ARUSHA, Tanzania, Dec. 12 (Xinhua) -- Morning sunlight bathed the Ngorongoro highlands as streams of visitors stepped into a museum nestled within the Ngorongoro Lengai UNESCO Global Geopark in Tanzania's Arusha region. Among them was Lina Okello, a first-time traveler from Kenya, who paused in awe at a space where geology, culture, and time converge.

The recently opened Chinese-built Ngorongoro-Lengai Geological Heritage Museum is already reshaping Tanzania's tourism landscape, offering an immersive gateway into one of the world's most celebrated conservation areas.

"I've been to national parks before, but never understood how these landscapes came to be," Okello said, her gaze fixed on a sweeping illustrated panorama of the Ngorongoro Crater. "Here, you feel like you're walking through history before seeing the real thing outside."

Since its opening on Oct. 16 this year, the museum has drawn 575 visitors, according to manager Agness Gidna, who described the institution as a milestone in Tanzania's efforts to diversify tourism and deepen educational engagement with the country's natural and cultural heritage.

Built jointly by the governments of China and Tanzania, the 32-billion-Tanzanian-shilling (about 13 million U.S. dollars) museum is China's first foreign-aid geological park project.

Inspired by Mount Ol Doinyo Lengai, one of the world's rarest volcanoes, the design incorporates symbolic colors: grey for volcanic ash, orange for lava, blue for the sky and universe, brown for human heritage, and green for ecology. The structure reflects the interconnectedness of geology, humanity, and environmental conservation.

Vinay Sapra, a board member of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, said the new facility has added significant depth to the tourism circuit.

Sapra described the geopark museum as "a very interesting phenomenon," offering rich insights and learning opportunities that bring Tanzania's geological and cultural story to life.

The museum serves as a one-stop hub of knowledge that ordinary visitors would struggle to access on their own, Sapra said, adding that it provides essential context for understanding the evolution of Ngorongoro's landscapes and communities.

Inside the museum, German tourist Michael Bauer, fresh off a Serengeti safari, examined early human fossils with fascination.

"I didn't expect such a modern museum here," he said. "You see the crater, the wildlife, the Maasai culture outside, and then you come here and understand how everything connects. It makes the whole trip richer."

Also known as the Urithi Geo-Museum, the institution highlights Ngorongoro's unique natural and geological heritage while celebrating the ecological richness of the crater and the cultural traditions of surrounding communities.

Drawing from decades of scientific research across the Ngorongoro Lengai geopark, the exhibits include geological formations, volcanic features, rock specimens, early human fossils, ancient stone tools, and a panoramic illustration of the crater. Cultural displays feature traditional artifacts from the Hadzabe, Datoga, Iraqw, and Maasai communities, offering a holistic picture of the region's human history, according to Gidna.

"To help visitors understand this history in a structured way, the displays are arranged into six thematic sections," said Gidna. "This layered approach allows visitors to walk through geological time, gaining an appreciation of the forces that shaped the landscape and the societies that have lived alongside it."

As more international travelers explore the museum, Gidna said Tanzania's standing as a premier global tourism destination is set to grow even stronger. ■