Tourism facilities and infrastructure

Tourism facilities shall include all those used for accommodation, interpretation, recreation and accessibility. For the purpose of this manual, tourism infrastructure shall include all the roads, airstrips, trails, circuits and others which enable tourists to access tourism products and services inside the national parks.

Accommodation facilities

These are facilities which provide accommodation services to various guests/tourists visiting the parks. The facilities are either park or privately owned. TANAPA owned accommodation facilities are grouped into five categories namely, campsite, rest house (bandas, huts, cottages, and guest rooms), and park- owned tented camps, hotels and hostels

Campsite

Camping site is a designated area where tourists can camp overnight. These areas are designated based on the current General Management Plan of each respective park.

TANAPA manages different kinds of campsites namely; public, special, seasonal and flying camps.

Criteria for Selecting Sites for Campsite:

(i)Accessibility and distance from other accommodation facility

(ii)Terrain

(iii) Good view

(iv) Shade

(v)Privacy (Special, seasonal and flying camps)

(vi) Availability of safe water

(vii)Security

(viii)Visibility (away from sight)/ conspicuousness

Public Campsite

These are campsites which are shared by more than one group of tourists at a time. The park shall ensure the availability of kitchen, dining, shelter, camping pads, parking lot, dust bins, fire break, toilets & water and power supply (light & charging) in the campsite.

Special Campsite

These are all temporary tented camps accommodating one group at a time, no concrete platforms or permanent structure of any type; no permanent toilet structure of any type and camouflage camping techniques shall be used. Visitors have exclusive right where one group occupying the campsite denies access of use to another group at that particular time. All trashes shall be parked out by the tour operators.

Seasonal Campsite

These are temporary tented camps set in one place for at least one season (3 months) with no concrete platform or permanent toilet structures of any type. All trashes are packed out by tour operators, using camouflage camping techniques. Seasonal campsites shall be operating according to TANAPA campsite booking procedures and the respective seasonal campsite contracts.

Fly Campsite

This is a special and adventurous type of accommodation offered during long walking safaris. They are offered as a part of walking safari. The guests are accompanied by an armed ranger/guide and spend afternoon walking to the fly camp.Some of the operating guidelines for fly camping are

(i) The fly camping shall automatically be booked when a customer book for a long walking safari

(ii) The Park Management shall identify appropriate sites during survey in the walking areas

(iii) All the equipment and supplies shall be carried by the walking safari group

(iv) Waste management guidelines shall be adhered (v) Security shall be provided by the park (Walking safari guidelines shall apply)

Rest houses (Bandas / Cottages/Guest Rooms, Hotel, Hostel), Mountain Huts and Park - Owned Tented Camp

TANAPA owned facilities are grouped into five categories

namely, rest houses (Bandas, Cottages, and Guest rooms), hotels, hostels, huts and park owned tented camps.

Resthouse is a building located in the park providing accommodation and catering services. Rest houses in the park shall abide to the respective Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) for their daily operations.

Cottages are small single storey houses inside the park used by

visitors/tourists who are in vacation/holiday.

Hostel

Hostel is an affordable accommodation facility aimed mainly for educational groups or any organized group (s)

Mountain Huts:

Mountain huts are buildings located along the climbing routes in the mountains, intended to provide shelter to mountain climbers and hikers. SOme of the procedures for operation Mountaion huts are:

(i) Reservations for mountain hut shall be done in the respective park through official park online system

(ii) Booking guideline conditions shall be adhered

(iii) Self-catering shall be allowed (all up-keeps shall be upon the client/tour operator)

(iv)TANAPA shall provide qualified park attendants for housekeeping

(v) TANAPA shall provide security to all mountain huts

(vi) Park attendants shall keep register for all tourists using huts

(vii) The park shall be responsible for regular maintenance

(viii) Daily reports shall be prepared and presented to the head of tourism section

(ix) At all times, the visitors/guests shall be required to observe all park rules and regulations

Private Owned Accommodation Facilities

These are accommodation facilities in the park that are owned and operated by private investors. They include lodges and permanent tented camps. To seek and obtain site for investment kindly read the investment prospectus available to this website or request for one from the office of the conservation commissioner.

