Where to go for the holidays from Douala: 5 countries and their visa (Cameroonian passport)

The year-end holidays are 2 months away. And in these 5 countries, December is the right season. But be careful: the further down the list, the more paperwork the visa takes. So book early: for the fifth one, you need to start now.

The 5 countries at a glance

1. Benin: visa-free, and the Vodun festival

With a Cameroonian passport, you enter Benin visa-free for up to 90 days: Benin has scrapped the visa for citizens of every African country. December is the dry season.

The flight: most tickets go via Lomé (ASKY); Camair-Co also flies to Cotonou with a stop in Libreville, without changing planes. Air Sénégal has announced a Dakar – Cotonou – Douala route: check whether it is operating when you book.

And if you stay until 8 January, it's the festival of traditional religions (the Vodun Days, in Ouidah): in 2027, Thursday 7 and Friday 8 January are public holidays in Benin.

2. Ethiopia: e-visa and Christmas on 7 January

You apply for the tourist e-visa online, on the official portal, and Ethiopian Airlines flies Douala to Addis Ababa non-stop. It's the dry season, but pack a sweater: nights are cool in Addis Ababa (over 2,300 m above sea level).

7 January is Christmas in Ethiopia (Genna), and thousands of pilgrims usually gather in Lalibela.

3. Dubai: 25 °C in the middle of "winter"

The craziest one is number 3: in Dubai, December is winter… around 25 °C during the day. For a Cameroonian, there is no visa on arrival: it's an e-visa applied for on your behalf by a sponsor (your hotel, an approved agency or an Emirati airline), often in about 48 hours. No direct flight from Douala: you need a stopover.

And at midnight on 31 December, the Burj Khalifa fireworks: the big event every year. For the visa step by step, read our article on the Dubai visa.

4. South Africa: Christmas in midsummer

In Cape Town, Christmas falls in the middle of summer: 20 to 26 °C during the day. Cameroon is one of the African countries eligible for South Africa's e-visa: you apply online, before you leave. To get there, stop over in Addis Ababa or Istanbul.

5. Egypt: the one to start now

The good news: a direct EgyptAir flight from Douala, around 20 °C in Cairo for the Giza pyramids, and the Grand Egyptian Museum, open to the public since 4 November 2025.

The habit for all 5: your yellow card

Wherever you go, keep your yellow card: the yellow fever vaccination certificate is required to enter Cameroon, so on your way back, from the age of 1.

Plan your trip

Visa, flight and budget: every country has its page on Travora, for travellers from Cameroon: Benin, Ethiopia, United Arab Emirates, South Africa and Egypt. And for every country your passport opens without an embassy visit, read our article on the Cameroonian passport.