Mount Cameroon

Cometowestafrica is known for giving the latest vibes on places you can visit in West Africa is more known for its steamy tropical forests and political turbulence than for its mountains. Most of the region is low lying, although Cameroon has one mountain over 13,000 feet in Mount Cameroon. Other lesser peaks and volcanoes are found across the region, but none higher than 10,000 feet. West Africa is home to a number of active volcanoes and many of its peaks are remote or inaccessible.

The highest peak in West Africa — Mount Cameroon at 13,255 feet — is an active volcano that last erupted in 2000. Its first known eruption was in the 5th Century BC and was recorded by Carthaginian navigator Hanno. It’s the closest African volcano to the sea and rises almost directly out of the Gulf of Guinea in West Cameroon. Another volcano, called the Pico de Santa Isabel, reaches 9,868 feet on an island just off the coast. Mount Cameroon was first climbed in 1861 by explorer Sir Richard Burton and can be climbed by hikers, provided it’s not erupting.