As East Africa prepares to co-host the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON), the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA) is positioning the tournament as a major gateway to convert football spectators into long-term safari tourists.
The month-long tournament, scheduled from June 19 to July 17, 2027, and jointly hosted by Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda, is expected to attract hundreds of thousands of visitors to the region.
Tanzanian tourism officials believe this presents a rare opportunity to showcase the country’s national parks to a global audience that may not otherwise plan safari travel.
At Lake Manyara National Park, one of the key destinations expected to benefit from visitor spillover, conservation authorities say preparations are underway to align tourism services with the anticipated surge in arrivals during the tournament period.
“We are enhancing visitor services, preparing official watch zones and strengthening our capacity to manage increased demand linked to sports tourism,” said CPA (T) Mussa Nasoro Kuji, Conservation Commissioner at TANAPA.
Located about 126 kilometres southwest of Arusha, Lake Manyara is considered strategically positioned for short excursions by visitors attending AFCON matches in northern Tanzania. The park can be reached in about two hours by road or 20 minutes by air from Arusha Airport.
TANAPA officials say the focus is not only on accessibility but also on redesigning visitor experiences to appeal to younger, experience-driven tourists expected to travel for the tournament.
According to Lake Manyara National Park Chief Conservation Officer, Dr Yustina Kiwango, the park is introducing new adventure-based attractions designed to complement its traditional safari offerings.
“We are developing activities that appeal to visitors with a sporting and adventure mindset,” she said, citing plans for a zip line, giant swing, canoeing experiences, canopy walks and escarpment hiking trails.
These additions will complement existing attractions such as game drives, birdwatching, guided nature walks and visits to the Marang’ Forest.
Despite its relatively small size compared to other northern circuit parks, Lake Manyara remains one of Tanzania’s most ecologically diverse protected areas.
The park is home to elephants, large troops of baboons, more than 400 bird species and its globally recognised tree-climbing lions a rare behaviour that has drawn scientific and tourism interest for decades.
Researchers attribute the lions’ arboreal behaviour to a combination of environmental adaptation, including escaping heat, avoiding insects and improving visibility for hunting. The behaviour is also believed to be socially learned across generations.
Beyond its wildlife, the park is defined by a unique groundwater forest sustained by underground flows from the Rift Valley escarpment, allowing vegetation to remain lush even during dry seasons.
Lake Manyara itself is an alkaline lake formed in a closed basin with no outlet, leading to high salinity levels driven by evaporation.
While the conditions limit fish diversity, they support microorganisms and algae that sustain large populations of flamingos and other bird species.
Conservationists describe the park as a mosaic of ecosystems, with roughly seven distinct ecological zones, including groundwater forest, acacia woodland, floodplains, freshwater springs, escarpment habitats, the lake system and the Marang’ Forest, incorporated into the park in 2009.
Officials say this ecological diversity, combined with improved tourism infrastructure, places the park in a strong position to attract AFCON-linked visitors.
Dr Kiwango said TANAPA is also engaging potential investors to expand accommodation facilities around the park, including proposals for high-end eco-tourism developments within the Marang’ Forest area.
She said the long-term goal is to ensure AFCON 2027 delivers benefits beyond sport, contributing to sustained tourism growth.
“We want visitors who come for football to also experience the uniqueness of our national parks,” she said.
Tourism officials believe that if the strategy succeeds, AFCON 2027 could mark a turning point in regional tourism promotion where football fans leave East Africa not only with memories of stadiums, but also of safaris, wildlife encounters and Tanzania’s natural landscapes.
