Wildlife Safari 8-Day Chimpanzee Safari: Gombe Stream & Mahale Mountains
Dar Es Salaam · Kigoma (2) · Gombe Stream (2) · Mahale Mountains (2)
Explore Destination · Tanzania
Gombe Stream
Gombe chimpanzee trekking: Gombe Stream National Park is a narrow strip of steep, forested valleys on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, north of Kigoma.
- CountryTanzania
- Best timeJuly to October is the best time
- Trips1 sample trip
- Destinations nearbyGombe National Park, Kigoma
Gombe chimpanzee trekking: what to know
Gombe Stream National Park is a narrow strip of steep, forested valleys on the shore of Lake Tanganyika, north of Kigoma. It is one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania and one of the most famous. Jane Goodall arrived here in 1960 to study chimpanzees, and the research she started is still running, the longest continuous study of any wild animal population.
What to know before you go
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Trekking to the chimpanzees
Gombe's main chimpanzee community is thoroughly used to people. Treks start from the lakeshore at Kasekela and climb into the valleys with a park guide and trackers. Finding the chimps can take anything from half an hour to several hours of steep walking. Once you reach them you have one hour to watch them feed, groom, play and, sometimes, use grass stems to fish for termites, the behaviour Goodall first recorded here.
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What else is in the forest
Olive baboons patrol the beach, and red colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys live in the canopy. Trails lead to Kakombe waterfall and up to "Jane's Peak", the lookout from which Goodall watched the valleys in her first months. After a trek, the lake is clear and warm for a swim.
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Access and rules
There are no roads to Gombe. Boats from Kigoma take one to two hours. Group sizes are small, visitors keep a set distance and wear a mask near the chimpanzees, and anyone with a cold or flu is not allowed to trek, because chimps catch human illnesses easily.
When to visit Gombe Stream
July to October is the best time. It is dry, the trails are firm, and the chimpanzees tend to stay lower on the slopes. They can be tracked all year, but from November to April the paths are slippery and the chimps range higher and further.
Where It Is
Gombe Stream and the other places we travel to nearby.
Gombe Stream
Trips that include Gombe Stream
Sample itineraries. Every trip is private, so we change the days, lodges and pace to suit you.
Wildlife Safari Plan Your Safari to Gombe Stream
Our team in Arusha answers in English, French, German and Spanish.
Questions about Gombe Stream
How do you get to Gombe Stream National Park?
Fly to Kigoma from Dar es Salaam, then take a boat north along Lake Tanganyika. The boat ride takes one to two hours depending on the vessel.
How long do you spend with the chimpanzees?
One hour once the group has been found. The walk to reach them varies from about 30 minutes to several hours.
How many days do you need in Gombe?
Two nights, which allows two treks. That gives a much better chance of a good sighting than a single visit.
Shall we plan your trip?
Tell us your dates and what you would like to see. A specialist in Arusha sends a route and a clear proposal within 24 hours.
Plan this trip
