GOMBE NATIONAL PARK
Gombe Stream National Park is situated in the western border of Tanzania, and is easily accessible by boat from Kigoma town which is 16 km to the south. Gombe is the smallest of Tanzania's national parks: a fragile strip of chimpanzee habitat straddling the steep slopes and river valleys that hem in the sandy northern shore of Lake Tanganyika.
Its chimpanzees – habituated to human visitors – were made famous by the pioneering work of Dr. Jane Goodall, who in 1960 founded a behavioral research program that now stands as the longest-running study of its kind in the world. The matriarch Fifi, the last surviving member of the original community, only three-years old when Goodall first set foot in Gombe, is still regularly seen by visitors.
Other common mammals found are forest species, mostly primates including baboons, blue monkeys, vervet monkeys, red tailed monkeys and red colobus monkeys. There are more 200 species of birds in Gombe Stream National Park.
When to go
The chimps don't roam as far in the wet season (February-June, November-mid December) so may be easier to find;
better picture opportunities in the dry (July-October and late December).
Accommodation
one new luxury tented lodge, as well a self-catering hostel, rest house and campsites on the lakeshore.
Price includes:
- Government taxes
- Bottled drinking water.
- English speaking guide
- Full board accommodation
- All park fees and emergency evacuation insurance
- 4X4 specialized Land Cruiser with pop up roof for 360 degrees game viewing
Price excludes:
- Any other drinks not mentioned in this itinerary
- Airport transfers
- Pre and post-safari accommodation
- Items of personal nature (e.g. cameras, visa, and travel insurance)