Tour history at the Bimbia Slave trade site, South West of Cameroon

5 days and 4 nights to relive the history of slavery and practice ecotourism in the South West Region of Cameroon

Tour snapshot

This tour will take us to the slave trade village Bimbia, an emerging and flourishing ecotourism site on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, near the city of Limbe.

Bimbia still bears traces of the slave trade, such as the buildings in which slaves were kept, padlocks, chains and many other utensils used by the slave masters.

You will discover a vast ecotourism heritage such as the first Baptist church in Cameroon, founded in 1843 by Joseph Merrick, the Alfred Saker monument, before joining the slaves’ quarters where you will discover the first and the second “doors of no return », the oil mill where the slave labour was used to produce palm oil for shipping abroad and the tattooing room where the slaves were marked according to the marks of their buyers.

You will also discover the Nichols’ Island, an island from which nearly 166 slave ships left Bimbia for foreign destinations. If you visit Cameroon in the dry season, you can get closer to the sea and take pictures near the German Canons located along the coastline and pointing to the Nichols’ Island where the stubbornness slaves were kept.

The visit of this ecotourism site of memory will end with the uncover of the nature trail, a real intact virgin forest with a variety of medicinal plants and fruit trees.

The villages of Bakingili, Debunsha (with one of the highest rainfall in Africa and the world), and Idenau will also be at the rendezvous. You shall also Hike the small Mount Cameroon, also known as « Mount-Bakingili », created by the lava flows accumulated during the 1999 Mount Cameroon eruption. We will then discover Lake Nachtigal and visit the fishermen villages along the Idenau beaches.

Program:

Day 1: Douala International Airport – Limbe (Bakingili) (89.1 km)

Arrival of visitors by flight at the Douala international airport, welcome by our competent and professional tour manager and departure for Limbe. The city of Limbe is located on the western slope of Mount Cameroon, bordering the Atlantic Ocean. Arrival at Limbe, installation at Seme Beach hotel, reception dinner, and overnight.

Day 2, 3 and 4: Limbe – Bimbia (15 km)

Breakfast and departure for Bimbia. Bimbia is located on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean not far from Limbe. It is an old slave trade station, which was discovered in 1987 and which still bears indelible traces of the slave trade practices such as padlocks, chains and other utensils used by the slave masters.

An Eco-guide will accompany you to visit the attractions of Bimbia such as, the Nichols island, the German cannons, the very first Baptism Church in Cameroon which was founded in 1843 by Joseph Merrick, the Alfred Saker monument, the slaves’ quarters where you will discover the first and second “doors of no return », the oil mill and the tattooing room where slaves were marked according to their buyers.

You will spend two nights at the spiritual retreat centre of Basel mission along the seashore, situated near the Nichols Island. On this site is also the statue of Joseph Merrick.

Day 5: Bimbia – Limbe – Bakingili – Idenau – Douala (171. 6 km)

After breakfast, drive to Idenau and discovery of a marvellous seaside resort town located some 40 km away from Limbe and home to a magnificent regional port and beautiful sandy beaches.

Tasting of fresh braised fish from the sea with roasted plantain and return to Limbe. Stopover at Bakingili and discovery of this beautiful little village which is located about 20 km from Limbe. It is a pretty village with beautiful dried lava flows resulting from the Mount Cameroon eruption of 1999. The beaches are lined with fine sand and stretch as far as the eye can see and they have nothing to envy to those of the Caribbean. The ocean seduces with solar rays that unfurl over the sand and rocks while leaving an extraordinary landscape.

Departure for Douala, arrival at Douala, goodbye dinner, debriefing, transfer to the airport and end of the circuit.