Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe Stream National Park: Africa Natural Safari

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Gombe Stream National Park

Size: 52 km²

Established: 1943

Tanzania’s smallest national park is best known for its famous chimpanzees. Study on these primates started as early as 1960 by Jane Goodall. The research at Gombe Stream National Park was ground breaking and drew a lot of attention to Jane Goodall and the chimpanzees. The chimps showed many behavioural patterns previously only accredited to humans such as the use of tools, rational thought and emotions very similar to ours. Goodall also observed the primates hunting bushpigs and colobus monkeys, disproving the assumption that chimpanzees are mostly vegetarian. The chimps also proved to be quite violent among themselves with bloody and sometimes lethal fights for dominance or between groups.

Overall Goodall’s research drew a much more realistic picture of man’s closest relatives. The research centre founded in 1965 still does research on chimpanzees and is now run by local scientists, while Jane Goodall visits Gombe Stream National Park on an annual basis.

The park itself covers mountain slopes covered in thick forest that lead down to the northern shores of Lake Tanganyika. Deep gorges and sandy beaches characterize this remote and untouched habitat. Gombe Streams National Park is only accessible by boat and visitor will move through the park on foot.

Wildlife

Gombe is mostly known for its chimpanzees and tracking these primates is the park’s main attraction. The park is also home to a troop of beach combing olive baboons as well as red-tailed colobus monkeys and vervet monkeys. Bushpigs search the ground for food and occasionally hippopotamus or leopard can be seen.

Lake Tanganyika is the world’s second largest lake in volume and supports more than 250 indigenous species of cichlid fish. About 100 of these colourful fish can be seen close to the shores of Gombe National Park. The majestic fish eagle, Peters’s twinspot and roughly 200 other bird species are found in Gombe.

Activities

The chimpanzees move through Gombe in search of food and tracking them is not always easy. Nightly nests and discarded foods give the guides hints as to where to find the primates. As you get close you might hear the primates calling from the canopy of the montane forest. As the movements of the animals are not always predictable you should give yourself at least two days to guarantee sightings. Chimpanzees share well over 90% of their genetic code with humans and observers often find that the primates’ behaviour resonates with them on a deeper level.

Visitors can also hike and explore the forest and its steep gorges. Snorkelling and swimming in one of the world’s cleanest lakes is a paradisiacal experience. Lake Tanganyika is home to a wealth of colourful indigenous fish and has inspired many domestic aquariums.

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