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Write a User ReviewJane Goodall’s Chimpanzees
If you’re reading this then you’re probably trying to decide which of Tanzania’s two ‘chimpanzee parks’ (the other being Mahale Mountains) to visit. The answer probably comes down to simply how much time you have available and, perhaps more importantly, how much money you have at your disposal. The chimps here, which were originally studied by famous primatologist Jane Goodall, are amazingly well habituated and hardly bat an eyelid at human presence. There’s a good chance they’ll walk right past you, maybe even brushing against you as they go. So in that sense there’s little to choose between here and Mahale. However, without doubt, Mahale is scenically more impressive and has better accommodation. But, for budget travelers in particular, Gombe is easier and cheaper to get to and has cheaper accommodation. You can take a local boat, known as a lake taxi, straight to the park for a few dollars from nearby Kigoma town. However, for me if time (or money) were no object then
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I would probably choose Mahale over Gombe simply because of its scenic beauty and sense of isolation. But really there’s not a lot to choose between the two.
Jane Goodall’s Chimp Reserve
Tanzania’s smallest national park, set on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, is most famous for the pioneering chimpanzee research project that was initiated there by Jane Goodall in 1960, and now stands as the world’s longest-running study of an individual wild animal population. The main reason you’d visit is to track chimps, which is an utterly marvellous experience, even if most of the celebrity chimps featured in Goodall’s books and films are now long dead. In my experience, very few places anywhere in Africa offer comparably good chimp tracking, and while Mahale Mountains National Park, further south on Lake Tanganyika, has more of a wilderness atmosphere and more varied wildlife, Gombe has the advantage of greater accessibility on a budget (you can actually get there using daily passenger boats from nearby Kigoma, the main port and transport hub in this part of Tanzania). Other wildlife includes a beachcomber baboon troop that has also been studied for decades, three species
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of monkey – red-tailed, blue and red colobus, the latter frequently hunted by chimps – and a checklist of 287 bird species including fish eagle, palm-nut vulture and Peter’s twinspot, all of which frequent the camp.Jane Goodall’s Land of Primates
Our most recent visit was in June, when chimpanzees often climb high onto the forested slopes rising above Lake Tanganyika. Sightings are less predictable at this time of year, so we were delighted to find a group of eight chimpanzees after less than an hour's hike. Reaching them involved forcing our rather awkward bodies through dense undergrowth in search of clear viewing angles, but the effort was well rewarded. The group consisted mainly of females with young babies. These are often the individuals that remain closer to the lakeshore while much of the core community moves higher into the forest at this time of year.
As always, we were allowed to spend an hour with the chimpanzees. Our guides were generous with the timing, only starting the clock once we had unobstructed views after relocating the animals. The females spent their time grooming one another while the youngsters tumbled, climbed and played nearby.
Their grooming behaviour is a fascinating
There are no roads in Gombe and access is exclusively by boat. The journey from Kigoma takes about 1½ hours. During our two-night stay we tracked chimpanzees on the afternoon of our arrival and again the following morning. We could have trekked again before returning to Kigoma on our final day, but chose to head off straight after breakfast due to time constraints.
Other worthwhile activities include a short hike to a picturesque waterfall and a visit to Jane Goodall's former research station.
Beyond the chimpanzees, we saw plenty of red colobus monkeys and olive baboons. The baboons have also been the subject of long-term research and are exceptionally habituated, making them endlessly entertaining to watch while relaxing around camp.
Afternoons were spent swimming in the crystal-clear waters of Lake Tanganyika, with jungle-clad mountains rising steeply behind the white-sand beach—a wonderfully relaxing way to end each day after time spent in the forest.
As always, we were allowed to spend an hour with the chimpanzees. Our guides were generous with the timing, only starting the clock once we had unobstructed views after relocating the animals. The females spent their time grooming one another while the youngsters tumbled, climbed and played nearby.
Their grooming behaviour is a fascinating
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example of animal culture. In Mahale Mountains National Park, the other major chimpanzee-tracking destination on Lake Tanganyika, chimpanzees commonly perform the Grooming Handclasp, in which grooming partners clasp each other's hands overhead. In Gombe, however, grooming partners typically hold onto nearby branches instead, illustrating how neighbouring chimpanzee communities can develop distinct cultural traditions.There are no roads in Gombe and access is exclusively by boat. The journey from Kigoma takes about 1½ hours. During our two-night stay we tracked chimpanzees on the afternoon of our arrival and again the following morning. We could have trekked again before returning to Kigoma on our final day, but chose to head off straight after breakfast due to time constraints.
Other worthwhile activities include a short hike to a picturesque waterfall and a visit to Jane Goodall's former research station.
Beyond the chimpanzees, we saw plenty of red colobus monkeys and olive baboons. The baboons have also been the subject of long-term research and are exceptionally habituated, making them endlessly entertaining to watch while relaxing around camp.
Afternoons were spent swimming in the crystal-clear waters of Lake Tanganyika, with jungle-clad mountains rising steeply behind the white-sand beach—a wonderfully relaxing way to end each day after time spent in the forest.
A unique park to see the chimpanzees made famous by primatologist Jane Goodall
Gombe is a fragile strip of chimpanzee habitat straddling the steep river valleys and tropical rainforest on Lake Tanganyika. Trekking to see chimpanzees here is a remarkable experience; although sightings are not guaranteed, they are habituated to humans, the guides usually know where to find them, and no scientific expertise is needed to recognise their distinctive pants, hoots and screams. Besides chimpanzees, other primates include a troop of ‘beach-combing’ olive baboons, and red-tailed and vervet monkeys. I found the lake itself enchanting – we sat on the beach at sunset and watched the lanterns of hundreds of small wooden boats bobbing on the lake like a sprawling city. Gombe is not easy to get to – it’s a bumpy and arduous boat ride from Kigoma – and only appeals to those with a keen interest in primates, but is one of the few places in the world to see chimps in the wild.
Meet the chimpanzees in Jane Goodall’s old stomping ground.
Gombe is synonymous with Jane Goodall, who did her pioneering chimpanzee research here – research that continues today. The 100 or so chimps that live in the park are fully habituated and pay visitors nearly no mind during the hour you are allowed to spend with them. The juveniles in the group that I encountered spent most of the time wrestling each other while their mothers sat back and watched them the same as we did. Because of the steep hills and narrow trails, tracking gets tiring and during the rains it can be quite difficult. Gombe is far too small (52 sq km – the smallest national park in Tanzania) to host other wildlife of serious interest, though, there are a few monkeys, baboons and small antelope. Some people spend the afternoon after tracking back in the forest, but I opted to just take it easy strolling the beach rather than following the guide back up the mountains to a viewpoint and waterfall.
Gombe sits on Lake Tanganyika and the only way to reach it is
Gombe sits on Lake Tanganyika and the only way to reach it is