Douala Travel Risk — Elevated Risk (57/100)
Is Douala safe right now? Checked 15 October 2026
Douala scores 57/100 on our travel risk index (Elevated). The US State Department rates Cameroon Level 2 (Exercise Increased Caution, updated 15 May 2026); the UK FCDO advises against all travel to parts of the country (updated 9 Feb 2026); Canada says: exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). No GDACS or USGS hazard events within 100 km in the last 14 days. No change in government advice in the last 7 days.
Natural disasters (score 20)
Crime (score 70)
October 13, 2026
Douala, Cameroon has a current Travel Risk Calculator composite score of 57 out of 100 (elevated risk tier); the highest-rated risk category is crime at 70/100; the lowest-rated category is natural disasters at 20/100; last updated October 13, 2026. For official nationwide security advisories, entry requirements, and health notices, see the Cameroon travel risk page. Real-time conditions below include live weather, official advisory levels, GDACS disaster alerts, and current news.
Get a personalized assessment for your tripHow safe is Douala to visit in 2026?
Douala currently sits at 57/100 on our composite travel-risk index, which puts it in the elevated-risk tier. Travelers should plan more carefully than the global average — read the Actions section below before booking. The highest-rated risk category for Douala is crime (70/100), and the lowest is natural disasters (20/100). This page was last updated on October 13, 2026; the baseline category scores reflect analytical indicators, layered with live conditions throughout the day. Live conditions — weather and air quality every 30 minutes, US State Department advisory every 6 hours, GDACS disaster alerts every 30 minutes, CDC health notices every 12 hours, and news every hour — are cached at the source and refreshed automatically when stale.
Driven by: security (75/100) and crime and scams (50/100).
A score of 57 is higher than the scores of 81% of the 241 countries we cover.
AI safety snapshot · refreshed Oct 3, 2026
Douala, Cameroon currently has an elevated baseline safety risk of 61 out of 100 and is under a US State Department Level 2 advisory. Additionally, travelers should note ongoing regional drought conditions affecting Cameroon and a Level 2 global polio health notice from the CDC.
AI-summarized strictly from the live public-source data below (US State Dept advisory, GDACS, CDC, Google News). Auto-refreshed at most once per day on the first visit. Not official advice.
Live conditions last refreshed: Oct 15, 2026 05:09 UTC
What should I do now?
- Run a real assessment. Open the calculator for live data (weather, advisory, news) layered onto this baseline.
- Government advisory (score 70/100): Read your country's current official advisory within 7 days of travel. Register with your embassy on arrival if available.
- Crime (score 70/100): Use registered taxis or ride-share apps. Keep electronics out of sight in public transit. Read recent reviews for your specific neighborhood.
- Check your country's advisory. The single most authoritative live signal. Linked at the bottom of every real assessment.
Day vs Night Safety in Douala
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Exercise heightened caution even during daylight hours. Stick to primary thoroughfares, travel in groups where possible, and avoid navigating quiet residential side-streets alone.
Nighttime movement carries significant risk. Strictly avoid solo walking after dark; rely exclusively on hotel-arranged transportation or registered radiotaxis, and confirm destination security before leaving your accommodation.
Safety by Traveler Type in Douala
Guidance based on our scores and official advice — not a measured score.
Solo travelers
Crime risk is elevated. Solo travelers should avoid quiet areas at night, keep a charged phone and offline map, and share a live location with someone.
Women traveling solo
General crime risk is elevated. Plan arrivals in daylight, avoid isolated areas, and prefer accommodation with 24h reception. We do not hold gender-specific incident data for Douala, so also check the live official advisory above and local women-traveler communities.
Families with children
Health/disaster risk is elevated. Confirm medical-evacuation cover, identify hospitals near your accommodation, and check seasonal hazard (storm/heat/quake) before you book.
Older travelers
Health/transport risk is elevated. Confirm medical-evacuation cover, plan rest between transfers, and locate English-capable medical care on arrival.
LGBTQ+ travelers
Local laws and social attitudes toward LGBTQ+ travelers vary widely by country and are not captured in our category scores. The official advisory/political indicators are elevated. Read your government LGBTQ+ travel guidance carefully and weigh trip purpose against current conditions.
No group-specific warning is triggered in Douala for business travelers (Digital 30/100 · Money 40/100 · Transport 60/100): these scores sit in the low-to-moderate range, so standard precautions apply. Local laws affecting LGBTQ+ travelers and gender-specific incident rates are not captured in our scores; check your government's travel guidance.
Score layers
Safety categories
Source: Grounded open data research & citations
Quick facts
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Airport risk | medium |
| Road safety | high |
| Public transport | medium |
| Tourist scam risk | medium |
| Night safety | high |
| Last updated | October 13, 2026 |
Live conditions in Douala
Real-time data refreshed from public sources — weather and air quality from Open-Meteo, official advisory from the US State Department, disaster alerts from GDACS, health notices from the CDC, news from Google News. For an AI-synthesized briefing tailored to your specific trip, run a personalized assessment.
