Gombe National Park was first recognized as an important wildlife and chimpanzee habitat in 1943 when it was designated a Game Reserve and was later upgraded to National Park status by the Tanzanian Government in 1968. With its just 52 sq km this is the smallest national park in Tanzania. It is located on the western border of Tanzania to Congo on the shore of Lake Tanganyika.
The park is pervaded by steep valleys and forest vegetation ranging from woodland to grassland to tropical rainforest, making this the perfect home for chimpanzees. The main attraction in Gombe is certainly the chimpanzees that live protected within the boundaries of the national park. With guided walks visitors are taken through the forest in quest of spotting and sit with these fascinating great apes, who share about 98% of their genes with humans. Undoubtedly a remarkable experience providing life-long memories and surely a highlight of many visitors.
The forest’s habitat of chimpanzees is what made this national park famous, as the chimpanzees originally were the object of research by the renowned scientist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall whose studies started in 1960. Jane Goodall spent many years in the forests of Gombe studying the behavior of the endangered chimpanzees and founded a behavioral research program, which is the now longest-running study of its kind in the world.
But chimpanzees are not the only wildlife in Gombe National Park, as its forests also hold a variety of other wildlife. Noticeably Gombe National Park is a monkey’s paradise, with the tropical rain forest being home to several species ranging from olive baboons, red colobus, red-tailed monkeys, vervet monkeys and blue monkeys, who are part of the gentle monkey family who are gentle by nature from birth. But not only is Gombe home to monkeys, it is also a home to over 200 species of birds, bushpigs and a variety of snake species. Further in the dense forest small antelopes are inhabited.
Besides trekking with the chimpanzees, visitors can also take a swim in Lake Tanganyika which is considered by many as the cleanest and purest water on earth, which makes it wonderful to swim in. But more than that the lake has the greatest diversity of Cichlid fishes in the world. Cichlids are generally brilliant colored freshwater fishes that are a joy to watch either by snorkeling above them or using scuba gear to swim down amongst them. If your wish is not to be inside the water, the lake can be enjoyed from wonderful boat excursions.
Getting around in the park is not by a safari vehicle like other national parks. In Gombe National Park hiking is the only way to explore this park which truly brings you in touch with nature.
Unlike other National Parks and places in the country which have two wet seasons. Gombe National Park experiences one wet season which begins in November – April. It seldom rains throughout the day but afternoon thundershowers are likely to have.
The dry season is from May – October.
May to August have the coldest nights with minimum temperatures of up to 15°C. Afternoon temperatures are usually around 27°C. September & October have the highest temperatures of the year, but with just a slight increase compared to other months.
November – April have the coolest days but with the highest humidity. Afternoon temperatures range around 25°C to 17°C during the night.
The best time to trek the chimps is during the dry season where they tend to be more in the lower slopes of the mountains, specifically June – November as it may be possible to experience some rain in May as it is the start of the dry season. It might take longer to find the Chimps during wet seasons. Sometimes up to 4 hours of trekking.
By air, from Arusha airport (subject to availability) for those extending their adventures after covering the Northern Safari Circuit or daily domestic flights from Julius Kambarage International Airport in Dar to Kigoma town. You can reach Gombe by a private boat transfer from Kigoma approx 1.5Hrs boat ride.
Accommodation inside the park can either be in a campsite or a tented lodge.
Yasin is an excellent driver and a very experienced guide, who dicovers even the ear of a lion hiding in the grass in a distance of 50 meters. So we have been lucky to see a lot of animals. Therefore our Safari was an awesome experience. We also received lots of information about the animals, the National Parks, the country of Tansania and the people living there. Since he is very humorous guy, we had a lot of fun, too. Thanks Yasin for a very special and fantastic time.
Can’t recommend Yasin highly enough. Endlessly informative with an almost sixth sense of where the animals are likely to be. Also a funny and ever positive travelling companion who contributed much to a family holiday of a lifetime.
We had a three-day safari with Yasin. Yasin gave us a very warm welcome right from the start and made us feel very familiar and friendly. It didn’t feel like a tour with a guide. We felt that we were in good hands and were able to enjoy the safari. We particularly liked the fact that Yasin always involved us in everything. For example, we were able to decide when our day began or ended. Yasin was able to tell us a lot about the wildlife, but also about the culture and the country. He was in constant contact with his colleagues, which gave us a good opportunity to see the BIG5. The moment of our engagement was very special for us. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you once again, dear Yasin. Thank you for your support and the great picnic spot. You were so well prepared, always took care of everything and made our dream come true. We will never forget these moments and we will never forget you. Stay healthy and as cheerful as we got to know you. Kind regards from Bremen (Germany) Jessica & Brian
Wir waren vom 26.7. bis zum 05.8. mit Yassin auf Safari. Alles klappte wunderbar, von der Abholung am Flughafen bis zum Ende der Reise. Wir erfuhren von ihm unglaublich viel über Land und Menschen und Tierwelt. Er kannte sich in allen Themen, zu denen wir neugierig waren, aus. Die Gamedrives in den Naturparks waren perfekt. Wir entdeckten unendlich viele Tiere und er zeigte uns nicht nur die Tiere, die viele Touristen ausschließlich sehen wollen, sondern die so unendlich artenreiche Tierwelt. Die Serengeti war natürlich extrem eindrucksvoll. Vor allem die große Tiermigration, bei der wir Dank Yassin einen Platz in der ersten Reihe hatten. Eindrucksvoll auch die Unterkünfte dort, so nah an der Natur und voller perfekten Service. Das ist wahrer Luxus. Das Auto und auch der Transport in ihm war komfortabel. Kurz zusammengefasst: eine unglaublich eindrucksvolle, sichere, individuelle, sehr inhaltsreiche und unvergessliche Reise. Vielen vielen Dank
My family and I were so lucky that we had Hussein as our guide! He were really passionate about his work, which resulted in us learning so much about the nature we went to, seeing a lot of different animals meanwhile having a truly comfy trip where you felt safe all the timeâ˜ºï¸ I will truly recommend Hussein as a guide for your wildlife adventure ðŸ€
We spend ten days with Yasin in the Serengeti, Taranguire and Ngorongoro Crater. Yasin, our guide, was always optimally prepared and also discovered the animals that were well hidden. He kept the necessary distance and always showed consideration for the animals. We felt safe and in good hands. Thanks to Yasin we experienced a unique Safaritour that we will never forget. Jürgen and Sabine Preuß
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