Gic:Nouvelle dynamique agricole

 In Cameroon, beats the heart of Africa. Still spared by the major tourist migration, Cameroon offers the traveller in search of scenery, the diversity of its landscapes, its cultures and men.
          The vast equatorial forest, rivers cut off from quick and swift and spectacular waterfalls, landscapes lunar north, the tawny color savannah inhabited by an impressive wildlife, miles of deserted beaches shaded by coconut trees, are all invitations to travel to this country which gives the fullest extent of the African continent.
          In this territory a little smaller than France, has always been cohabiting more than two hundred ethnic groups, which maintaintheirmystery and their rites.              

The North: Garoua
 

Attractions around Garoua: Lamidat Rey-bouba, the National Park of the Benue 180 000 ha, the camp's grand master (tourism and hunting) and the black buffalo (hunting and tourism). The National Park Bouba Ndjida 220 000 ha and inside the camp rhinoceros; reserve with which Faro 330 000 ha is the largest park in the region that has the camp hippopotamus inside and finally Lagdo Dam, is located near the eponymous lake where many live crocodiles and hippos 

The Fantasia and its festival of colour for a seat Garoua, an important economic center and former capital of Far North, which concentrates 2 / 3 of industries in the region. You can also see the market and its traditional practitioners, the craft center, the old traditional neighborhoods and its D, the only river port of Cameroon or even the cotton market at the time of harvest. 

   
  

 

The Adamawa: Ngaoundéré 

Features in the city market district Baladji, always busy, the palace of the Lamido and his museum.

At around Ngaoundere:

Lake tyson: this small crater lake, surrounded by trees, is a pleasant place for relaxation. The legend says that the water change color… then follow your eyes to see.
Lake Mbalang: located about twenty kilometres west of the city, the lake is a nice Mbalang crater lake in the middle of what is a small wooded island.

Lac de la Vina: hippos and crocodiles live there, so no need to bring your bathing suit.
Falls of the Vina: a half kilometres from Ngaoundere, are less spectacular than tello but can still be an excursion to enjoy the landscape and quiet places.
  
  
  


  
  

 
At about fifty kilometres east of Ngaoundere, on the road (or rather the runway) bélel, falling Tello also deserve a detour. Very spectacular, they offer the spectacle of a waterfall high of 45 metres behind which hides a vast cavern where you can access by the side of the waterfall.

Other attractions around Ngaoundéré: the mosque of Ngaoundere, Lake Tyson, Mbalang Lake, Lake of the vina and Fall of Beni, lancrenon falls from a height of more than 100 m are unforgettable, caves Hosseré, Damougaré former refuge of people koutnie and caves Nyem Nyem which served as refuge to the people Nyem Nyem when it fought against the Germans. There commemoration of these events each year. 
Falls Tello:

Province Maroua 

The village of Rhumsiki
 
  Rhumsiki, sometimes writing Roumsiki, is a picturesque village of less than 5 000 people nestled in the heart of Kapsikis, a high plateau where lie the eye, sometimes more than 1 000 metres above the ground, huge peaks Lava from chimneys volcanoes.

The most famous of these needles is the rock needle Mchirgué (1 224 m), also known as peak Rhumsiki, which can be admired at the entrance to the village from Mokolo. This unique lunar landscape of this village is a tourist locations Cameroonian and a step required of all circuits in the Far North. This is one of the major attractions of Cameroon. At the end of the day when the sun goes down, rocky peaks and the surrounding savannah take rougeoyantes and ochre colors, making the landscape even more fascinating. 
   The village of Rhumsiki             The foundation of Rhumsiki 

According to legend, Rhumsiki was founded by a hunter called Kapokier Ski, a native of this high plateau.
His village is plagued by overcrowding and starvation, he chooses exile. In search of new lands for hunting, he discovered a site hosting and chose to settle there.
Shortly after his departure, he was joined by three hunters and their families.

Indeed, they were fleeing the Muslim conquerors from the North to convert forcibly kaposi animists.
They all found refuge in a natural cave carved out a dominant rocky protuberances still Rhumsiki. But the invaders were quick to reach them.

For their eagle nest, they resisted the repeated assaults riders Muslims, throwing stones, for example, pulled in the mountains on their horses.

The threat Muslim being gradually less urgent, other inhabitants of the village of Siki, attracted by the smoke of the campfire, which was on the mountain, Siki and joined his group.
Soon, the mountain could not accommodate newcomers. They decided to settle on the current location of Rhumsiki, which means a kapsiki the "mountain of Siki"

The sorcerer the crabs "

The sorcerer, also croque-death, is without doubt one of the major sights and attractions of Rhumsiki. It is usually an old blacksmith who predicted the future more seriously in the world using crabs. Customers, the inhabitants of Rhumsiki of course, but also several nearby villages come to find, usually early in the morning to see for example if the harvests are good, if a marriage will be successful if a close will be a disease and so on.

