Tarangire National Park opens doors to Dodoma, other southern neighbours

SATURDAY April 5, 2025

By The Tranquility News Reporter, Tanzania

Tanzania’s Tarangire National Park is constructing state-of-the-art gates south-west of the park to attract tourists from Capital City of Dodoma, Babati Town, and beyond.

The park authorities have set aside Sh3.9 billion (about $1.5 million) for the construction of the complex gates situated about 250 kilometres away from the Capital City and 25 kilometres from Babati Town.

Dubbed Mamire, the smart gates will comprise residential houses for 16 staff, two lounges furnished with a toilet each for tourists entering the park and those exiting it, and picnic sites.

The three four-in-one residential houses at the gates will accommodate 12 rangers and two two-in-one others will shelter four conservation officers.

The gates will be connected to national electricity grid from the neighbouring Mamire Village and water from a well drilled right at the entrance.

Tarangire Acting Chief Park Warden Upendo Massawe says a small percentage of the park is currently utilised, owing to lack of a gate on the southern side.

“These gates, which are also ideal for SGR passengers bound for Dodoma, are going to open up Tarangire on the southern side,” the Tanzania National Parks’ (TANAPA) Principal Conservation Officer says.

The two smart gates are but only one of Sh7.3 billion (about $2.8 million) worth strategic projects the park is implementing, including construction of a 12-kilometre new road to Gurusi Wetland where wildlife animals flock to drink water.

The park is constructing a Sh76 million (about $3 million) worth road to link the smart gates with the Tanzania Rural Roads Agency’s road situated 2.5 kilometres away.

“Once accomplished, communities surrounding the park will get access to markets for their crops,” Massawe says.

Tarangire, which spans 2,832 square kilometres, won Best of the Best National Park awards four times and it has been nominated for World Travel Awards this year to compete in the African Leading Elephants Paradise National Park category.

“Tarangire boasts having unique elephants that reproduce twins,” hints Massawe, unveiling plans to collar them for tourists to easily spot them.

Should Tarangire win the award, Massawe believes the feat will buttress efforts of marketing the park locally and globally through the World Travel Awards’ platform.

The US and France are Tarangire’s leading market sources followed by Tanzania which has overtaken Germany and Spain.

The park renowned for huge its elephants and baobab trees is steadily recovering from COVID-19 pandemic.

Tarangire boasts having unique elephants that reproduce twins,” Tarangire Acting Chief Park Warden Upendo Massawe.

Just before the pandemic broke out in 2018/19, it received 216,956 tourists, who left behind Sh26.6 billion (about $10 million).

However, tourist arrivals nosedived to 192,216 in 2019/20, and to 68,663 in 2020/21.

The park was unable to run on its own as a result of receipts steeply declining to Sh5 billion (about $2 million), equivalent to 78 per cent drop.

The government had to chip in, providing the ISO 9001 2015 re-certified park with funds for the management and safety of the attractions.

“President Samia Suluhu Hassan fully utilised the COVID-19 pandemic period to ensure we sufficiently market the attractions for tourism to recover quickly,” Massawe, who doubles as the Tarangire Head of Tourism docket, says.

The President humbled herself to serve as a tour guide in Tanzania: Royal Tour film, showing tourist hotspots and investment opportunities the country hoards to the world.

The National Five-Year Development Strategy and the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi Election Manifesto’s directives to the tourism industry to attract five million tourists and generate $6 billion in five years apparently drove Dr Samia to engage in the film.

“Immediately after the film was launched in the US on April 18, 2020, tourist arrivals doubled from 68,663 in 2020/21 to 153,519 the following year,” Massawe notes.

In 2023/24, Tarangire received 400,750 tourists, with receipts surging to Sh47.9 billion (over $18 million).

Between July last year and February this year, the park had collected Sh47.6 billion (over $18 million), only Sh3 million (about $1,150) less than last year’s receipts combinedΩ