assiette de beignets et de haricots, avec un bol de bouillie

Food

Beignets, beans and bouillie: the trio that brings all of Cameroon together

You eat them standing up, early in the morning or at nightfall, anywhere in the country. Beignets, beans and bouillie are far more than a breakfast: they are an institution that almost no map knows about.

3 min read

NiceThings news

What If Your Next Favourite Place Is Somewhere You’ve Never Been?

There are places everywhere that deserve to be discovered — quiet corners, great food, unexpected experiences, and little spots you might never find on your own. NiceThings is built around making those discoveries easier.

5 min read