Gombe National Park
Description: The smallest of Tanzania’s national parks, Gombe is a narrow strip of chimpanzee habitat on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. Its chimpanzees – habituated to human visitors – were made famous by the pioneering work of Jane Goodall’s studies. 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. Tracking the chimps is a fascinating experience.
It’s likely that you will observe them grooming each other in small groups, squabbling noisily, or bounding from tree to tree swinging on vines. Watching a mother chimp with her offspring is truly remarkable. Difficult to reach and relatively expensive, Gombe has few visitors each year.
Location: Just north of Kigoma, on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. Usually requires flight with Precision Air from Dar es Salaam (daily) or a shared charter flight from Arusha that flies on Tuesdays and Fridays only. A train (takes 2-3 days) from Dar might be possible.
Things 2 Do: Chimpanzee tracking, hiking, swimming/snorkeling, night walks
Time: Set aside at least 4 days (1 to get there, 1 to return and at least 2 nights actually in the park).
Animals: Chimpanzees, baboons, red-tailed and red colobus monkeys, more than 200 bird species.
Accommodations
$
TANAPA bandas
$$$
Kigoma Hilltop
“Was a brilliantly organised trip. Casey gave good, honest advice and managed to fit everything into our itinerary. I felt well prepared before my trip and during. We had Fulgence as our guide and could not have had anyone better. He was so organised and so fun to be around. Given that our party consisted of 3 girls, he was very patient and joked around with us, which made our trip even better. Our cook ‘Big’ was great as well. A really good cook and was fun to be around too. We did not stop laughing for a week. The safari was amazing. Fulgence had eyes like a hawk – I have no idea how he spotted some of the animals he did. Overall we would recommend Access 2 Tanzania to anyone looking for a safari to Tanzania.”