Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe Stream National Park is the smallest national park in Tanzania. It is in the western part of the country, in the Kigoma area. The park is 35 square kilometers and is on the hills on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. It is one of Tanzania’s most famous national parks, even though it is not very big.

The park, which opened in 1968, is famous for being the place where Jane Goodall began studying the behavior of rare common chimpanzees and other primates. Along with 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 unique habits and ways of life of these endangered animals in their native habitat.

The national park of Gombe Stream

Jane Goodall spent more than 50 years studying how primates behave. The Kasekela chimp group was the first group of chimps that became used to living in Gombe Stream National Park. People love the Kasekela chimpanzee village so much that it has been in a number of wildlife books and documentaries.

Gombe Stream National Park is also home to two other groups of chimps that have become used to people. In total, the park is home to over 150 chimpanzees that have become used to people and can be trekked by tourists. Because of this, Gombe Stream National Park is a famous place for safaris in Tanzania.

Besides chimpanzees, the park is home to many types of baboons and monkeys, such as blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, red colobus monkeys, and red-tailed monkeys. Gombe Stream National Park is very far away and can only be reached by boat. It has a huge range of habitats, including grasslands, woodlands, steep valleys, and lush tropical jungle. Because of this, the park is home to many other animals, such as bushpigs, African leopards, hippos, reptiles, and over 200 kinds of birds. This is enough to give you the perfect Tanzania wildlife safari experience while you are there.

How to Get to Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe Stream National Park is quite far away from Kigoma, which is the city, and can only be reached by boat from Kigoma. The easiest way to get to the park is by plane. Depending on your timing, you could take a domestic flight to Kigoma airport (TKQ) and then rent a private motorboat to get to Gombe. It takes about an hour to ride the boat. Your trip operator can help you connect with a domestic flight and get to the park.

As the main international airport in the country, Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) is in Arusha, and Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) is in Dar es Salaam. Both are good options for guests from other countries. You can also get to the park by public motor boat, also known as a “lake taxi.” It takes about four hours to make this trip.

Things to do in Gombe Stream National Park

Wildlife

Gombe Stream National Park is home to many animals besides chimpanzees, monkeys, and baboons. For example, on game watching safaris in the park, you can see many types of reptiles, such as pythons, geckos, and vipers. Another thing is that the park is home to many leopards and lions, though people rarely see them. It is also home to bushpigs and hippos. When it comes to birds, Gombe Stream National Park has exciting trips for African birds, especially those that look for forest and water birds.

Over 200 types of birds have been seen in the park. These include the African broadbill, the Palm-nut vulture, the Ross’ Turaco, the Paradise fly-catcher, the Double-toothed barbet, the African fish eagle, the Kenya Rufous sparrow, the Livingstone’s Turaco, and a number of migrant species. More than 250 species of beautiful cichlids and up to 500 species of butterflies live in Gombe Stream National Park. During guided nature walks in the park, tourists can see these amazing animals up close.

Trekking with chimpanzees

In Gombe Stream National Park, chimpanzee trekking is the most popular thing to do on a Tanzania tour. There are more than 150 chimps in the park that are used to people. You can spend time with them, watch how they live, and take pictures of these amazing animals. There are many similarities between humans and chimps, even though they share human DNA. When you watch them, you will be amazed at the similarities in the way they act, like how they care for their young.

In Gombe, chimpanzee trekking is done on an organized walk through the woods to see these unique apes and up to 82 other animal species that live in the parks. It’s not always possible to see chimpanzees on the trip, but if you go with skilled guides, the odds are in your favor. Once you find your chimpanzee troop, you will have up to an hour to watch and see what the troop does and how they act. The cost of a chimp ticket for Gombe Stream National Park is $100. You need one to go on a chimpanzee trek in the park.

Watching birds

Over 200 species of birds have been reported in Gombe Stream National Park. These include water birds, forest birds, savannah birds, and many more. At certain times of the year, especially from November to April, you may also see a number of birds that come from Europe at the start of the wet season. On Tanzania birding trips in Gombe, you might see the trumpeter hornbill, the palm nut vulture, the Russ’ Turaco, African fish eagles, sunbirds, and other birds.

