This national park is located in the western side of the Tanzania at the border of Tanzanian and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This national park is mostly known for the resident primatologist who used to take a lot year in the forest studying the behavior of the Chimpanzee called Jane Godall. This national park was designed as a game reserve in 1943, and was later upgrade as a game park in 1968.
The national park is located 16km from Kigoma north ward on the Tanganyika Lake shore. This national park is the smallest in Tanzania, with an area of 20km2Â and acts as a home for the fragile Chimpanzees. This national park is the only park in Tanzania where Chimpanzees are can be trekked.
Gombe Stream National Park is situated on the on the wild shores of Lake Tanganyika, and the main attraction here is the Chimpanzees. This makes hiking in this jungle very easy because the area is very small. Apart from the Chimpanzees, there are other primates that are within this national park, and some of these include the Vervet and Columbus monkeys, baboons, and other mammals like wild pigs and antelopes. The national park also hosts over 200 tropical bird species. The park has 11 different snake species, of which primate trekkers should be aware of their existence and find a way of being careful. This national park also reported hippos, which are very rare, together with leopards. Lake Tanganyika, which is found within the national park, recorded over100 fish species within the water, including the colorful child fish
Activities of the Gombe Stream National Park.
Chimpanzee trekking at Gombe National Park.
This is the main activity at Gombe Stream National Park; trekking with these chimpanzees is a real adventure into the jungle. The trekkers are first briefed in the early morning after tracing where the Chimpanzee group might be, and then take off to the jungle. The activity may take from 1-4 hours, spending good time with the chimpanzees, taking snaps, and learning their behavior
Apart from these chimpanzees, there are also other primates like baboons, monkeys of different subspecies like the blue monkey, the red-tailed monkey, the vervet monkey, and many others.
The national park is also known to inhabit over 200 different bird species in the Gombe paradise. Some of the common birds include the African fish eagle, the flycatcher, tropical boubou, Livingstone’s turaco, the African broadbill, double-toothed barbet, crowned eagle, and the golden-rampant tinker bird.
The best-known time to experience birding is the months of November and April, as the migratory birds from North Africa and Europe are present.
Within the national park, there is also the longest and deepest lake in the whole of Africa that harbors over 300 fish species, and they are endemic, offering sunbathing and sunset viewing opportunities at its shores. There exists a magical waterfall at Kakombe and Mkenke waterfalls
The best time to visit Gombe stream National Park
This national park is open for visitors at any tie any day. For those want to trek the chimpanzees and some other primates, your advised in the rainy season and before the dry season between November and December, the month of July to October the Chimpanzees don’t go very far as they just move around the park and it’s the best time for taking photographs though in the dry season of the rest of the months, chimps move very far away looking for water and a cooler environment.
Accommodation
Accommodation facilities at this national park include luxury, midrange, and budget accommodations
Inside the national park exist only one rest accommodation facility and one luxury tented camp. Though there are several accommodation facilities in Gombe town, including Gombe Forest Lodge, Mbali Mbali Gombe Lodge, Mbuzi Mawe Tented Camp, and many others