Gombe National park is the smallest national park in Tanzania, and is bordered by mountains and lake Tanganyika. Heavily covered in forest, it is best known for its chimpanzees communities. Apart from chimpanzees, other primates that can be found in Gombe include beachcomber olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, red colobus, blue monkeys, and vervet monkeys.

Size:

56 sq km Tanzanian's smallest national park.

Location:

Gombe is located 16 km north of Kigoma town, Western Tanzania on the shore of Lake Tanganyika.

Getting to:

By boat from Kigoma (1-3 hours). One can drive to Kigoma by rough dirt roads, take the train or fly from Dar, Arusha or Kilimanjaro

Best time to visit:

The chimps are easiest to found between February and June; better picture opportunities between July and December. November rains are common.

Why you should visit

As mentioned above, Gombe is known best for its chimpanzee communities made famous by Jane Goodall. Goodall's groundbreaking behavioral research program on monkeys at Gombe is the longest running study of its kind worldwide. Apart from primates, other animals frequently seen in the park include over 200 bird species, 11 species of snakes, hippopotami, leopards, and bush pigs.