Gombe and Mahale NP

Gombe

Gombe, the smallest National Park in Tanzania, is a vestige of the fragile habitat of chimpanzees: a small strip of ancient forest, located in the mountains and interspersed with deep valleys clinging to the shores of Lake Tanganyika. Made famous by Dr.

Jane Goodall’s research, the great attraction is the chimpanzee population and there are other primates such as baboon, blue monkey, red-tailed monkeys and vervets.

Mahale

Mahale exceeds Gombe National Park in terms of size and beauty but access is even more difficult. Most visitors fly in by charter. Treks are escorted by armed Ranger who knows the habitat and behaviour of the chimpanzee families.

Our advice

How to get there: Kigoma by scheduled flight from Dar es Salaam or railway Dar es Salaam to Kigoma which can take 3 days! The best season: July to December. In the “Green Season,” chimpanzees are more difficult to find and observe

Among other points of interest, a side trip to Ujiji where the small memorial to mark the place where Stanley famously asked: "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?" can be found.