Swimming and scuba diving

Tanzania tours that go to Gombe Stream National Park also let travelers snorkel and dive in Lake Tanganyika. Lake Tanganyika is west of Gombe Stream National Park and a great place to dive and swim. The water temperature stays at 25 degrees Celsius all year, and during the dry season, you may be able to see as far as 20 meters below the surface.

It is great for both new and experienced divers because most of the diving is done near the shore. The cichlids in the lake are bright and lively. It’s important to know, though, that there may be alligators, hippos, and Bilharzia in some parts of the lake, so you need to work with a local expert. Not only can tourists swim and dive, but they can also waterboard, water ski, and do other fun things.

Nature walks with a guide or a trip to the Jane Goodall Foundation Center

Another fun thing for tourists to do in Gombe Stream National Park is to go on an organized nature walk. Visitors can go deep into the forest on organized nature walks in the morning to get a close look at the park’s beautiful scenery and animals like monkeys, baboons, birds, and more.

Also, go to the Goodall Foundation station and ask to be shown around the foundation’s research center for common chimpanzees and other primates. This is a great way to learn about Goodall’s important work studying primate chimpanzee behavior and her recent contributions to efforts to protect chimpanzees.

Fishing for fun

Sport fishing trips with a guide are available in Gombe Stream National Park on the huge Lake Tanganyika. Anyone who wants to go on a fishing tour in the park must first get a fishing ticket. You will be thrilled to catch different kinds of fish, especially tilapia. If you want, you can cook the fish you caught and eat it.

When is the best time to visit Gombe Stream National Park?

Even though people can visit Gombe Stream National Park at any time of the year, the best times to go are during the dry season, which runs from June to October and from December to February. This is great for hiking with chimpanzees. During this time of year, you can see the primates because the forest paths are not muddy and difficult to travel like they are during the rainy season. In Gombe Stream National Park, it rains from March to May and again in November.

Places to stay in Gombe Stream National Park

Tanzania safari travelers can choose from a range of lodges and camps in Gombe Stream National Park, running from high-end to moderately priced. Some of the best places to stay in Gombe Stream National Park are;

Hotel on top of Kigoma Hill

The Kigoma Hilltop Hotel is the perfect place to relax and enjoy life while visiting Gombe Stream National Park. It is set on a remote cliff with acres of beautiful grounds that look out over Lake Tanganyika. The hotel is easy for all visitors to get to since it’s only 15 minutes from Kigoma Airport. The hotel has 30 cottages, and each one has a bathroom and a patio with a view of Lake Tanganyika.

Volunteers and NGO help workers can also get long-term stay packages at the hotel. Guests at the hotel can do many water sports, such as water skiing, jet skiing, diving, and snorkeling to see the many kinds of fish in the lake. The Kigoma Hilltop Hotel has a gym, tennis court, pool table, darts board, and table tennis. You can also go fishing or on a boat tour.

Mbali Gombe Lodge in Mbali

The Mbali Mbali Gombe Resort is a high-end lodge on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. It has 7 luxury safari tented bandas with canvas roofs that stretch over raised private wooden decks. All of the bandas have their own bathrooms and have views of the beautiful coast of Lake Tanganyika.

Each room has a twin or double-sized four-poster bed made of hardwood with a comfortable mattress, clean sheets, lamps on a small table and the floor, a cabinet, and a Colonial-style vanity desk and chair that were all made in the area. There is power and hot water at Mbali Mbali Gombe Lodge all the time.

The Sunset Vista Hotel

The Kigoma Sunset Vista Hotel is less than 1 km from the Kigoma Train Station and about 29 km from Gombe Stream National Park. There are 35 rooms in the lodge that have their own bathrooms with showers and bathtubs. There is free wireless Internet access to keep you linked, and satellite TV to keep you off the couch. As a comfort, the hotel has phones that can make free local calls, and the rooms are cleaned every day. There is a restaurant, a bar, a garden, and free private parking. There is also a common room.