Cameroon with Egbert

Irish travel writer Dervla Murphy sets out across the remote regions of Cameroon with her daughter Rachel and a horse called Egbert. Locals often assume the two women are a married couple, and at one point Dervla has to expose her chest to show she is female. The pair repeatedly lose their way, are detained by officials, fall sick, and endure scorching heat and drenching tropical downpours. Their greatest misfortune comes when they lose Egbert.

Through every mishap, Murphy and her daughter keep their humour and appetite for adventure, qualities that might have overwhelmed less determined travellers. Along the way they also meet local food that tests their stomachs. Murphy portrays Cameroon as a calm, gentle land whose beauty and warm people leave the travellers reluctant to depart.

Murphy is known for her long, self-propelled journeys and her plain, observant style, and this account follows that pattern. It will appeal to readers who enjoy candid travel memoirs about difficult terrain and unexpected kindness.