Permanent Tented Camp (PTC):

One level, cement or wood platform, tented structure with reception, dining room, bar, a series of one level, cement or wood platform, separated, permanent tented bedroom structures, swimming pool (optional): only essential onsite staff housing, essential parking and storage. Biodegradable trash buried and burnable trash is burned by the investor. The non-burnable trash will be removed from the park by the investor.

Lodges

One level or one storey, permanent, steel reinforced cement foundations with permanent hard walls, continuous structure with reception, gift shop, dining room, bar and offices under one roof with interior plumbing and power, a series of one level, separated, permanent reinforced bedroom structures, swimming pool (optional), only essential staff housing, essential parking and storage space. Biodegradable trash buried and burnable trash burned by investor. Non-burnable trash will be removed from the park by the investor.
The lodges and permanent tented camps are operated as per License Agreement specific to the facilities. Activities that are not stipulated in the License Agreement shall be reported to the respective park by investor for action

Mode of Payments

Payments of applicable fees are made using Government electronic payment gateway (GePG-MoF), online, bank and mobile or any other approved means of payments.

Guests/Visitors may reserve and make all the payment online through online TANAPA Portal available on website www.tanzaniaparks.go.tz/onlineportal

Interpretative Facilities

These are facilities designed to provide interpretation services to different park users. These include Visitors Information Centres (VIC) &Museums, Multi-Media Centres, Signposts/Signboards, interpretive panels/wayside exhibits and billboards. Their basic functions are public education, information dissemination and enjoyment.

TANAPA has a number of interpretive facilities which include visitor information centres, media centres, museums, interpretive signposts/signboards and interpretive panels.

Visitors Information Centres (VIC) and Museums:

Visitor information centres are structures usually located at the entrances of the park; designed to give basic information about the national park. Such information includes, exhibit display, mounted specimen, photos & ecological cycles.

Museum is a building in which objects of historical, scientific and artistic of cultural interests are stored and exhibited. Its main function is to assemble and preserve objects, providing opportunity for object – centred research and interpretation through contact with the real things it contains.

Park entry Gates/Point

These are point of entry to the national park with a combination of services including parks’ information, facilities and services, visitor’s registration, payments and visitors controls. All visitors must enter the park through the designated entry gates/point at the allowable time.

Recreational Facilities

Picnic Sites:

In the National Parks, the picnic sites are designated scenic areas which have facilities where a group of guests can seat, eat, use toilet facilities and enjoy scenery or wildlife. Facilities in the picnic sites shall include shades, benches, tables and washrooms. Operating Procedures for Picnic Sites shall include:

(i) Trash in trash out system shall apply

(ii) The guests shall be required to strictly observe park rules and regulations

(iii) The picnic sites shall have interpretative panels to enhance the visitor experience

(iv) Park management shall ensure even distribution of guests in the picnic sites to control congestions

(v) The colour of facilities in the picnic sites shall blend with environment

(vi) The park shall be responsible for regular maintenances of the picnic site

(vii) Cooking is strictly prohibited in the picnic site

(viii) Park shall supply water to the picnic sites

Tourism Sinks:

A tourism sink is a designated area where tourists will stop and get out of their vehicles for sometimes for game viewing. The sink shall have the following characteristics; a limited environmental impact, safe and away from the road-out of site, shall have a great view, natural shade and provide solitude.

Operating Procedures for a Tourism Sink shall include:

(i)The Park shall identify and designate tourism sink for tourist use

(ii) The tourism sink shall be mapped and the coordinates made available for tourist use

(iii) The Park Management shall install directional signs to the sinks (iv) The visitors using the sink shall be required to observe rules and regulations of the park

(v) The Park Management shall regularly monitor and maintain the tourism sinks

(vi) Tourism sinks shall be distributed evenly around the park zones and will provide minimal or no facilities

(vii) TANAPA Waste Management Guidelines shall be applied