Gombe stream national park is Tanzania’s smallest but dramatic national park. Located is the Kigoma region covering an area of 52 square kilometers, gone national park offers very fine views of grasslands, forested hills, steep valleys, alpine bamboo and the tropical rain forests. If you prefer to see Chimpanzees, its best to book a Tanzania primate safari that takes you to this national park.
Gombe stream national park is renowned for habituating Chimpanzees and other primates like red tailed monkeys and vervet monkeys among the rest, the park has recorded eleven species of snakes, over 200 bird species and the splendid Lake Tanganyika contains over 209 fish species. It’s a great destination to have affordable holidays in Tanzania.
Gombe stream national park was established in the year 1968, the park situated in near of the border of Tanzania and Burundi, the park is famous for offering a Chimpanzee trekking experience in Tanzania. Gombe national park is one of the only two national parks where chimpanzee trekking can be done in the country and it is loved by tourists looking to primate safaris.
Activities at Gombe National Park
Chimpanzee trekking: Visitors can explore the park by trekking Chimpanzees and also come along other primates like the vervet monkey, red tailed monkey, blue monkey and beachcomber live baboon to mention a few.
Game viewing: Apart from chimpanzee trekking, tourists on a safari to Gombe national park can view animals like bush pigs, bush bucks and reed bucks are often seen within the forests. Apart from viewing wildlife, tourists can also have opportunities of coming across many plant species.
Bird watching: Gombe national park is blessed with both migratory and residential birds and the most commonly seen are trumpeter hornbill, palm nut vulture, fishing eagle and pied kingfisher among the rest Birding can be done while on a nature guided walk or during Chimpanzee trekking.
Lake Tanganyika, the longest and deepest lake in Africa harbor about 350 fish species which are endemic offers sun bathing and sun set viewing opportunity at its shores. It also has magical waterfalls like Kakombe and Mkenke waterfall.
Sport fishing: Tourists interested in making their safari more memorable can add fishing to their itinerary, tourists must engage in this activity with an experienced fishing guide as well as a fishing permit and must do this activity in the designated areas.
Nature guided walks: A nature guided walk can be taken to a Goodall foundations old feeding station this the first place where Dr Goodall was when studying the behavior of Chimpanzees this is also the place where Henry Stanley met Dr Livingstone in 1871.
Apart from the above activities tourists to Gombe national park can also engage in recreational activities like snorkeling the splendid Lake Tanganyika or even do swimming.
Gombe national park will provide you with a thrilling wilderness experience make it a must visit when on a safari to Tanzania. The park can be visited all year round however; June to October is the best time for viewing wildlife.
Where to stay at Gombe stream national park
Accommodation at Gombe national park varies from campsites to luxurious accommodation unit the place where to stay will depend on tourist’s choice and budget.
There are many hotels/ lodges that can accommodate you while in Gombe for example Gombe forest lodge, Mbali mbali Gombe lodge, Mbuzi mawe Serena camp and Gombe Banda’s. These places have friendly and warm welcoming staff members who will give all kinds of hospitality in Tanzania. The rooms have bathrooms, hot tabs and toilets. Note that inside Gombe, there is only one rest house and a luxury tented camp.
Location, Gombe National Park enjoys a strategic location, 16 kilometres (kilos) north of Kigoma region and along the hills of the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, west of Tanzania.
Getting to Gombe stream national park
Kigoma is accessible from Dar and Arusha by scheduled flights; to Dar and Mbeya by rough dirty roads; to Dar and Mwanza by a slow rail service; and to Mpulungu in Zambia by a weekly ferry. It is three hours by local lake taxi from Kigoma to reach Gomber. Motorboats are also an option. They are chartered and take less than an hour.
Best Time to Visit Gombe stream national park
Gombe Stream National Park can be on most of the year. However, the wet season, from November to April, is a preferable time to be at the park. The access is difficult and trekking is slippery. Besides, the lodges find March and April good time for maintenance. It is hard to find accommodation during these months. During the dry season, from June to September, there is very little rain or no rain at all. It is when the weather is humid and warm, with plenty of sunshine.
Chimps are observable and easy to find on the lower sloped during the dry period. Sometimes, they are even close to the camps or roaming along the sandy shores.
Bird watching time is between Decembers to March. Hundreds of resident and migratory species such as pelicans, storks, ospreys, vultures, rollers, barbets, cuckoos, hawks, eagles, owls, cormorants and many more can be witnessed in the park.