Akwa is the commercial and social heart of Douala — the district where the main hotels, restaurants, and bars are concentrated, where the colonial-era street grid is still legible, and where expatriates and business travellers spend most of their time. Boulevard de la Liberté is the main spine, lined with shops, money changers, and the terraces of the larger hotels.
The district is walkable in the mornings and early evenings, though the heat and traffic make midday walking unpleasant. The terrace of the Hôtel Akwa Palace — the city's old landmark hotel dating from 1947 — is still one of the better places to sit and watch the city move: taxis, market vendors, office workers, and the occasional stray goat making their way along the boulevard. The market around the central bus station at the edge of Akwa is worth a morning if you want to see Douala operating at its most energetic.