Significant safety concerns; travel only if you have a clear reason to go. Civil liberties are tightly restricted and political expression can carry risk.
Regional breakdown
Cameroon is a country of sharp regional contrasts. The official advisory guidance warns against all travel to the North-West and South-West Regions, where armed clashes between separatist fighters and government forces continue. The only narrow exceptions are Limbé and a 35km stretch of road connecting it to the Littoral Region. The Far-North Region is also off-limits for most travel. Apart from a 20km radius around Maroua and a 30km strip to the south. Because of Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa activity. Border zones add another layer of risk. The official advisory guidance warns against travel within 40km of the borders with Nigeria, Chad and the Central African Republic. The Bakassi Peninsula is flagged for piracy and militant activity. Garoua, the main town in the North Region, is reachable but still sits inside an essential-travel-only zone, as does much of Adamawa Region. The rest of the country looks calmer on paper. Yaoundé, the capital, and Douala, the main port and business hub, do not carry a formal travel warning. Petty crime, road accidents and occasional protests are the main day-to-day concerns in these cities. Travellers heading to the rainforest parks in the South and East should still check local conditions before moving near the CAR border.
Recent advisory changes
The official advisory guidance last updated its Cameroon advice on 9 February 2026. It keeps a two-tier warning in place: all travel advised against for the North-West, South-West, most of the Far-North. The Bakassi Peninsula and the 40km border strips with Nigeria, Chad and the CAR. All but essential travel is advised against for the North Region including Garoua, parts of Adamawa, and the Limbé-to-Littoral corridor. The official advisory guidance also reminds visitors that travel insurance can be voided if they ignore this guidance. The official advisory guidance holds Cameroon at Level 2, Exercise Increased Caution, reissued on 18 December 2024. Inside that overall rating, it layers Level 4 Do Not Travel zones on the North-West, South-West, Far-North. And parts of the North, East and Adamawa Regions. The reasons listed are crime, kidnapping, terrorism and armed conflict. The US embassy in Yaoundé notes limited ability to help citizens in the restricted areas and points travellers to the their home government's traveller alert programme enrolment programme for updates.
What travellers should know
Most visitors who come to Cameroon for business or short leisure trips stick to Yaoundé, Douala and the coastal strip around Kribi. Internal flights are often a better option than long road journeys, which face checkpoints, poor surfaces and a real risk of armed robbery after dark. Driving between cities outside daylight hours is widely discouraged by both official advisory guidance and official advisory guidance. Kidnap for ransom is a recurring theme in the advisories, particularly in the Anglophone North-West and South-West and along the CAR and Nigerian borders. Travellers with a genuine need to visit these zones usually work through established NGOs, journalists' networks or specialist security providers. Yellow fever vaccination is required for entry, and malaria is present across the country. Healthcare outside Yaoundé and Douala is limited, so comprehensive medical and evacuation cover matters. Political demonstrations can turn tense quickly, especially around election cycles, and travellers should avoid large gatherings. Keeping copies of passports, registering with their embassy and monitoring both official advisory guidance and US advisories before moving between regions are sensible baseline steps.