About Gombe National Park
There are truly wild places in Tanzania, Gombe National Park is one of them. 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 after chimpanzee habituated to human visitors. It is located 16 km north of Kigoma town on the shores of the world’s second deepest Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania with an area of 56 square kilometers.
How to get there
Drive, schedule or charter a flight from Dar es salaam, Mwanza or Arusha or take a slow or fast train from Dar es salaam or ferry along the shore of Lake Tanganyika from Burundi or Zambia to Kigoma. To reach Gombe you must travel by boat from Kigoma. 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.
Park Attractions
Gombe wilderness worth a year round visit; enabling you to cruise along part of the historical inquisitiveness way back in the 19th century when Livingstone and Stanley searched the source of River Nile. Rainy season is the best chimpanzee sporting while the green vegetation blooms providing an astonishing scenic view and waterfalls are at the best (November to Mid- May) while dry season provides a chance for best photo taking , short and long hike(May to October).
Wild Animals
Gombe has abundant and diverse wildlife animals. Habitat preferences and seasonal food cycles determine in a general sense where a particular animal may be at a particular time (esp chimpanzee). Although Gombe chimpanzee are favorite among wildlife watchers that come to the Park, there are several notable animals.
Bird’s Life
Gombe is also a home to numerous birds. Over 200 birds species fly around, varying from the iconic fish eagle, three kinds of kingfishers and the bright Peters twinspots. Another remarkable character is the palm vulture, a near vegetarian common to Lake Tanganyika that prefers fruits over carcasses. They usually stay in their blotch of forest since food is abundant throughout the year and occasionally venture into open area.
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