Gombe Stream National Park 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. Its chimpanzees – habituated to human visitors – were made famous by the pioneering work of Jane Goodall, who in 1960 founded a behavioral research program that now stands as the longest-running study of its kind in the world. The matriarch Fifi, the last surviving member of the original community, only three-years old when Goodall first set foot in Gombe, is still regularly seen by visitors. The park’s 200-odd bird species range from the iconic fish eagle to the jewel-like Peter’s twin spots that hop tamely around the visitors’ center.
About Gombe Stream National Park
The Following animals can be found in the park – Chimpanzees, Red Colobus, colourful Red-tail and Blue monkeys, Olive baboon, African Civet, Palm civet, genet, Grey duiker, bushbuck, bush baby, bushpig, White-tailed mongoose, Marsh mongoose, Giant rat and the Chequered elephant shrew.
What to do
The absence of carnivores make the Park ideal for chimpanzee trekking and hiking and one should allow at least two days to find the chimpanzees.
Swimming and snorkelling is popular in the Lake and streams. The Mitumba Valley, the Rift, the Kakombe Waterfall and the Chimpanzee Feeding Station can all be seen on foot not being that far apart.
Visit the site of Henry Stanley’s famous “Dr Livingstone I presume” at Ujiji, near Kigoma and watch the renowned dhow builders at work.
