Gombe
Size:
52 sq km (20 sq miles), Tanzania’s smallest park.
Location:
16 km (10 miles) north of Kigoma on the shore of Lake
Tanganyika in western Tanzania.
How to get there:
Kigoma
is connected to Dar and Arusha by scheduled flights, to
Dar and Mwanza
by a slow rail service, to Mwanza, Dar and
Mbeya by rough dirt roads,
and to Mpulungu in Zambia by a
weekly ferry. From Kigoma, local
lake-taxis take up to three hours
to reach Gombe, or motorboats can be
chartered, taking less
than one hour.
To do:
Chimpanzee
trekking; hiking, swimming/snorkelling; visit the site
of Henry
Stanley’s famous “Dr Livingstone I presume” at Ujiji near
Kigoma, and
watch the renowned dhow builders at work.
Wildlife
Chimpanzee, Olive baboon, Red-tailed Monkey, Red colobus,
Diademed Monkey, Leopard, Bushbuck, Buffalo, Waterbuck.
Birds:
Barbet, Palm-nut Vulture, Forbes' Plover, Fish Eagle,
Peters's twinspot.
Best time:
The chimps don’t roam as far in the wet
season (February-June,
November-mid December) so may be easier to find;
better
picture opportunities in the dry (July-October and late
December).
Accommodation:
1 new luxury tented lodge, as well a self-catering hostel,
guest house and campsites on the lakeshore.
NOTE
The
same rules for chimpanzee viewing at Mahale apply at
Gombe Stream.
Strict rules are in place to safeguard you and the
chimps. Allow at
least 2 days to see them - this is not a zoo
so there are no guarantees
where they’ll be each day.
Source: TANAPA.
Download here a pdf with a
more detailed description of this park.
