Two warthogs were spotted locking horns along the perimeters of the newly built Basketball Court in the Mikumi National Park.
Were they preparing for a good early morning dribbling?
Whichever the case but soon it be possible for major football games, volleyball and basketball to be played inside Mikumi National Park.
The dedicated sporting arena is being built by the Tanzania National Parks as part of new, or maybe fresh, tourism packages to be offered at Mikumi.
Fatuma Mcharazo is the Conservation Officer Grade II at Mikumi National Park who explains that as the tourist destination hits the 60 years milestone in August 2024, the park management is hatching new tourism products to complement the country’s travel industry.
“So far various groups, including institutions, schools and college teams can come and play or practice in Mikumi and use the same opportunity to enjoy wildlife and other sceneries,” said Fatuma.
Fatuma revealed that members of Tanzania’s top teams, Simba Sports Club and Young Africans (Yanga) veteran squads recently visited Mikumi and staged friendly football matches on the pitch inside the National Park.
“They all enjoyed the experience,” explained the Conservation Officer at Mikumi, adding that the participants of the friendly match between the nemesis clubs, lauded the efforts to introduce sporting activities in the park.
With such official endorsement from the expert Yanga and Simba veterans the park is now fully braced to handle more soccer activities in Mikumi.
Mikumi National Park seems to be also preparing to receive international players who will be participating in the African Cup of Nations (AFCON) that Tanzania gets to host alongside Kenya and Uganda in 2027.
Sports Minister Damas Ndumbalo had earlier on called for introduction of new sports grounds as well as renovation of existing ones, in order to have as many warm-up venues as possible during the AFCON events.
The Park management is working to ensure that some of the warm-up games and exercises can also be staged in Mikumi, which is located along the Tanzania-Zambia highway, a multinational road which also connects Dar-Es-salaam, Morogoro, Mbeya and Iringa regions.
But apart from football, Mikumi National Park has put in place volleyball, basketball and netball pitches and is soon also introducing a tennis court.
In addition to sports, the management of Mikumi National Park will be launching a hot-air balloon safari that will enable visitors to enjoy game viewing from the sky.
It is among the tourist offerings that the National Park wants to introduce in order to attract more visitors as the destination completes six decades of existence.
Mikumi, being near the towns of Morogoro, Iringa and along the highway to Dar-es-salaam, has been a favorite destination for domestic tourists who usually drive into the park for day trips.