Gombe Stream National Park

Aside from the Mahale Mountains National Park, Gombe Stream National Park is one of only two places in Tanzania where tourists can go on chimpanzee trekking tours to learn about the endangered chimps’ unique behaviours and lifestyles in their natural environment.

Gombe Stream National Park is Tanzania’s smallest national park, located in the western region of Kigoma. Despite its small size, Gombe Stream is one of Tanzania’s most famous national parks. The park, founded in 1968, is best known as the location where Jane Goodall began her behavioural research on endangered common chimp populations and other primates. Aside from the Mahale Mountains National Park, Gombe Stream National Park is one of only two places in Tanzania where tourists can go on chimpanzee trekking tours to learn about the endangered chimps’ unique behaviours and lifestyles in their natural environment.

For over 50 years, Jane Goodall dedicated her resources to the study of primate behaviour, introducing the Kasekela chimp group as the first habituated chimps in Gombe Stream National Park. The Kasekela chimpanzee community is well-known, having appeared in numerous wildlife books and documentaries. Furthermore, Gombe Stream National Park is home to two other habituated chimpanzee groups; in total, the park currently has over 150 habituated chimpanzees that tourists can trek with. As a result, Gombe Stream National Park is a popular Tanzanian safari destination.

Aside from chimpanzees, the park is home to a variety of baboon and monkey species, including blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, red colobus, and red-tailed monkeys. The remote Gombe Stream National Park, accessible only by boat, boasts an impressive diversity of habitats, including lush tropical rainforest, grassland, woodland, and steep valleys. The park hosts a diverse range of wildlife, including bushpigs, African leopards, hippos, reptiles, and over 200 bird species, making it an ideal destination for a Tanzania wildlife safari.

Gombe Stream National Park, located in Kigoma’s capital, is quite remote and can only be reached by boat from there. The most convenient way to get to the park is by air, and depending on your schedule, you could take a domestic flight to Kigoma airport (TKQ) and then charter a private motorboat to Gombe. The boat ride is approximately an hour long. Your tour operator can assist you in arranging your domestic flight and park transfers. International tourists can fly into Tanzania via Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) in Arusha or Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam, the country’s main international airport. You can also take a public motorboat or ‘lake taxi’ from Kigoma to the park. This journey takes approximately four hours.

Attractions of Gombe Stream National Park

Wildlife

Aside from chimps, monkeys, and baboons, Gombe Stream National Park is home to a diverse range of wildlife, including numerous reptile species such as pythons, geckos, and vipers, which can be seen during game viewing safaris in the park. Furthermore, the park is home to a variety of animals, including leopards and lions (though these are rarely seen), bushpigs, and hippos. When it comes to birdlife, Gombe Stream National Park provides exciting African birding tours, particularly for forest and water birds.

The park is home to over 200 recorded bird species, including the African broadbill, Palm-nut vulture, Ross’ Turaco, Paradise flycatcher, Double-toothed barbet, African fish eagle, Kenya Rufous sparrow, Livingstone’s Turaco, and several migratory species. Gombe Stream National Park also has over 250 species of beautiful cichlids and up to 500 species of butterflies, providing tourists with breathtaking views during guided nature walks.

Top Tourist Activities at Gombe Stream National Park

Chimpanzee Trekking

Chimpanzee trekking is the most popular Tanzania safari activity in Gombe Stream National Park. The park has over 150 habituated chimpanzees who are all accustomed to human presence; thus, you will be able to spend time with them while observing their way of life and capturing unforgettable moments with Africa’s great apes. Though they share human DNA, there are several similarities between humans and chimps; as you observe them, you will be captivated by the differences in behaviours they exhibit with humans, such as nurturing their offspring.

Chimpanzee trekking in Gombe involves a guided woodland walk to see the unique apes and up to 82 other animal species that live in the parks. While on the trek, chimp sightings are not always guaranteed; however, with experienced guides, the odds are in your favour. After you’ve found your chimp troop, you’ll have up to an hour to watch and observe their behaviours and habits. Chimpanzee trekking in Gombe Stream National Park requires a chimp permit, which costs $100.

Bird-watching

Gombe Stream National Park is home to over 200 recorded bird species, including water birds, forest birds, and savannah birds. And, depending on the time of year, particularly between November and April, you may see several migratory birds that migrate from Europe at the start of the rainy season. During Tanzania birding safaris in Gombe, expect to see trumpeter hornbills, palm nut vultures, Russ’ Turacos, African fish eagles, and sunbirds, among other birds.

Diving and Snorkelling

Tanzania safaris to Gombe Stream National Park can also include snorkelling and diving adventures on Lake Tanganyika. Lake Tanganyika, located west of Gombe Stream National Park, is an excellent diving and snorkelling destination; the lake’s water remains at a constant 25 degrees Celsius throughout the year, and visibility can reach as deep as 20 meters during the dry season. The lake’s cichlids are brilliant and colourful, and because most diving occurs along the shore, it is suitable for both beginner and intermediate divers. However, it is critical to understand that there may be crocodiles, hippos, and Bilharzia in specific areas of the lake; therefore, working with a local expert is required. In addition to snorkelling and diving, tourists can enjoy other activities such as waterboarding, water skiing, and more.

Guided Nature Walks/ Visit the Jane Goodall Foundation Centre

A guided nature walk is another exciting tourist activity to do while on safari in Gombe Stream National Park. Guided nature walks in the morning take visitors deep into the forest to get up close and personal with the park’s magnificent landscape and wildlife, including monkeys, baboons, and birds.

Furthermore, visit the Goodall Foundation station, where you will be given a tour of the former’s study facility on common chimps and other primates; to appreciate her outstanding studies on primate chimp behaviour, as well as her contribution to chimp conservation efforts that she started several years ago.

Sport fishing

Gombe Stream National Park offers guided sport fishing adventures on the massive Lake Tanganyika, and the park requires that anyone interested in participating obtain a fishing permit. You will be delighted to catch a variety of fish, particularly tilapia, and, if desired, you will be able to prepare and eat the fish you caught.

Best time to visit Gombe Stream National Park

While Gombe Stream National Park is open to tourists all year, the best months to visit the legendary Tanzanian chimpanzee trekking destination are from June to October and December to February. This is ideal for chimp trekking. The primates are visible at this time because the forest trails are accessible and easy to navigate, as opposed to muddy and treacherous during the rainy season. The rainy season in Gombe Stream National Park lasts from March to May and November.