Senior travel: Douala

Pace for a day

About 3 stops a day. 5 h out − 45 min rest, divided by an average visit of 48 min (from this city’s guide) + 30 min to move.

Getting around in Douala

Douala is hard going on wheels. Pavements are broken, high-kerbed or absent, and step-free access exists mainly in newer hotels and some restaurants. Plan door-to-door car rides and pick a hotel with a lift.

Pavements:

Broken, high kerbs, open drains in places; the road edge is often the walking route.

Getting around:

Hotel cars and private taxis are the step-free option; shared taxis and benskin are not.

Hotels:

Larger hotels in Akwa have lifts and some accessible rooms on request; smaller guesthouses often do not.

Toilets:

Accessible toilets in larger hotels; rare elsewhere.

Crossings:

Few signalled crossings and heavy traffic; cross with a local or hotel staff.

Medicines and health on the ground

The Cameroon guide lists no medicine paperwork. Check the official customs page for your medicines.

Malaria:

Present year-round citywide: take prophylaxis as advised by a travel clinic, sleep under a net or with AC and screens, and use repellent from dusk.

Yellow fever:

Vaccination is required for entry; carry the certificate.

Heat:

Shade and AC every 60–90 minutes, drink bottled water, avoid midday exertion.

Food and water:

Bottled or filtered water only; busy stalls with fast turnover are generally safer than quiet ones.

Travel clinics:

See a travel clinic at home 6–8 weeks before you fly for vaccines and prophylaxis.

More: how much medicine to pack, medicine times across time zones.

Ask your insurer

Age limits and prices differ by policy and the guides do not hold them, so put these to the insurer before you buy.

• What is the oldest age the policy covers, at purchase and on the last day of the trip?
• Does the price or the cover change after a certain age?
• Are existing conditions covered, and what must be declared?
• Does the cover include medical evacuation and trip interruption?