Gombe Stream National Park-Tanzania Safari News

Tanzania’s smallest yet rewarding National Park

Gombe Stream National Park is the smallest (13.5 square miles) of Tanzania's wildlife filled national parks, a thin strip of ancient forest set amidst mountains and steep valleys on the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Gombe Stream National Park, is located in western Kigoma Region, 10 miles north of Kigoma, the capital of Kigoma Region. Established in 1968 this is the smallest of the Tanzania safari wildlife parks accessible only by boat, the park is the place where Chimpanzees were studied by Dr. Jane Goodall for over 50 years, contributing to the drive to combine the preservation of primate wildlife habitats with the development of eco-tourism and the beneficial involvement of indigenous human communities in Tanzania.

Attractions in Gombe Stream National Park

On a Tanzania wildlife safari, Chimpanzees are Gombe stream’s main attraction; they are the stars of the world's chimpanzee community, made famous by the pioneering British researcher Jane Goodall, whose years of constant observation since 1960 have brought to light startling new facts about mankind's closest cousins. The kasekela Chimpanzee Community featured in several books and documentaries live in Gombe Stream National Park. Chimps are as individually unique as humans and no scientific expertise is needed to distinguish the different characters in the cast, just by watching them on your Tanzania safari, you can see how amazing they are.

The majority of the park mammals are primates, most of them forest species and in addition to the famous chimpanzees, tourists on wildlife safaris in Tanzania’s smallest park could be lucky enough to see blue or red-tailed monkeys, Olive baboons, red colobus, vervet monkeys. The park is also home to over 200 bird species, bush pigs, many snake species, occasional hippopotami and leopards. Carnivores are rare in the forest, making Gombe the ideal place for a walking safari in Tanzania or a swim in one of the streams or else snorkel in Lake Tanganyika with almost 100 kinds of colorful cichlid fish.

Best time to Visit Gombe Stream National Park

The best time to find chimpanzees at Gombe is during the wet season from February to June and November to December. The dry months of July to October and December to January are better for photo opportunities. Chimpanzees are amazing primates and watching them chunk fruit and play on the tree figs and the floor of the forest is an amazing sight to behold.

In the whole of the world, the biggest population of chimpanzees can be seen on a Uganda wildlife safari to Kibale Forest National Park or Budongo Forest. However, this doesn’t make the chimpanzee experience in Gombe Stream National Park less interesting, its one of a kind and on a tour in Tanzania, don’t miss out on such an experience. For more wildlife encounters its wise to tailor your trip to Gombe Stream National Park with a tour to Serengeti National Park or to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.