The wizard then circling his crustaceans, placed at the centre of a circle of small sticks to the bottom of a clay vessel while uttering a few incomprehensible formulas incantatory.

After a few moments, the sorcerer stops and starts interpreting the movement of crabs and sticks… depending on how they moved and their new configuration, it can know the future life of each. Attention, the sorcerer who do not speak french you will be essential to a guide to translate his words. Be it can not be more respectful towards him, asking his permission before taking a photo for example

Around Rhumsiki:

You can visit: Bourrha with its originality, Chevti a curiosity with the first banana in the middle area of the Sahel, Mora tanners large village of potters, weavers, swords, bracelets, babouches, handbags crocodile skin, snake or of cheetah and many other things. It derives its name from its conical shape, striped many grooves that serve both scaffolding during construction, foothills and systems ingenious drainage. What is remarkable in this type of habitat, typical of the tribe Mousgoum, is the lack of foundation or frame to support this enormous mass made of a mixture of earth, straw and glue plant, dried and solidified the sun. The box is elevated gradually, layer upon layer. The typical assembly is composed of 5 cases, one of which is traditionally reserved for livestock. At the center is usually a huge box that serves as a granary millet, one of the basic components of food Cameroon, which allows you to live the whole family.     Case Obus Mousgoum

The boxes are well protected from the sun's heat through the use of the land in their construction. The walls at the base are about thirty centimeters thick and only a dozen at the top.

It takes about six months to raise any of these cases, against just days for regular round box. We understand better why then they tend to disappear. The gateway often resembles a shield warrior. By placing the wood behind bars, people can isolate itself completely from the outside and protect themselves from the hot wind and dust in particular.

In each house is a kind of treasure room where the head of the family retains its most valuable assets: jewelry, textiles, family secrets, and so on. access to this room is also generally protected by a shield. Then come the parts reserved for women. The Board of women is linked to the Chamber treasure by a small narrow corridor and dark, guarded by two guards, which are not visible outside.

Some cases may welcome you for a night or two, with F 2 000 per person. The comfort is sketchy, but experience is, of course, unforgettable. If you do not have mats, the villagers you will kindly few mats. 

The National Park Waza 

At some sixty kilometres from Mora, toward the North, is the Waza National Park, another major tourist attraction of the extreme north and arguably the most famous game reserve in the country.

This is also the park's most visited and best-equipped of Cameroon. Access is only by road, 130 km north of Maroua or 340 kilometers north of Garoua, but there is a small airfield about 2 km south-west of the park.

The rates at the entrance to the park are 5 000 F for a non-resident alien, 3 000 F for an alien resident and 1 500 F for one Cameroonian. Furthermore, to enter the park, you are under an obligation to take a tracker with you (typically 5 000 F per day minimum) is to protect antelopes and giraffes that the Waza park was created in the origin in 1934, but this protection in a large natural area preserved 170 000 hectares has actually benefited many other animal species. The park without doubt the most beautiful of west Africa, home to a rich fauna and delight hunters image and other nature lovers. The trails are well maintained, small towers and wooden shacks were built near the main points of water to observe the animals who come to drink or bathe, including herds of elephants.

Think you equip telephoto lenses or binoculars and be patient. If you want to stay a few days in the park to enjoy the places, be aware that there is a camp, that of Waza, well equipped and comfortable where you will find a small bar-restaurant and a souvenir shop.

You will sleep in small boukarous properly equipped and located on a hill opposite the entrance to the park, in a very pleasant. The park consists of two parts very specific. To the east are large grassy plains, "yayrés" flooded during the rainy season from late July to late September. Between October and February, the marshy area remains as many watersheds are still filled with water, which makes it inaccessible to visitors. However, from the month of March until July, this part hosts almost any wildlife Waza, while offering a show that sometimes has nothing to envy the large reserves East Africa. You can admire the large herds of antelopes and lions sleeping peacefully in the shade or in tall dry grass of the plains. The western part, it is a forest zone in which grow mainly acacias. Runways are in good condition and this area Waza is open all year, except between August and September, when the rainy season. This is the ideal place to observe giraffes because they love foliage acacias. Elephants are there and a little farther south in general. The park is home Waza a large number of African species: giraffes, elephants, lions and the cobs of buffon, damalisques, hyenas, cheetahs, hippos, warthogs, leopards, gazelles.

