TANAPA Public Campsites
Camping, bring everything · Designated public sites inside the park · Tanzania National Parks
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Budget
Inside the park
Park-run (TANAPA)
TANAPA's public campsites are the only genuinely cheap way to sleep inside Nyerere: $35.40 per adult per night including VAT, against several hundred dollars at the nearest camp. You bring everything, including water, fuel and recovery gear, and you still cannot go out on a boat or on foot without booking a park ranger. Realistically this suits overlanders and Dar-based residents rather than fly-in visitors.
Pros and cons
Pros
- The cheapest bed inside the park by a wide margin
- Your money goes straight to the park authority
- Open year-round, with Mtemere or Matambwe gate road access
- Camping costs $35.40 a night including VAT
- East African citizens pay a separate, much lower TSh rate
Cons
- You need a fully equipped high-clearance 4x4 and all supplies
- Park entry fee of $70 a day comes on top
- Roads are effectively impassable from March to May
- Cash is not accepted; pay through the GePG gateway
What the park charges on top
The rate above buys you a bed. Nyerere National Park charges its own entry fee for every day you are inside. Here is what that adds up to.
- Park entry$70 plus 18% VAT, charged per 24 hours.
- $82.6per person, per day
- Vehicle$40 plus VAT for a foreign-registered vehicle up to 2,000 kg; above that, where most safari 4x4s sit, it is $150 plus VAT.
- $47.2per vehicle, per day
Three nights means three days inside, so two adults sharing one vehicle pay $637.2 in park fees before anyone pays for a bed.
The full fee schedule for Nyerere National ParkRates at TANAPA Public Campsites
$35.40 pppn. The official tariff is $30 plus 18 per cent VAT per non-resident adult, $5.90 for a child aged 5 to 15, and TSh 5,000 for East African citizens. Conservation and vehicle fees are on top, and all payments go through the GePG electronic gateway; cash is not accepted at the gate.
What the rate covers is not confirmed. We do not know yet whether meals, drinks and activities are included, so read this as the bed only.
Every figure on this page is in US dollars.
Indicative 2026 rates gathered in July 2026 from operators' own rate cards, and from the best third-party sources where an operator publishes nothing at all. No published rate means 'on request'. Always confirm with the property. Two things shift the real comparison in this park. First, park fees are extra almost everywhere: a camp inside the boundary carries the $82.60 conservation fee plus a $59.00 to $70.80 concession fee per adult per night, both including VAT, and most in-park camps bundle these into an all-inclusive rate while the camps outside the gate charge entry, boat and walking fees separately on the days you go in. Second, ignore any camp still advertising night game drives: they are not permitted inside the national park since the 2019 regazettement. Names you may still find in older guides but that we do not list: Azura Selous, which appears permanently closed, plus Selous Kulinda, Ol Moran, Jimbiza Lodge, Selous Great Water, Selous Mbuyu, Selous Mapumziko, The Retreat Selous and Amara Selous, none of which we could verify as currently trading.
Questions about TANAPA Public Campsites
How much does it cost to camp at TANAPA's public campsites in Nyerere?
Camping itself costs $35.40 a night for a non-resident adult, which is $30 plus 18 per cent VAT, with a reduced $5.90 rate for a child aged 5 to 15, according to the official tariff. On top of that comes the park entry fee of $70 for an adult and $20 for a child, plus conservation and vehicle fees.
Can you self-drive to the TANAPA public campsites?
Yes, that is the only way in: these are road-accessed sites through Mtemere or Matambwe gate, with no airstrip transfer offered. TANAPA's own park page confirms road access is possible but calls it a long dry-season drive, and the record notes the roads are effectively impassable from March to May.
How do you book a TANAPA public campsite in Nyerere?
All payments go through TANAPA's GePG electronic gateway; cash is not accepted at the gate, according to the official tariff. There is no separate online booking page found for these sites, so arrange payment and confirm space before you set off, since this is a self-catering, bring-everything option.
Are TANAPA's public campsites in Nyerere good for families?
The tariff itself is family-friendly on paper: a child aged 5 to 15 pays $5.90 to camp against $35.40 for an adult. In practice these are basic sites with minimal facilities and no ranger-led activities included, so a family needs its own vehicle, supplies and a booked guide for any walking or boating.