Travel Guide Mokolo

Mokolo is a quiet village located along a tarmac road, 80 km west of Maroua. It is populated by the Mafa (also known as Matakams), an ethnic group with a strong presence in the mountainous region of the Mandara Mountains. Mokolo, a pretty village, is the capital of the Mayo-Tsanaga department, and a pleasant stopover for anyone wishing to travel from Maroua to Rhumsiki or from Mora to Rhumsiki. The road from Maroua to Mokolo is a main road in good condition, while the road from Mora, which passes through the Koza pass, is a secondary route, much less well-maintained, if not downright rutted. Once again, travellers are advised to use 4x4 vehicles to avoid being caught unawares by the state of the road. At the foot of the Mandara mountains, the rocky massif of northern Cameroon that dominates Nigeria to the west and the Diamaré plain to the east, lies an administrative center housing a number of official buildings, schools, a hospital, a Total station and a hotel, as well as a large market to which farmers from the surrounding villages converge every week to sell their crops. A little further away from the town's administrative and commercial center, you'll find dwellings that start out modern, then become increasingly rustic as you move away from the center. You'll know you're heading for the village of Matakam when you pass the mud huts with their obtuse roofs.