Think twice.
Cameroon’s risk score rose to 52 today, and the US, UK, and Canada all maintain level 2 travel advisories alongside active global polio and measles notices.
Governments, one trip
What they're telling their own citizens about Cameroon
The real score
The breakdown
See it from your perspective
Think twice.
The general Sketch Score, unweighted for any specific traveler.
Staying healthy
What to watch out for, health-wise
Active notices
- • Global Polio
- • Global Measles
Vaccines
Recommended:
From people who've been there
Local know-how
Staying safe
- •As is the case in any developing country, you should do whatever you can to blend in with the local population.
- •As long as you apply a modicum of common sense, your visit to Cameroon will be hassle free.
- •Crime: Cameroon's crime levels are high. Reports of carjackings, armed robberies, banditry, and the like are not unheard of.
- •Petty theft is common.
- •Taxis often operate like buses, picking up all sorts of people along the way.
- •Car theft and carjackings are serious problems.
Staying healthy
- •As Cameroon is a developing country, health care facilities are poor and are much below Western standards.
- •Yellow fever is prevalent in the country. You are required to get vaccinated against it before travelling to the country.
- •Malaria is prevalent. To lower your chances of contracting malaria, regularly use insect repellent and consider draping a mosquito net over your bed. You may also want to consider getting va…
- •Avoid drinking tap water, even in restaurants. Only stick to bottled water.
- •The country's HIV/AIDS prevalence rate among adults is at 3.2%. The situation has been getting better since the early 2000s, but still, be safe and be aware of your surroundings.
Adapted from Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA — edited by travelers, not us.
Right now
In the news the last few days
Real talk
What travelers actually say
Travelers report feeling safe walking during the day in Cameroon but advise against walking alone at night. The primary dangers are environmental rather than criminal, specifically the risk of being hit by vehicles or falling into uncovered drainage ditches. Douala carries a reputation for crime, and travelers should arrive prepared for the worst. Large regions in the west and north are avoided due to civil war and insurgency. Unlike other regions, travelers report no issues with persistent touts or fake guides. While Yango is a functional app for transport, motorcycle taxis are avoided for safety reasons.
“I personally felt completely safe walking around during the day in Cameroon, but I was warned by locals against walking around alone at night. In my opinion, the big danger is not theft but the risk of getting hit by a car or motorcycle or stumbling into an uncovered drainage ditch.
— r/travel
“I didn't go to the regions in Cameroon that most embassies advise against traveling to: the west, which is in a state of civil war because of a separatist movement, and the north, where some Islamic insurgency groups operate.
— r/travel
“Douala in particular has a bad reputation for crime. I would recommend that any visitors to Cameroon (and also Gabon, although it has a better reputation) arrive prepared for the worst in terms of crime and take it from there.
— r/travel
Pack this, know this
The little things that trip people up
Plug & voltage
C / E · 220V
Driving side
right
Emergency
police: 112 / ambulance: 112 / fire: 112
Show the receipts (11 sources)
- us-state — observed 2026-07-12
- uk-fcdo — observed 2026-07-12
- ca-gac — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-political — observed 2026-07-12
- worldbank-policeTrust — observed 2026-07-12
- cdc-health — observed 2026-07-12
- wikivoyage — observed 2026-07-12
- reddit — observed 2026-07-12
- unodc — observed 2026-07-12
- acled-hdx — observed 2026-07-12
- lgbtq-legal-wikipedia — observed 2026-07-12