There are truly wild places in Tanzania, Gombe National Park is one of them. The nature value of Gombe was noticed in 1943 when it was designated as a game reserve. Gombe gained its popularity after the pioneering research activities of Dr Jane Goodall in 1960 which is believed to be the longest running study of primates in the world.
Conservation status was upgraded to that of a National Park in 1968 and opened for tourism in 1978 after chimpanzee habituated to human visitors. It is located 16 km north of Kigoma town on the shores of the world’s second deepest Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania with an area of 56 square kilometers.
Drive, schedule or charter a flight from Dar es salaam, Mwanza or Arusha or take a slow or fast train from Dar es salaam or ferry along the shore of Lake Tanganyika from Burundi or Zambia to Kigoma. To reach Gombe you must travel by boat from Kigoma. Depending on your budget, there’s an option of speed boat, which takes much less time- or passenger’s boat, which takes longer about 4 hrs.Boat ride is an amazing trip.
Gombe wilderness worth a year round visit; enabling you to cruise along part of the historical inquisitiveness way back in the 19th century when Livingstone and Stanley searched the source of River Nile. Rainy season is the best chimpanzee sporting while the green vegetation blooms providing an astonishing scenic view and waterfalls are at the best (November to Mid- May) while dry season provides a chance for best photo taking , short and long hike(May to October).
Gombe has abundant and diverse wildlife animals. Habitat preferences and seasonal food cycles determine in a general sense where a particular animal may be at a particular time (esp chimpanzee). Although Gombe chimpanzee are favorite among wildlife watchers that come to the Park, there are several notable animals.
Gombe is attractive to herpetologist and other scholars as it harbors provides dozen of reptilian and amphibian species, which some of them are endemic to the Park.
Besides the incredible wildlife experience you can head out to Kakombe trail and Mkenke valley and explore the gorgeous natural Kakombe and Mkenke waterfalls.
African great Lake, one of the attraction in Gombe National Park. This is the longest and deepest lake in Africa and the second deepest lake in the world.
Gombe is also a home to numerous birds. Over 200 birds species fly around, varying from the iconic fish eagle, three kinds of kingfishers and the bright Peters twinspots. Another remarkable character is the palm vulture, a near vegetarian common to Lake Tanganyika that prefers fruits over carcasses. They usually stay in their blotch of forest since food is abundant throughout the year and occasionally venture into open area.
Gombe National Park is a place to capture lots of memorable experiences, ranging from getting a view of the clear waters of Lake Tanganyika to exploring dense tropical rainforest. You can take a trails for deep forest hike with great chances of bird watching, butterfly gazing and sightseeing at Jane’s peak, mountain hiking to the waterfalls and large populations of the shy, social African great apes make Gombe National Park a popular destination for exciting moments of chimp trekking. Furthermore the Lake offers an expansive area for sport fishing, snorkeling, kayaking and swimming.
The chimpanzees trekking is the main activities at Gombe National Park. These remarkable mammals, habituated to human visitors, were made famous by the pioneering work of Jane Goodall, who in 1960 founded a research program that now stands as the longest running study of its kind in the world.
Tourists hire a tourist boat and just move about in the Lake Tanganyika to view its tourist attractions and leisure taking activities.A boat cruise is an amazing experience—you can choose a luxury boat or an ordinary speedboat, depending on your budget—for it allows you to feel Lake Tanganyika’s breeze while savoring a view of the Great Rift Valley escarpment.
There are magnificent views of the mountains of the rift escarpment falling westwards into the lake. The undulating terrain, valleys and the mosaic forest, woodland and grassland provide visitors with varied attractive landscape.
Kayaking is one of watersports activity conducted in Gombe National Park. A small narrow boat which is propelled by means of a double –bladed paddle. This activity is done when the lake weather is calm. Four hours of paddling out offer a great way to explore part of stunning Lake Tanganyika.
The highest point of the park ; Kungwe peak with an elevation of 2462m a.s.l provide visitors with a unique sense of physical challenge when climbing to the peak. It takes about 7–9 hours to and fro from the peak.
Mwamgongo Village is located adjacent to Gombe National Park. The village formed a women cultural group. Visitors are invited to experience authentic hospitality, learn about traditional dances and local art and craft.They produce pottery, fabrics, grass hats, mats and baskets using traditional techniques and local materials.
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