Douala Airport
Lasting Impressions....
"The sight of Kenya Airways on the tarmac is a religious moment. Ahhh, they've finally come to get me!" (?)
"Security seemed very lax (I mean you can walk onto the runway from the highway!)" (?)
"The VIP lounge is a windowless plywood box" (?)
"One word for a modest experienced traveller.... terrifying." (?)
Quick Reference Airport Guide
Here is some information that we've picked out of from your reviews. Be sure to read the review pages for the most up-to-date info:
- relaxed security
- no seats and no air-conditioning
- basic and not the cleanest
- harassment and bribery request from staff and other passengers
A few airport reviews from the archives
by Conal Ho
"Yeah, well, Douala airport is really no big deal if you're used to travelling in tropical Africa. Truly, those of us who have experience with the kinds of environment and facilities will be used to this. Like with any experiences in Africa, take what you're going to face in this airport without expectations. That is, don't set goals of any kind. I slept in the arrival hall at 11pm after I came off the Air Ivoire flight from Abidjan. I had to travel to Yaound as early as possible and the next bus from the Centrale Voyages bus stations left at 6:30am so I decided instead of wasting money for a hotel, to spend the next 6 or so hours inside the airport. No one will bother you, for the most part, and in fact, you'll see workers of the airport and workers who work in the airport but aren't employed by them sprawled out sleeping. A few are sprawled on the hand baggage x-ray machine's conveyor belt sleeping. No big deal. It's Africa. I found a corner and made a temporary home using a baggage cart to create a space for myself. I looped my bag straps around my arms and went to sleep listening to my radio. It was fine. The seats are entirely metal but you'll find people stretched out across them. I didn't do that but the person I came with did. So, in sum, Douala is no big deal."
by ?
"Douala Airport is not a lot of fun - and I can see how it could be very intimidating for some people - especially if you are just passing through. Fortunately for me, my bad experience in Douala Airport came after a month in Cameroon, so I didn't find it at all terrifying and I was more fed up with Kenya Airways than anything else. I was supposed to get a flight from Douala to Nairobi at around midnight - and then catch the Nairobi Johannesburg flight early the next morning. I decided to get to the airport early in order to avoid making the trip out there late at night (so the extra long wait is partially my own fault).Well ... what chaos! I avoided the baggage handlers by placing my backpack (my only luggage) on my back - a month in Cameroon taught me how to be firm without being rude. Security seemed very lax (I mean you can walk onto the runway from the highway!!) and I found myself standing waiting to check in. The check-in queue forms a long time before check-in opens (in our case, a couple of hours before check-in opened) and there were no seats to sit in and no air-conditioning. The humidity in Douala being very high, I was soon watching a pool of sweat form just below my chin, drop by drop. Just to make life more interesting for those more nervy passengers, the lights went out several times and stayed out for several minutes each time (make sure you're holding on to your bag). I did not feel unsafe as my experience of Cameroon told me that you're more likely to lose your goods than have damage done to your person - I would feel more unsafe in broad daylight in the streets of central Johannesburg, for example. I was not asked for any bribe - I was just very hacked off because Kenya Airways had told me that there was no need to pay any airport tax at the airport - but they were wrong (lucky for me I had the cash!).After about 3 hours of the check-in queue, we were all taken to a waiting lounge. By this time we knew that our flight would be delayed because it was coming from Cote d'Ivoire and had been delayed in Abidjan (hint: if you're flying DLA-NBO, make sure your booking is for a flight that just came from NBO via Yaounde, rather than being a flight that originated further west - that way you will have a chance of making your connection in Nairobi). The waiting lounge was okay - it had seats and was air-conditioned. The problem is that the seats are hard and they are not shaped in a way that would allow you to sleep comfortably on them or spread yourself along them. The other problem is that the place is air-conditioned for Eskimos (it's quite a shock to the system, after standing for hours in the tropical heat and humidity) - so much so that I could not sleep, but spent my time alternating between the cold of the waiting room and the heat of the corridor outside. A fellow passenger who I had been chatting to actually bought herself a wrap to keep her warm while she tried to sleep.So I spent a further 3 sleepless hours, just filling in time, trying to make conversation in my bad French and trying to get text messages to my family to tell them about the delay.It wasn't fun and I felt frustrated and I was uncomfortable but I never felt threatened in any way. I was astounded to read the account of the person who was surrounded by baggage handlers and threatened for not giving money. While it is common in Cameroon to be asked for bribes and people can be quite aggressive in asking for money, it is highly unusual for there to be any real threat of violence. I wonder if the traveller did not misread the situation a little or react in an inappropriate manner, which led to confrontation .Although I rate the airport "Poor", I only do so because I couldn't describe it as "Tolerable" - I wouldn't call it "Terrible", if such a category was offered."
