Gombe Stream National Park – Tanzania

Gombe is the smallest of Tanzania’s national parks: a fragile strip of chimpanzee habitat straddling the steep slopes and river valleys that hem in the sandy northern shore of Lake Tanganyika.The terrain is distinguished by steep valleys,  and the forest vegetation ranges from grassland to  alpine bamboo to tropical rainforest.                                       Accessible only by boat, the park is most famous as the location where Jane Goodall pioneered her behavioral research conducted on the chimpanzee populations.   Gombe Stream’s high levels of diversity make it an increasingly popular tourist destination.Besides chimpanzees, primates inhabiting Gombe Stream include beachcomber olive baboons,                                                                                                                 red-tailed monkeys and vervet monkeys. The park is also home to over 200 bird species and bushpigs. There are also 11 species of snakes, and occasional hippopotamus and leopards. Visitors to the park can trek into the forest to view the chimpanzees, as well as swim and snorkel in Lake Tanganyika with almost 100 kinds of colorful cichlid fish. After dusk, a dazzling night sky is complemented by the lanterns of hundreds of small wooden boats, bobbing on the lake like a sprawling city.

About Gombe Stream National Park: Size: 52 sq km (20 sq miles), Tanzania’s smallest park. Location: 16 km (10 miles) north of Kigoma on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania.

Gombe stream activities: Chimpanzee trekking; hiking, swimming and snorkelling;
visit the site of Henry Stanley’s famous “Dr Livingstone I presume” at Ujiji near Kigoma, and watch the renowned dhow builders at work. .

When to go: The chimps don’t roam as far in the wet season (February-June, November-mid December) so may be easier to find;
better picture opportunities in the dry (July-October and late December).

NOTE: Strict rules are in place to safeguard you and the chimps. Allow at least 2 days to see them – this is not a zoo so there are no guarantees where they’ll be each day.

Contact Green Hills Ecotours for more details and booking A Lifetime Adventure: Ecotours@gmx.com