Bamenda is the main city of the anglophone Northwest Region of Cameroon, set among the hills of the Bamenda Highlands at around 1,600 metres elevation. The altitude gives it one of the most pleasant climates in West Africa — cool, green and often misty.
The countryside around the city is spectacular — rolling hills covered in tea plantations and grasslands, dotted with traditional Tikar and Bamiléké chiefdoms. The surrounding villages have ornately decorated palaces: the Mankon Fon's Palace in the southern part of the city, the Bafut Palace made famous by Gerald Durrell, and the Bali chiefdom to the west. The crater lakes of Awing and Bambili make pleasant day trips.
Bamenda is reached by road from Yaoundé (a long, rough drive). The city has an airport, but flights are rare and irregular. The main attraction is as a base for exploring the highlands and the Ring Road circuit — a loop through the surrounding mountains, villages and crater lakes that is one of Cameroon's great drives. Note that the anglophone crisis has disrupted travel in the region since 2017; check the security situation before going.