Visit Idenau

During one of my trips in this southwestern region that I love, I had to discover the city of Idenau (read Idénao). To access it, just continue on the road that led you to Seme beach (see article « One day trip to Limbe") for a couple of kilometers towards Idenau. The road is bordered by beautiful landscapes so green that my memories are still full of it!

Idenau is such a small town (about 30000 inhabitants) that one could think it does not necessarily deserve to be known. However, its authenticity fascinated me. I like more the small towns, simple but authentic almost insignificant, rather than big cities often too dressed for my taste.

Idenau is a coastal town on the border with Nigeria. It is just 15 km from Limbe. Its black soil, due to the proximity of the Mt Cameroon, is very fertile and therefore suitable for agriculture.

The city has a seaport full of commercial activities, where people from Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon and other inhabitants of the Gulf of Guinea converge. It is rich of this food trade, such as "eru" (read éro) that Nigerian consumers are fond of. Without forgetting of course the trade of products from fishing.

At the entrance of the city, we cross a very narrow and rather dilapidated bridge, even though frequently used by the villagers. It was built in German colonial times and was renamed Bibundi bridge. Further on, one reaches the beach upon which countless canoes lie beside merchants selling fresh fish and other seafood products. The charm of the city lies, I think, in the "degraded" style of fishermen huts that recall a certain simplicity in their lifestyles.

That is why Idenau is somehow touristic : its market, its old bridge, especially the moored boats waiting for passengers to transport to various destinations.

A few kilometers from the village, the Bomana falls are flowing, magnificent waterfalls at the foot of Mt Cameroon, hidden in the heart of the forest. Nothing is easier to access: if you are driving, ask a motorcycle taxi to take you there with a generous retribution of course ;). The falls can be approached quite closely. You will be overwhelmed by both the deep calm where only the intense sound of water is heard and the majesty of the place.