Local food is excellent, but luxury items can be extremely expensive. There are many restaurants in big towns and cities, with good service. Douala and Yaoundé have by far the greatest variety, with many different styles of cuisine represented, including Lebanese, Asian, African and European. Cheap and tasty Cameroonian food is served in chantiers and chop houses. The coastal area offers excellent fresh fish and prawns. Most international hotels have bars.

Things to know: Although vegetarianism is rare in Cameroon, it is possible for to get by on egg dishes, vegetables, pizza, bread and tropical fruit. Many dishes are served with rice, couscous, mashed manioc or chips made from potato, yam or plantain.

National specialities:
• Feuille (manioc leaves).
• West African peanut soup.
• Banana bread.
• Zom (spinach with meat).
• Fried sweet potatoes or plantains.
• Beef with pineapple or coconut. 

National drinks:
• Homemade millet, sorghum or corn beers.
• Palm wine.
• Afofo (a firewater distilled from palm sap).
• Coffee.

Legal drinking age: 18.

Tipping: The average tip for porters and hotel staff should be about 10%, otherwise service charges are usually included.

In Douala and Yaoundé particularly, nightclubs and casinos can be found independently or within most good hotels. Both Douala and Yaoundé have a few sophisticated restaurants which double as live music venues and attract the expat crowd. 

There are also plenty of basic bars and clubs, some of which host live bands at weekends. The music on offer varies from local sounds to reggae, rap and rock. There are no licensing hours, and hotel bars stay open as long as there is custom. Every large town also has at least one cinema.

Local handicrafts include highly decorated pots, drinking horns, jugs, bottles and cups, wood carvings, great earthenware bowls and delicate pottery, dishes and trays, mats and rugs woven from grass, raffia, jewellery and camel hair, cotton and beadwork garments. These are sold in the marchés artisanales (tourist or craft markets) found in large towns and tourist areas. 

Some stallholders offer items which they describe as antique: in many cases they're merely distressed. Special permission must be obtained from the Delegation Provinciale de Tourisme in Douala or Youndé to take genuine antiquities out of the country. The main markets in most towns sell fresh produce, cheap clothing and household essentials rather than souvenirs, but can be good places to find African-style printed cotton fabric.

Shopping hours: Mon-Sat 0730-1800.