 THE FAR NORTH: AN IDEAL SETTING FOR TOURISM
In the Fart-North, tourism is no only alive it also provides a living. The Far-North Province is the ideal setting for tourism, with its many and varied attractions which include:
The national park of Waza: the biggest reserve in French-speaking Africa
The Rhumsiki village where the “crab fortune teller” will foretell your future and read your past
The Oudjilla village surrounded by a wall that is three centuries old;
Maroua: a charming, lively and captivating city nestled in the heart of an oasis of greenery…
A passer-by in a hurry that visits the Far North is bound to come back. Here each stop deserves a more or less prolonged stay, which, in any case, is always pleasant.
First of all, there is Maroua which has been dubbed, and rightly so, the pearl of the Far-North. Every site in this town is worth visiting.
The market of the town is an unavoidable curiosity. It is so vast that one can spend a whole day visiting it. Here craftsmen gathered in cooperatives sell magnificent articles: decorated ostrich eggs, hand-made tablecloths, leather carpets, crocodile, snake, iguana or leopard skin handbags, swords, bangles and even amulets. No one ever returns from these arts and crafts markets without a souvenir. The quality and variety of articles is so inviting and the persuasive ability of the vendors so captivating. But be careful and take your time to bargain for your purchase.
Elsewhere in the town, one can stop at the local tanneries, at the weavers centre or at the place known as “l’avion me laisse” (I will miss my flight), a restaurant for the sampling of local pigeon where many visitors tarry, forgetting the departure time for the Maroua Salak airport. Still on gastronomy, the celebrated “poulet” de Maroua “ with a long-standing reputation in Cameroon and even abroad is a must. It is just delicious.
The magnificent Kirdi countryside: this is the Mecca of tourism in Cameroon with: Rhumsiki village, impressive scenery of peaks and dykes. Here the sorcerer organizes clairvoyance sessions using a river crab that crawls among small sticks.
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Farther, the blacksmiths of Amsa village engage in the ancestral art of cire perdue casting to make vases or statuettes for sale.
Oudjilla village: built on a hilltop, this traditional village overlooks the entire region. The “Chief’s Saré” is a labyrinth of authentic hut surrounded by a three-hundred-year-old wall. At Oudjilla, history is always alive: you can have explanations on the funeral urns of deceased chiefs and on the existence of the sacred cow of Saré, which is sacrificed in April. A visit of Oudjilla generally ends with a show: a dance by the forte-five wives of the Chiefs, and much more!
Waza is above all a park; but it is also a camp.
Created in 1934, the Waza Natural Park covers an area of 170 000 ha where animals live in freedom. It is the most visited and developed reserve in Cameroon. It is know worldwide thanks to its giraffes, antilopes, elephants, warthogs, ostriches, various kinds of birds, etc. If you are interested in the lion, it is better to look for it in the afternoon. You will find it calmly lying in the shade of shrubs.
Other stops or places to visit exist in the Far North:
Mokolo: this is the stronghold of the Mafa. At Mokolo, the primitive blast furnaces and the ironworks with the ironworks with their rare and unique articles attract many tourists.
Tourou and Mabas are neighbouring Kirdi village near the Nigerian border. Mabas is situated at the edge of a cliff from which you have a panoramic view of the vast Nigerian plain. Tourou is better known for its market.
Mora, a small pleasant town on the road from Maroua to Waza, is an appreciated stop, especially after a day of keen shooting on photographs in the famous park.
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