Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe Stream National Park (1968), Tanzania'S Smallest Park, On A Steep Lakeshore Where Jane Goodall Began Her Chimpanzee Research In 1960. Visitors Trek With Rangers For About 1 Hour To See Chimpanzees, With A Limit Of Six People Per Group And Strict Distance Rules. Reached By A 2 Hour Boat Ride From Kigoma. · Kigoma, Kigoma

Gombe Stream is Tanzania's smallest national park, a narrow strip of steep forested hills and valleys on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, north of Kigoma. It was set up in 1968 and is where Jane Goodall began her study of wild chimpanzees in 1960, the longest-running study of any wild animal. You reach it only by boat, about 2 to 2.5 hours from Kigoma, then walk with a ranger for about an hour to find habituated chimps, in groups of up to six, keeping about 10 m away. There are also red colobus monkeys, baboons, forest walks, a waterfall and clear lake swimming. The honest picture: it is remote and EXPENSIVE for a day, the trails are steep and humid, and sightings are likely but NOT guaranteed. The reward is a quiet hour near wild apes in a lake-edge forest that few visitors ever reach. Plan well ahead, book the boat and a bed together, and bring small cash, since nothing can be bought once you are on the beach. Expect to be tired, damp and glad you came, with muddy boots and a very quiet, unforgettable hour behind you.

Forested hills on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika about 16 km north of Kigoma, reached only by boat, home of the Kasekela chimpanzee community studied by Jane Goodall, Kigoma, Kigoma, Tanzania

The park is open every day of the year in daylight hours, and trekking groups leave in the morning after a short briefing at the ranger post. Boats from Kigoma must reach the beach by day. Confirm times when you book, because rains and lake conditions can change plans.

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