Gombe National Park is an incredibly rare adventure opportunity. Providing sanctuary to its unique wildlife and an oasis to all who visit, Gombe is home to the longest standing and most treasured chimpanzee research program in the world. It is also one of the most remote, authentic and romantic adventures in Africa. Founded by the extraordinary Jane Goodall in the 1960s, much of what we know about chimpanzees today is a result of the research completed at Gombe. While the chimps are the main attraction, Gombe has much more to offer. Home to rolling green hills, towering trees, steep valleys and a thriving range of biodiversity – Gombe will leave you in awe from the moment you enter this wilderness wonderland.
Gombe is situated in the remote Tanzania jungles, on the banks of the second-largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Tanganyika. Due to the remoteness of this National Park, it is only accessible by boat. Chimpanzee trekking in Gombe Streams National Park is one of the unique activities in Tanzania that travelers can get to experience, and come up-close with the chimpanzees, a primate species quite playful and noisy that you can hear them even while still a distance away from them. Gombe Stream National Park is one of the best places to see chimpanzees in the wild in East Africa, and indeed the best place to see chimpanzees in Tanzania.
Gombe’s high levels of diversity make it an increasingly popular tourist destination. Besides chimpanzees, primates inhabiting Gombe Stream national park include beachcomber olive baboons, red colobus, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, and vervet monkeys. Red-tailed monkeys and blue monkeys also hybridize in the area. The park is home to over 200 bird species and bushpigs too. And you can find many species of snakes and occasionally hippos and leopards.
Locate the Gombe National Park
The best time to visit Gombe Stream National Park is from June to September, during the dry season. Trekking through the forest is easier at this time of year, and the likelihood of seeing the chimps increases. Gombe has one continuous wet season from November to April, and we advise you to avoid this time, as nature walks are less enjoyable in the mud and rain and likely lead to cancellation.
From Dar es Salaam the best way to get to Gombe Stream National park is by domestic flight to Kigoma. There are daily scheduled flights, and they take approximately 2 hours. From Arusha, only shared charter flights are available, and they operate twice a week. Driving is not recommended due to the rough terrain and long distances. Trains and buses are also available but can take up to 2 days if travelling from Dar es Salaam and are not recommended for people who like the luxury and comfort of travelling in business class.
Gombe National Park has a bird checklist of 287 species. Many of these are forest birds, which are quite difficult to spot, particularly since walking unguided is not allowed and guided walks tend to focus on chimps. The lakeshore is a good place to see African fish eagles and palm-nut vultures perched in the palm trees. Peters’s twinspot, a normally elusive forest bird, is quite tame and easily spotted in the camp. Migratory birds are present from November to April.
