Cameroon
Yaoundé in May
🌧️ Rainy seasonWarm, humid and often rainy.
🎒 Pack: light, breathable clothes & sunscreen · compact umbrella or rain jacket · quick-dry fabrics
Why May scores 7.8What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort7.2
- ✓Warm (30°C highs / 20°C lows)
- !Humid (dew point 21°C)
- !Wet: ~199 mm rain, ~4 heavy-rain days
- Air quality8.2
- ✓Moderate (PM2.5 ~16 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline5.5
- ·High caution
| May | Dec | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 7.8 Very good | 8.6 Excellent |
| Season | 🌧️ Rainy season | ☀️ Dry season |
| High / low | 30° / 20° | 30° / 19° |
| Rain | 199 mm | 27 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 21° | dew pt 19° |
| PM2.5 | 16 µg/m³ | 19 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Yaoundé weather-station normals. Rainfall: Yaoundé weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsMay 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- Eid al-Adha 15–17 May · 3 days off in a row
Other public holidays: Labour Day (1 May) · Ascension Day (6 May) · National Day (20 May)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore YaoundéEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyYaoundé is Cameroon's capital, built across green hills in the centre of the country. It is calmer than Douala and makes a good base for nearby forest reserves and a primate sanctuary.
National DayEvery year20 May every year
Cameroon's main national holiday, celebrating the 1972 unification.
Why go: Central roads close for the parade; plan movements around it.
Where: Nationwide, with a big parade in Yaoundé
Coming up later
Youth DayEvery year11 February every year
A public holiday with school and youth parades.
Why go: Expect parades and road closures in the centre.
Where: Nationwide
Mont Fébé
A hill on the northern edge of the city with wide views and a Benedictine monastery that houses a museum of Cameroonian art.
💡 Go on a clear morning for the best views.
Musée National du Cameroun
The national museum, housed in the former presidential palace, covering the country's history and cultures.
Reunification Monument
A large spiral monument commemorating the reunification of Cameroon.
Mefou Primate Sanctuary
A sanctuary outside the city caring for rescued chimpanzees, gorillas and monkeys.
💡 Arrange a visit in advance; the road can be muddy in the rainy season.
Mvog-Betsi Zoo
A small zoo in the city with rescued primates and other local animals.
Ndolé
Cameroon's national dish of bitter leaves stewed with ground peanuts and meat or shrimp.
💡 Local restaurants and chop houses.
Poulet DG
Chicken cooked with fried plantains, carrots and green beans, a celebratory dish.
💡 Mid-range restaurants across the city.
Eru
Finely shredded eru leaves cooked with waterleaf, palm oil and meat or fish.
💡 Local restaurants, especially those run by people from the southwest.
Beignets haricots
Puff-puff doughnuts served with spiced beans, a common breakfast.
💡 Street stalls in the morning.
Wood and bronze crafts
Carvings, masks and cast bronze pieces, many from the Bamoun and Grassfields traditions.
💡 Craft markets in the city centre.
Cameroonian coffee
Arabica and robusta coffee grown in the western highlands.
💡 Supermarkets and specialty shops.