Western Tanzania
Gombe Stream National Park
Where Jane Goodall changed what we knew
Overview
Tanzania's smallest national park is a narrow strip of forested valleys above Lake Tanganyika — and the site of the longest continuous study of any wild animal population in history.
Jane Goodall arrived here in 1960 and, within months, watched a chimpanzee strip leaves from a twig to fish termites from a mound. Tool use was supposed to be what made us human. Research has run without a break ever since, which means Gombe's chimpanzees are the best-documented wild primates alive.
The park is tiny — just 56 square kilometres — and reached only by boat from Kigoma. Trekking is steep and can be hot, but the sense of standing where a discipline was rewritten is difficult to overstate.
The landscape
Steep forested valleys and grassy ridges falling sharply into Lake Tanganyika, threaded by fast streams and waterfalls.
Quick facts
- Size
- 56 km² — Tanzania's smallest park
- Getting there
- Boat from Kigoma, ≈ 2 hours
- Famous for
- Jane Goodall's chimpanzee research
- Ideal stay
- 2 – 3 nights
Wildlife
Who lives here
- Around 100 chimpanzees in three habituated communities
- Olive baboons, also studied here for decades
- Red colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys
- Over 200 bird species along the lakeshore and valleys
Seasons
When to come
Dry seasonJune – October
Easier trails and more predictable chimp locations.
Wet seasonNovember – May
Lush forest and better fruit, but steep, slippery going.
Experiences
Chimpanzee trekking · Kakombe Falls walk · Jane Goodall research trail · Swimming and snorkelling · Birdwatching
In Pictures
Scenes from Gombe
Journeys Here
Safaris that visit Gombe Stream National Park
7 Days / 6 NightsTarangire · Ngorongoro Crater · Serengeti
Serengeti Signature Safari
The essential northern circuit, done properly
View journey
8 Days / 7 NightsNgorongoro Crater · Serengeti
Great Migration Safari
Follow the greatest show on Earth
View journey9 Days / 8 NightsMount Kilimanjaro
Kilimanjaro — Machame Route
Seven days to the roof of Africa
View journeyGood to Know
Questions, answered
Mahale for the wilder setting, better beaches and higher chimp numbers. Gombe for the history and for a shorter, cheaper visit if you are already near Kigoma.
Western
Pairs well on the western circuit
Gombe Stream National Park is one of 4 destinations on the western circuit. Most itineraries combine two or three.
