Each region has its own specific folklore.
In the south, there are "Bafia" or "Bikutsi" ballets and other dances led by the "mvet" player, a bard and epic poet.
In the west, there are bamileke dancers with their masks and picturesque costumes.
The north is the country of "fantasia" with its horsemen in their extravagant costumes.
There are craftsmen everywhere, but the west and north are the centerpoints. Bafoussam, Foumban and Bamenda are cities reknowned for their masks, embroidered costumes, miniature figures, seats,thrones, pipes, statues of earthenware, bronze or wood.
Maroua is an attractive town reknowned for its multi-colored and teaming market where embroidered table-clothes, babouche, crocodile, snake, iguana or cheeta skin handbags are available together with bracelets, swords, mats and decorative objects.
With six national parks, the north of the country is a providence for animals. For the tourist, it is so easy to visit, observe and photograph these magnificent animals in total liberty in their natural environment. The national parks are :
Waza : lion, giraffe, elephant, cob, ostrich, etc.
Benoue : buffalo, hippopotamus, Derby elan, etc.
Boubandjidah : rhinoceros, lion, elephant, etc.
Faro : rhinoceros, buffalo, elephant, harnessed guib, etc.
Kalamaloue : elephant, Derby elan, crocodile, giraffe, etc.
Mozogo-Gokro : ape, flora.
In the three zoological gardens of the country, the Mvog Betsi zoos at Yaounde, Limbe zoo in the southwest and Garoua in the north, a great number of Cameroon fauna can also be observed.
Kribi and Limbe (previously Victoria) are the two main poles of coastal resort attractions with their fine sand beaches, yellow and grey, dotted with elegant palms on the border of a luxuriant forest.
This region is suitable for excursions, camping and picnics.
The villages have kept their traditional stamp, although they have been affected by the rural exodus to the benefit of the rnain cities : Yaounde (a gracious capital surrounded by seven hills), Mbalmayo, Ebolowa, Sangmelima, Bertoua, Bafia and Akonolinga.
As a startling contrast to the rought vegetation of the south, the landscape of north Cameroon is savanna grass. The area begins with vast grassy plains of the high plateaus of Adamaoua, far reaching pasture land, extending further to the north, between Maroua and Kousseri into immense dry plains and steppes mottled with grain plants, on the border of the Sahel.
Mount Cameroon is an active volcano which, in spite of its height (4,100 m) is easy to climb.
In the west and the northwest, the extremely undulating landscape is intersected by beautiful rivers with leaping waters. In this area, the mountain tops around, almost all are former volcanos. The climate is temperate and Dschang, a climatic resort, has annual temperature averages of 20 degrees C.
In the northern part of the country, the Mandara Mountain and the lunar landscape of the Kapsikis rnake the area so beautiful that Andre Gide considered that was "one of the most beautiful landscapes in the world".
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