KRIBI HOLIDAY



Lobe Falls





Kribi port







Kribi is a beautiful beach town in the South Region of Cameroon, a few hours from Equatorial Guinea.  It has miles and miles of fine white sand beaches lined by palm trees and roaring ocean waves.  Along the beaches are small shacks with eager chefs, ready to treat you to freshly grilled shrimp or fish.  The town itself is the second largest port after Douala, hosting boats large and small for all types of fishing adventures.  The fish market is filled with vendors, displaying a dozen different types of fish which you may select for a quick and easy meal while watching the boats and pirogues come and go.



River Life



 The name Kribi is derived from the word “kiridi”, which translates as “small men”, referring to the “Pygmies” who were the original inhabitants of this region. Traditionally these people have lived as hunters and gatherers in the forest exchanging their resources for cultivated foods.  The Pygmies do not view themselves as one culture and come from a variety of ethno-linguistic groups, the largest one being the Baka. Most Pygmies continue to live a partially nomadic life, while having been pushed into a more sedentary lifestyle through logging companies and deforestation. They typically follow their traditional religions which include a forest spirit and hold celebrations marking rites of passage. Many tourists come here to launch upriver by dug-out canoes (pirogues), deep into the forest jungle.  Within a day one can come upon Pygmy villages and spend the night.  I opted for a 2 hour upriver trip, to experience the deep vibrant green, the jungle sounds, and a glance or two at the tree-swinging monkeys.

On the edge of the town, where I stayed, are the beautiful Lobe Waterfalls, one of the few falls that plunge directly into the ocean.   It is a lovely sight and there are little artisan shops and restaurants around, ala palm frond architecture, offering more tastes of the local culture.  Swimming around there is very inviting but the tide makes a dramatic difference in the safety factor.  The drop-offs can be sudden and dramatic.  Unfortunately while I was there, a drowning occurred as a non-swimmer found himself over his head.  Children scatter along the beach at low tide, hunting crabs, and fisherman are in their boats morning and evening to bring in the catch of the day.  They do work hard, but it also seems that this lifestyle ensures that one will never go hungry.

It is a great place to get-away from it all, enjoy the finest of white sand beaches, go to sleep and awake with the sounds of the thundering waves, and eat lots and lots of wonderful fish.