What to know before visiting Gombe Stream National Park? Gombe Stream National Park is a national park in Kigoma District of Kigoma Region in Tanzania, its stretches about 16 km north of Kigoma, the capital and the nearest town to the park. Gombe Stream National Park was stablished in 1968, it is one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania. the park covers an area of approximately with only 35 square kilometers of protected land along the hills of the eastern shore of like Tanganyika.
The park is home to the few remaining chimpanzee individual in the wild. Chimpanzee trekking is the main highlight for a safari in Gombe Stream National Park. The Kasekala chimpanzee community, also known as Kasa kala, is a habituated chimpanzee group at Gombe Stream National Park. Chimpanzee trekking is an exhilarating safari that allows visitors to venture through the park’s forest on foot in search for these creatures in their natural habitat.
Chimpanzee trekking in this park is just like any chimpanzee trekking destinations in the world, begins with a briefing at 7:00 am about the do’s and don’t as well as expectations while on a gorilla trekking walk. This activity in Gombe Stream National Park takes about 2 to 3 hours depending on where the chimpanzees are allocated. After the briefing, trekkers will be separated into groups of 6, and thereafter, the trekking will start. Once you have encounter with these creatures, you’re given one hour interaction in the chimpanzee presences, observing how they conduct their-selves in the wild.
The park is also home to other apes for instance red-tailed monkeys, olive baboons, red colobus monkeys, and diadem monkeys, among others. You can also spot mammal species like bushbucks, leopards, barbets, vultures and buffaloes among others as well as different such as Pied Kingfisher, Common Hoopoe, Speckled Mousebird, Crowned Hornbill, Common Barn Owl, African Fish Eagle, African Green Pigeon, Blue-spotted Wood Dove, African Palm Swift, Yellowbill, Jacobin Cuckoo, White-browed Scrub Robin, White-browed Robin Chat, Red-capped Robin Chat, Collared Palm Thrush among others.
Besides chimpanzee trekking, while in a Tanzania safari Gombe Stream National Park, you can engage in activities like birding, nature walks, community tours and Hiking Jane’s Peak among other. You may also make an arrangement to see the great wildebeest migration in the Serengeti National Park, embark on Kilimanjaro Mountain hiking, or game drive safari in Nyerere national park, and others. Even though Gombe stream National Park is less visited, it is a rich natural destination and home to some of the unique animals in the world.
Key attractions to see at Gombe Stream National Park – What to know before visiting Gombe Stream National Park?
Primates
The park is home to notable primates of East Africa which include chimpanzees. This park is legendary for the Kasekela community of endangered wild chimpanzees which were studied by Dr. Jane Goodall for over 50 years during her study into primate behavior and featured in several books and documentaries. Gombe Stream National Park is also home to two other chimpanzee groups which bring the total population to currently 150 endangered chimpanzees that have been habituated and living in the protected park boundaries and thus featuring the prime. Besides the chimps, Gombe Stream National Park also is home to several primates which include olive baboons, red colobus, red Tailed, blue and vervet monkeys with the Red-tailed and blue monkeys.
Birdlife
Gombe Stream National Park in one of the best birdwatching destinations in Tanzania. The park is home to over 200 species of birds, some of which are endemic to the region. The parks diverse habitats including the dense forest, open woodland and wetlands provide ideal conditions for a wide variety of bird species such as ed-capped robin chat, snowy-crowned robin chat, collared palm thrush, helmeted guinea fowl, crested guinea fowl, blue-spotted wood dove, tambourine dove, African palm swift, Ross’s turaco, Hartlaub’s turaco, Livingstone’s turaco, grey heron, cattle egret, African sacred ibis, long-tailed cormorant, common sandpiper, white-winged tern, osprey, black-winged kite, African harrier hawk, long-crested eagle, little sparrowhawk, African fish eagle, speckled mousebird, mountain buzzard, crowned hornbill, green-backed woodpecker, olive woodpecker, yellow-rumped tinkerbird, and more.
Jane Goodall Peak
Jane Goodall is an English primatologist and anthropologist who dedicated her life to studying and researching chimpanzees in the wilderness for about 60 years. She first visited Gombe Stream National Park in 1960, where she discovered human-like behaviors in chimpanzees. Her research challenged the belief that only humans could use tools and that chimpanzees were vegetarians. The Jane Goodall Institute was established in 1977 to protect chimpanzees and their natural habitat in Gombe Stream National Park.
A hike to the summit of Jane Goodall peak is quite challenging but rewards you with the astonishing views of the forest and opportunity to spot chimpanzees. This peak is a tribute to conservation efforts in the region.
Weather and climate of Gombe Stream National Park
Gombe Stream National Park has a pleasant, relatively cloudless Dry season (May to October) and a humid, stormy Wet season (November to April). Due to the proximity to the equator, temperatures are quite uniform throughout the year (around 26°C/79°F during the day and 18°C/64°F at night).
Chimp Viewing Regulations – What to know before visiting Gombe Stream National Park?
- Always keep at least 10 meters way from the chimpanzees. This helps prevent you from accidentally giving them any illness.
- Always use the mask provided by your guide to cover your nose and mount when you’re near the chimpanzees.
- Do not eat or drink anything near the chimpanzees. If you need to, go at least 250 meters away.
- Don’t leave any of your stuff on the round where the chimpanzees can get to it, since they’re curious animals and your belongings can transmit disease. If you need help carrying bags, your guide will be happy to assist you.
- Make sure you don’t leave any trash behind. Trash can hurt all wildlife and spread diseases to the chimps.
- If you need to cough or sneeze, cover you nose and mouth to stop germs from spreading
- Try not to go to the bathroom in the forest. If it is unavoidable, move at least 250m from the chimps and ask your guide to dig a deep hole.
- If you’re sick or think you might be contagious, don’t visit the chimpanzees.
- No person under the age of 12 is permitted to visit the chimps. This is for their own safety and because young people are more likely to transmit infectious disease.
- Only six visitors with one guide, are allowed to be near the chimpanzees at the same time. If another group being already with the chimpanzees when you get there, wait at a spot your guide chooses, at least 250 meters away.
- You can only watch the chimps for a maximum of one hour. If the chimps are moving and viewing is interrupted, your time will be paused until they have been relocated, but tracking is not permitted for longer than 3hours after the initial chimp sighting, even if the one-hour total has not been reached. This is to minimize disturbance to the animals and to the forest.
Accommodation options in Gombe Stream National Park
Accommodation in Gombe Stream National Park ranges from mid-range, luxury to budget accommodations. This accommodation includes Mbali Mbali Gombe lodge, Gombe Bandas, Lake Tanganyika Hotel, Coast View Resort, Mwitongo Garden Hotel, Janda Lodge, Sunset Vista Hotel, One Point Lodge, Gombe Executive Lodge, Nzimano Hotel, Triple J. Resort, Zanzibar Lodge, Malagarasi Hotel, Mwanga Lodge and Kigoma Hilltop Hotel among others.