You'll find large colonies of birds, ostriches, herons, pelicans, marabouts, jabirus, crowned cranes, ibis, geese, egrets, vultures or even geese. Again the 4x4 is the most appropriate vehicle for getting around the park and the tracker will guide you to the right places and lead you to meet the animals. It may also help you better know and better understand the fauna and flora of the park. At Waza, it is better to get up early, around 5 am or 6 am, to put all chances of his side. In addition, at this time of the day the air is much more mild and the sky is often perfectly clear, which makes the visit more pleasant.     The village of Pouss   Shortly after Maga and Lake of the same name, very nice, it finally reaches the village of Pouss, tourism essential step in the extreme north. This picturesque village lanes shaded by palm trees rôniers, is known for its market and its sultanate but also and especially for its famous cases mousgoum shells. These cases, often missing the benefit of round huts ordinary unfortunately, are indeed among the most beautiful and the highest in Africa and reveals the skill of the tribe Mousgoum in the field of architecture. From Pouss, you can also go for a very enjoyable excursion boat on the Logone, until the small town of Yagoua farther south to the border with Chad. Attention nevertheless because during the dry season this river often turns into river, drained in some places. Chefferie of Ojilla

From Mora, a winding trail takes you to the mountains. It crosses a few streams, drained outside the rainy season and crops pretty terrace, the most impressive of Cameroon, before reaching a dozen kilometres further, the leadership of famous Oudjilla old more than 200 years. This village Podoko is another essential step tourism in the extreme north of the country. There you expect many villagers, all more willing to each other that you take the head of his re built on the hilltop, with a few hundred francs. The visit of his re cost 6 000 F and takes about an hour and a half. You can also attend an interesting spectacle of traditional dances. Near the market place are the tombs and dwellings traditional boxes are round, covered with plaster and terra arranged around attics, food reserves of families in the village. The foundations of the boxes are made of stone, the rest is in the earth. The roofs are conical shape and on some cases, pottery are on display. Within the leadership, on its re distinguishes the head, protected by a wall, where including the attic of the head, the courtroom customary, the prayer hall and the hall beef sacred, the compartment wives. The first case of the woman is removed from those of other wives. Every woman has a case, granaries and a kitchen. For questions of intimacy, chambers of women do not face the wall like other parts, but are oriented towards the rear, without vis-à-vis. Many traditions and superstitions are observed in the region. For example, a beef two years is placed each year in one of the sacred parts of head, in complete darkness. It is a sacred animal for a year and remains locked up without seeing the day before being sacrificed just before the harvest, the Day Pokodo to ensure the prosperity of the village. The harvest ended, a new beef takes the place of the former until the following year. The custom also wants the head is buried in the box where he lived. Only one of his wives then permission to sleep in the room where he is based, provided it has not had children. If all women in the head were children, only the mother's successor will have the right to sleep in this place.

                                 The cooperative crafted Djingliya

About 500 meters after leaving Koza, in the direction of Mora, the trail leads after a few switchbacks and a small descent, in the center of Djingliya, also located at the foot of the Mandara Mountains, whose slopes have been upgraded by 'man to practice the culture terraces.

Near the center, you surely will cross the children who come barefoot and pans or buckets in hand, draw water, valuable resource in this dry region in two wells equipped for this purpose before bring their families .

Taking up the runway, we arrive a little earlier, the cooperative craft Djingliya (Socoopard). There you can visit a re matakam its traditional and learn more about the craft but also dances and songs premises, including dance crops or the moon. You can watch the work of weavers, potters, weavers, sculptors, tanners and other blacksmiths. You should know that blacksmiths have a special status among matakams: they are indeed in charge of blast furnaces to land in which they work iron but also play the role of healer, and even gravedigger in the village. At the cooperative, you will find a small shop making purchase various objects made by the villagers. Each item is carefully numbered and recorded in a notebook with the name of the person who produced when an item is sold, a portion of money returned to the cooperative, the other party goes to the local artisan who has manufactured.

The cooperative is open all year, is an original initiative which has helped create several tens of Djingliya jobs and thus help many families. Some boukarous installed in a semicircle near the gift shop can accommodate tourists who want to sleep on the spot. They provide a comfort menu but are properly maintained, count 5 000 francs per person. Do not hesitate to ask at the reception, where you can also restore if you wish. Shortly after the cooperative, you may find you behind a dam. In the rainy season, it retains water which flows into the valley below the village of Djingliya and thus irrigation of crops in the valley Koza, at least during the first months of the dry season.

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