Benoue National Park is Cameroon's second-largest game reserve, stretching across the Benoue River valley between Ngaoundere and Garoua in the north of the country. It is part of the W-Arly-Pendjari complex, a network of protected areas shared with Nigeria that supports one of the few remaining elephant populations in West and Central Africa.
The park is open from December to May — the dry season, when animals congregate around water sources and are easier to spot. January and February offer the best game viewing, particularly in the early morning. A guide is compulsory and the park authority provides them at the entrance. Expect to see hippos, waterbuck, western hartebeest, and buffalo; lions and leopards are present but rarely seen.
Getting here requires your own transport. The park entrance is a rough but passable dirt track from the main Ngaoundere–Garoua highway.