Mount Cameroon: francolin and speirops on the volcano's slopes
Mount Cameroon francolin (Pternistis camerunensis) and Cameroon speirops (Zosterops melanocephalus) — both found only on this mountain — with Cameroon montane greenbul, mountain saw-wing and montane sunbirds. Mount Cameroon National Park, Buea, South-West Region, Cameroon.
Best time: 15 Nov – 15 Feb (November to February). Where: Mann's Spring – forest boundary at about 2,200 m, Buea – Mount Cameroon National Park office and Guinness track trailhead (Cameroon). Time of day: From first light to about 08:30 on the forest-boundary trails, before the cloud comes up.
- Guide, ranger or boat needed
- Entry fee
- Binoculars helpful
- Sound 4/5
Open it in the interactive calendarSunrise and sunset listening times for the day you pick, and the map.
When is the best time?
Peak: 15 Nov – 15 Feb. Mid November to mid February: the dry window when the summit trail and the forest belt are walkable and the mornings are clear before the cloud
Active from 1 Nov to 15 Mar (November to March) in a typical year.
Time of day
From first light to about 08:30 on the forest-boundary trails, before the cloud comes up; francolins call at dawn and dusk from the forest edge around 1,800–2,300 m
- Dawn on the boundary: first light → 08:30
- Evening francolins: 45 min before sunset → last light
What will you hear?
The rasping, far-carrying crow of the Mount Cameroon francolin from the forest edge at dawn, speirops flocks chattering through the canopy, montane greenbuls and sunbirds — the only place on earth for two of these — with the wind on the open slopes above.
Binoculars?
Binoculars helpful. Francolins crow unseen from the forest edge; binoculars for speirops flocks in the canopy at Mann's Spring.
Where to go
- Mann's Spring – forest boundary at about 2,200 m — The classic camp and francolin site on the Bokwango/Mann's Spring route; a long day's walk up from Buea. Map
- Buea – Mount Cameroon National Park office and Guinness track trailhead — Permits, guides and porters are arranged at the park/ecotourism office in Buea; the Guinness track climbs straight up from the town. Map
How to go on your own, and what it costs
Guide and porters are compulsory (national park rule). Cheapest legal way: shared taxi to Buea, pay the park fee and hire the guide/porters at the ecotourism office in town for a two-day walk to Mann's Spring and back, with your own tent.
Cost: Park entry per day plus guide and porter daily rates; check current prices at the Buea office.
Free or no-guide alternative: The farm-forest edge above Buea and Bokwango (below the park boundary) is walkable without a guide at dawn and holds montane greenbuls, sunbirds and speirops flocks; the francolin is mostly higher, inside the park.
Field-recording notes
A guide and porters are compulsory on the mountain (park rule); the park's ecotourism office in Buea allocates them and takes the fee. Francolins are shy and hunted — recording is at dawn from a still camp at the forest boundary, no playback. Cloud and drizzle arrive by mid-morning; nights at 2,000 m drop to near freezing with condensation on everything, so bring a dry sack for the recorder. Limbe Wildlife Centre in Limbe (captive drills, gorillas and chimps; open daily) is a useful stop for sound references. Buea and the South-West Region: check current travel advice.
Sources
- Mount Cameroon francolin distribution and seasonality (Avian Conservation and Ecology, 2024)
- Mount Cameroon speirops (Wikipedia)
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More: all spectacles in Cameroon · dawn choruses · Cameroon in January · Cameroon in February · November · Cameroon in December