Zwinkels Tours Trekkers Camp Bello

Situated at Aboh village in Belo Sub division, some 50 km out of Bamenda town at the foot of Lake Oku. Constructed to enable tourists to have an easy access to lake Oku, to let them enjoy the magnificient nature and wild life, go trekking in the Mbingo hills and also to enable them to interact with the villagers, and to go horse riding with the Fulanis.

A THREE DAYS TREKKING PROGRAMME IN THE BELO MOUNTAINS AROUND THE “ZWINKELS TOURS TREKKERS CAMP” IN THE ABOH VILLAGE.

DAY: 1

Early breakfast at the Zwinkels Trekkers Camp in the Aboh village.

Departure for lake Oku through the Ijim/Kilum Mountain forest reserve, which harbors a great variety of tree species and birds, especially the famous, colorful Bannerman’s Touraco, whose sound has been imitated by the villagers in one of the instruments used in their traditional music, called the “Njang”. The red feather from this bird is used to differentiate titled men, by sticking it on the typical caps of the Tikar chiefdoms in the North West Province.

The trek continues on a hilly landscape with a radiant panorama of the spectacular green hills and valleys, farm lands with food crops like maize, beans, potatoes, pumpkin etc. portraying the occupation of the people, which is farming. Out of the Kom village into the forest around Lake Oku one can see Indian bamboos, giant tropical trees with bee hives hanging in the branches, and indication of bee farming. The dark green lake can be seen from this point surrounded by thick ever green forest as well as part of the 3011m high Mt Oku. At the shore, one is welcomed by little ducks, believed to be the gods of the lake, fleeing to the middle of the lake. This lake is on the boundary between Kom and Oku village and is greatly exploited by the Oku villagers. Like other Africans, ancestral worship is held in high esteem in their tradition, the Oku Fon and the villagers use this lake annually for sacrificial rituals as they believe their ancestors reside in the lake. Water from this lake is believed to be medicinal as well as the herbs growing near the shore. They are usually picked by traditional doctors. The shore is a good spot for a picnic lunch.

Return to Zwinkels Trekker’s camp site. Dinner and overnight in tents.

DAY: 2

Breakfast at Zwinkels Trekkers Camp. You can choose from today’s option:

Horse riding around the village. The local Fulanis will serve as your groom and guide.
Visit the compound of the Fon’s father in the Aboh village, know the history of the Kom dynasty
Make a walk around the Aboh village, visit local families and carry out activities like cooking the local meal “corn fufu”, see how they fetch water in little streams.
Visit one of the local bars and why not join the people in drinking the locally brewed beer from maize, called “nkang”
Return to Zwinkels Trekkers Camp. Watch a local dance organized around a camp fire. Dinner and overnight in tents.

DAY: 3

Early breakfast at Zwinkels Trekkers Camp.

Departure for Mbingo by car to the starting point of the trek, which will lead us through the highly captivating mountainous scenery with numerous waterfalls and caves hidden in the hills. At the starting point is a spectacular view of the Mbingo Baptist hospital built by missionaries in 1957. The fairly steep climb begins and progresses along with a view of the radiant hills with wonderful shapes, flowers like the red flag bush, the sound of birds chipping, little streams, cattle and Fulani “Borroro” settlements with its very friendly people.

Picnic lunch at one of the Fulani settlements.

Visit the 25m high water fall along the track as it descends into the Kom village settlement full of compounds with hectares of Robusta coffee which is the main cash crop of the village. Most compounds have more than one house, signifying the number of wives in each compound. You now come to the main road. Here your transport is waiting for the drive back to Zwinkels Trekkers Camp.
Dinner and overnight in tents.

Return to Bamenda next morning.

This trek can be extended with more days, for instance:

Day 4

Break fast at the Zwinkels Trekkers’ Camp
Departure for trek in the hills north east of the camp. The trek progresses through the Kom (Aboh) village settlement with friendly people and through farm lands. Farm lands with food crops like corn, beans, potatoes, cocoyams and plantains trees. Out of the village settlements we go into the hills passing through grazing land (sheep and goat). Beneath the green hills a fairly steep climb begins up to the slope of the hills with an over view of Zwinkels Trekkers’ Camp and the Mbingo hills. On the hill top a small part of the Ndawara Tea Estate can be seen in the distance, and a waterfall from lake Oku. Walk on the hill to a spot considered by most villagers as the “witches land”. The hill itself is covered with very low grass but just on this particular spot the grass has grown high and thick. Because the people do not understand why at the same place some grass is short and some has grown high, this spot has been considered a place visited by witches. The villagers, apart from traditional doctors, dread this place, and consider anyone that goes there as having mystical powers. A nice picnic lunch could be taken on this particular spot while you rest and breathe the fresh air from the hills and also feast your eyes with the beautiful landscape around it. The trek continues with the descend back to the Zwinkels Trekkers’ Camp.
Dinner and overnight in the Camp.

Day 5

Early breakfast at Zwinkels Trekkers Camp and departure by car to St Bede’s college in Ashing village where the trek begins. As you climb along, view the dynamic scenery that gets more and more beautiful as one climbs higher. Gradually, we walk out of Ashing village and arrive now in the Fuli village settlement where you find at the bottom of the hill different pits from which stones are being dug. These stones are nicely parked beside the road and sold to be used for construction of houses. Further along on the slope of the hill you come across a small hut. The hut was built by a German missionary and in front are small benches where he teaches the Bible to the villagers every Sunday afternoon. Around this hut farming is carried out and food crop cultivation is done like in all other Kom villages. This Fuli hill is a historical place for the catholic Christians in the village. On the hill top a wooden cross has been planted, believed to be where Jesus Christ was crucified. It is built with stones from the stone pits and on two sides two iron poles are signifying where the two criminals were crucified along side Christ on the Mt of Calvary. Commonly it is called Mt Calvary. Once a year in the month of April during lent season in the Catholic Church, Christians climb this hill in remembrance of the suffering and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. From this point one can have a wide view of Njinikom village which is the home of a Famous Cameroonian politician called Ngam Jua. View the St Bedes college and Belo town. Return to where the trek started and return by car to Zwinkels Trekkers’ Camp.
Dinner and overnight in the Camp.