Official travel advisory
Level 2 · Exercise Increased Caution
Cameroon - Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution
Read full advisory → · US Department of State
Disaster alerts
Active Disaster Alerts
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Drought is on going in Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Somalia, South Sudan, Chad ORANGE · country-wide · 2026-07-03
The Drought notification level is Orange.
“~N km away” = event centroid within ~500 km of this location; “country-wide” = a national/regional alert that may not be near this specific city. Source: GDACS · fetched 2026-10-15 05:09:10 UTC
Natural hazard calendar & history
5-Year Hazard Calendar (100 km Radius)
| Hazard | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | 1 | 2 | 1 | — | — | — |
| Wildfires | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Most flood events within 100 km of Douala happened in August (2 of 5 in five years).
Source: GDACS, USGS; five years to October 2026.
For consular advice on women's safety, LGBT+ travel, and local laws, see the Cameroon travel advice & laws.
Check the official entry requirements for your nationality before you travel. See the Cameroon entry requirements.
Health notices
Health Notices for this Destination
-
Level 1 - Global Dengue WATCH · 2026-10-02
Dengue is a year-round risk in many parts of the world, with outbreaks commonly occurring every 2–5 years. Travelers to risk areas should prevent mosquito bites. Country List : Colombia, Vietnam, Maldives, Bolivia, Cambodia, Kenya, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Mar
-
Level 2 - Global Polio ALERT · 2026-09-23
Some international destinations have circulating poliovirus. Before any international travel, make sure you are up to date on your polio vaccines. Country List : Afghanistan, Algeria, Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Democratic Republic of the Congo, Niger, Nig
-
Level 1 - Global Measles WATCH · 2025-05-28
Measles cases are rising in many countries around the world. All international travelers should be fully vaccinated against measles with the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to CDC's measles vaccination recommendations for international travel. Country List : Afghan
Source: CDC Travelers’ Health · fetched 2026-10-14 19:15:06 UTC
1991–2020 climate normals
Seasonal risk & best time to visit Douala
The most weather-stable two-month window for Douala is December–January, when typical daily temperatures run from about 23°C to 30°C and monthly rain averages 38 mm.
Seasonal planning flags include heavy rain season in April–November; monsoon in April–November. These are climate patterns, not forecasts.
Climate normals are planning context, not a short-range forecast. Source: Open-Meteo Climate API. Refreshed Oct 7, 2026.
Calculate risk for these travel dates Compare seasonal windows →
Emergency numbers (Cameroon)
| Police | 117 |
|---|---|
| Ambulance | — |
| Fire | 118 |
| General | 112 |
Medical access
| Hospital access | medium |
|---|---|
| Pharmacy access | medium |
| Emergency response | medium |
| English-speaking care | unknown |
| Evacuation complexity | medium |
The search results do not provide specific information on medical facilities or emergency services in Douala. Travelers should verify hospital locations, English‑speaking staff availability, and evacuation options before arrival.
Common scam patterns
- pickpocketing/theft. Violent thefts such as pickpocketing and bag snatching are regularly reported in Douala’s large‑city areas. Tip: Keep valuables out of sight, use a money belt, and stay alert in crowded places.
- carjacking. Carjackings have been noted as a risk in Cameroon, including the city of Douala. Tip: Travel by car during daylight hours and avoid stopping in isolated areas.
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Calculate my trip riskScore history
| When | Score change | Tier | Reason / source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 13, 2026 | 61 → 57 | elevated | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| Sep 27, 2026 | 53 → 61 | elevated | Method change (scoring v2) scoring v2 |
| Jul 2, 2026 | 0 → 0 | unknown | Data update Grounded open data research & citations |
Every editorial change to Douala's composite score is logged here, with the source and reason for the change. Live data overlays (weather, advisories, disaster alerts, news) refresh continuously on their own cadences and are not recorded as score changes — see the Live conditions section above for current overlay state.
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Transparency & Sources
We document the baseline sources, coverage scope, and data inputs for this destination below.
Sources used
- SimpleMaps World Cities (CC BY 4.0): Coordinates, region, population for Douala
- Travel Risk Calculator score (method v2): Security, crime and scams, health, natural hazards and current alerts for Douala, from US, UK and Canadian advisories, INFORM, World Bank, UCDP, CDC, GDACS, USGS and OpenStreetMap
- Editorial baseline (Travel Risk Calculator): City-level threat scoring across 9 categories (crime, health, advisory, political, disaster, transport, environmental, digital security, money safety)
Live data overlays on this page refresh asynchronously on the source cadences shown above. Run an assessment to create a trip-specific briefing using your dates and traveler profile.
Baseline scope
- Category scores represent an analytical baseline, updated from official feeds and public records.
Coverage notes
- Transport-hub safety notes (airport, train stations).
- Neighborhood-level guidance.
Methodology · Full data-source registry · Report a correction
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Disclaimer
Travel Risk Calculator provides estimated travel-threat information for preparation purposes only. It does not replace official government advisories, medical advice, emergency alerts, immigration rules, insurance advice, police guidance, embassy information, or professional security consultation.