Experience
Photography Safaris
A safari shaped around light, time and the patience to wait for the moment.
Tanzania Destinations
Gombe Stream National Park
Forested valleys, chimpanzees and the clear water of Lake Tanganyika.
Western Tanzania
Forest Above the Lake.
Gombe Stream National Park lies on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, in Tanzania’s far west, close to the town of Kigoma. One of the country’s smallest national parks, it is a narrow strip of steep, forested valleys that run from a rugged escarpment down to the lake.
Gombe is known around the world for its chimpanzees, and for the research begun here by Jane Goodall in 1960, one of the longest-running studies of wild animals anywhere.
There are no roads into the park and no vehicle safaris. Visits are made on foot, along forest trails, at a slower and more personal pace than the savannah parks.
What Makes It Distinctive
A Different Kind of Safari.
Gombe is about forest, primates and the lake rather than open plains, and it rewards travellers who are happy to walk.
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Chimpanzee Trekking
Guided treks follow trails into the forest in search of chimpanzees. Their movements decide where each walk leads, so sightings are never guaranteed.
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Other Primates
Olive baboons, red-tailed and blue monkeys and red colobus also live in the forest, and baboons are often seen along the lake shore.
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Lake Tanganyika
One of the world’s longest and deepest freshwater lakes, with clear water, pebble beaches and long views west towards the Congo.
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Forest & Waterfalls
Streams cut through the valleys, and trails lead to viewpoints and waterfalls such as Kakombe Falls.
Planning Your Visit
Gombe Stream in Practice.
Getting There
Most visitors fly to Kigoma and continue to the park by boat along the lake shore. Gombe is usually planned as its own leg of a longer journey: tell us your dates and we can help it fit.
Trekking
Trails are steep, often humid and sometimes slippery, and treks vary in length depending on where the chimpanzees are. A reasonable level of fitness helps.
With Respect
Park rules on distance, group size and health protect the chimpanzees, and are explained before you set out.
When to Go
The drier months, roughly June to October, usually make the trails easier. In the wetter months the forest is lush and conditions underfoot can be harder.
Explore More of Tanzania
Continue Your Journey
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Experience
Wildlife Safaris
Time in Tanzania’s great safari landscapes, observing wildlife in its natural setting.
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Southern Tanzania
Nyerere
The Rufiji River, its lakes and channels, and the wide wilderness of the south.
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