Wouri Estuary: Mangroves, Crossing & River Life
The Wouri estuary below Douala is one of the great waterways of Central Africa — traditional canoe crossings, fishing communities in the mangroves, and the spectacle of a working industrial river
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Traditional Canoe River Crossing
The Bonaberi Crossing - a traditional canoe service across the Wouri - transports market women, motorbikes and goods between the two sides of the city
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Wouri Mangrove Exploration
The mangrove forests lining the Wouri estuary shelter manatees, sea turtles and various birds — canoe trips in the mangrove canals reveal a hidden world behind the industrial river
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The fishing village of Youpwe
The Youpwe Floating Fish Market is where Wouri River fishermen land their catch at dawn - a chaotic, aromatic and extraordinarily photogenic scene of Central African river trade
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Wouri Bridge Drive
The Wouri Bridge connecting Douala to Bonaberi is one of West Africa's longest suspension bridges – a trip across it reveals the full scale of the industrial estuary
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Catching river prawns and crab
The Wouri estuary supports one of the most productive shrimp fisheries in Central Africa — restaurants along the river route serve freshly caught river prawns in pepper soup
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Sunset cruise on the estuary
A sunset pirogue ride on the Wouri offers a perspective of Douala impossible from land — the industrial port, the colonial waterfront and the mangrove forest all visible in the dying light