Douala-Edéa National Park

Douala-Edea National Park is a protected area along Cameroon's Atlantic coast that combines tropical forest, mangrove swamps, and river wetlands in a single landscape. The Sanaga River mouth creates tidal channels that branch throughout the park, shaping how the land and water intermingle.

This land became a wildlife reserve nearly a century ago to protect its animals and plants. In recent years it gained official national park status, recognizing the need for stronger conservation of the region.

Fishing communities around the park have shaped daily life in these waterways for generations through traditional methods still visible today. The connection between local people and the rivers remains central to how visitors experience the landscape.

Explore this place best with a local guide who can lead you by boat through waterways or on foot along forest paths. The town of Mouanko serves as the main access point with connections to the park's main entrances.

The park holds one of the few populations of West African manatees and forest elephants left in the region, animals that few people ever see in the wild. These creatures move through the mangrove channels unseen by most visitors, making their presence here particularly noteworthy.