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Gombe National Park
Overview
Facts
Things to do
Best time
Where to stay
Accessbility
Overview
Gombe Stream National Park is located in the Western region of Tanzania along the world’s second deepest shores of Lake Tanganyika. The national park encompasses an area of 56 sq km making it one the smallest national park in Tanzania. The nature value of Gombe was noticed in 1943 when it was designated as a game reserve. Gombe gained its popularity after the pioneering research activities of Dr Jane Goodall in 1960 which is believed to be the longest running study of primates in the world. Conservation status was upgraded to that of a National Park in 1968 and opened for tourism in 1978.
Tropical rainforest, steep valleys, grasslands, and wooded areas make up the park. It’s astonishing how diverse the area is for a place so small. The dense jungle is where the primates and monkeys are found.
Famous for
The location where Jane Goodall pioneered her behavioural research conducted on the chimpanzee populations.
Interesting facts about Gombe National Park
• Gombe Stream is one of the best places in Africa to track chimpanzees.
Things to see in Gombe National Park
- Wild animals
- Lake Tanganyika
- Reptiles and Amphibians
- Kakombe and Mkenke waterfall
- Bird life
Things to do in Gombe National Park
- Chimpanzee Trekking
- Walking safari
- Hiking
- Butterfly gazing
- Boat cruise
- Photography and filming
- Kayaking
- Snorkeling and diving
- Sport fishing
- Cultural tourism at Mwamgongo village
Best time to visit Gombe
Gombe wilderness worth a year-round visit however, rainy season is the best for chimpanzee sporting while the green vegetation blooms providing an astonishing scenic view and waterfalls while dry season provides a chance for best photo taking, short and long hike.
Dry season: July to October
Wet Season: November to Mid- May
Where to stay at Gombe National Park
Mid-range Accommodation |
High-End Accommodation |
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Accessbility
By Air: You may get flight from Kilimanjaro airport, Arusha or Dar es Salaam to Kigoma Airport (TKQ) and charter a private motorboat to Gombe.
By Boat: Depending on your budget, there’s an option of speed boat, which takes much less time- or passenger’s boat, which takes longer about 4 hrs. Boat ride is an amazing trip or ferry along the shore of Lake Tanganyika from Burundi or Zambia to Kigoma.
By train: You take a slow or fast train from Dar es salaam to Kigoma then connect with a boat to Gombe
