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Mount Bamboutos Ridge Traverse
A 2,740 m ridge walk across the roof of the Western Highlands, above Mbouda — long, open, cold, and the finest high-country views in Cameroon.
- Distance
- 22 kmround trip
- Time needed
- 10 hmoderately fit hiker
- Total ascent
- 1,080 mto 2,740 m
- Difficulty
- HardLong day, sustained steep ground. Build up to it.
About this hike
The Bamboutos massif is the third-highest point in Cameroon at 2,740 m and forms the watershed between the West and North-West regions. The traverse along its ridge is the closest thing the country has to classic high-country ridge walking: open grassland, wide horizons, and almost no shade for hours at a stretch.
Routes start from the Mbouda side or from Babadjou, climbing steadily through farm terraces to the ridge and then following it. A full traverse is a long day — eight to ten hours — but you can turn back from the high point at any time, which makes this flexible for mixed-ability groups. The upper slopes are heavily grazed and, increasingly, heavily cultivated; you will see the erosion, and it is a live conservation issue locally.
Bring a proper wind layer. At 2,700 m in the harmattan the wind is constant and cutting, and there is nowhere to shelter. Start at first light, because cloud builds over the ridge most afternoons and takes the views with it.
Route and waypoints
Drawn from the standard route. Waypoints are numbered in walking order — tap a pin for what to expect there.
More in West
Other trails in the same region, so you can build a trip rather than a day.
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