Gombe Stream National Park
Hifadhi ya Taifa ya Gombe
Where Jane Goodall began studying chimpanzees in 1960. The smallest national park in Tanzania, it is where you can hike through forest to track wild chimpanzees.
Gombe Stream National Park lies on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, about 20 km north of Kigoma. It covers only about 35 square km, and its steep valleys are covered in forest. In 1960, Jane Goodall began her long-term study of wild chimpanzees here. She discovered that chimpanzees use tools, among other behaviors. The park has become the world’s longest-running field study of wild animals. With a guide, visitors hike to find habituated chimpanzee groups. Once you find them, you can observe for about an hour. You may also see red colobus monkeys, baboons, and blue monkeys. The park has the Kakombe Falls and a lakeside beach. It can only be reached by boat from Kigoma, about 1 hour by speedboat. Admission is about US$100 per day, plus a guide fee. Visitors must be at least 15 years old and free of cold symptoms. Keep at least 7 meters from the chimpanzees and wear a face mask.
Opening hours
Open year-round
Nearby sights
- Kibirizi Fishing Village
- MV Liemba
- Kigoma Railway Station
- Jakobsen's Beach
- Ujiji Old Town & Lakeshore
- Livingstone Memorial, Ujiji
- Mahale Mountains National Park