Gombe National Park

I visited Gombe NP sometimes in August 2024. It was my 1st time seeing chimps, I was very excited. Took me 1Hrs + in the water from the dock, my driver Ramadhani was very careful the entire trip, he tried to skip the waves as much as he did. The views at the water fall are worth the entire trip. If you have a strong hydrophobic atmosphere please do not visit this place. The Jane Goodall community is very awesome, they give interesting facts about the chimps family. The restaurant was awesome just a-bit pricey (understandable). Overall it’s a nice place to visit.

An amazing experience with chimpanzees and baboons, a great trekk in the middle of the jungle and a beautiful snorkelling with thousands of fishes. After two days in Gombe it took a while to go back to human civilization.

Gombe Stream National Park isn’t just a destination; it’s a pilgrimage for anyone passionate about wildlife and conservation. Whether you’re trekking through emerald forests, listening to chimps communicate, or reflecting by the lakeshore, Gombe reminds us of our connection to the natural world—and why we must fight to preserve it.

Expansive, but worth, a day is enough to see the chimpas, i meet two girls who told me that the second day the trecking was not available cause they saw the chimpanzees the 1st day.

There are substantial problems at the park: the fees are very high – which, in principle, would be a good thing if the money actually went back to the park. Unfortunately, from what we could see, this is not the case. The infrastructure is in very poor condition, and although the employees claim they are in "maintenance," they very obviously are not, and it's long overdue (like maybe 4-5 years!). No hot water, mouldy smells, worn-out mattresses, infoboards are not even hanging, missing toilet seats... It really leaves you wondering what the government is doing with that money and why they can't provide sufficient leadership. Also, right next to the park, there are new buildings from the Jane Goodall Research foundations, proving that it is possible to maintain and build despite Gombe being remote.

It's a paradise, for those willing to pay the price. This place is famous thanks to Jane Goodall who still comes every year and continues her research on chimpanzees that she habituated to humans. The best time to come is November/ December when you can see chimps in groups, other times it's harder to track them, IT'S NOT GUARANTEED TO SEE ANY, and if you lucky you spot 2 or three. Logistics : we didn't find much info apart from private boat for around 150$ However there are 2 other options to get there we tried both of them. We took public boat that leaves everyday except Sunday from port at 12h30. Cost was around 1$. Boat is shaded, life jackets were provided, time to Gombe was about 3h. It was ok, because there were good conditions, no waves. Entrance to the park 100$ without VAT! Tracking fee per group 20$ Accomodation 21$ (cheapest option, even if you have your own tent the price is the same) room is average, water pressure terrible Meals 5$ The best thing about this place is that there was noone just baboons and it has a great access to the beach with crystal clear water. Next day after the track we took public boat again leaving around 3pm to Mwagongo (30 min ride for about 0,25$) this time it was a bumpy ride, hard to board the boat, got completely wet :D We camped in the village ( the leaders of the village ended up persuading us to camp inside the village hall cause they were worried about our safety- apparently noone ever camped there before) it was completely free of charge, in the village we bought food ( rive beans chapati ) and water . Next day we hiked for 4h+ (uphill) to Kwa Bibi area from there we took a boda to a nearest road and from there public mini bus back to Kigoma, which was even cheaper than taking the boat again back to Kigoma ( the boat leaves at 7am) THIS IS PROBABLY THE CHEAPEST WAY TO VISIT GOMBE :)

Yes, it's expensive to visit and awkward to get to, but this results in fewer visitors and makes Gombe Stream a peaceful and uncrowded place and hopefully will help protect and preserve these magnificent primates. I chose to stay 1 night at one of the four or so lakeside tents ($59 pp) but cheaper rest house accommodation was also available. The tent was great, with a comfortable bed, white bedlinen, hot shower, toilet, deck with chairs, power outlet (no power cuts during my stay). There were no bugs and I didn't drop down the anti-mozzie net. I did one long trek in the morning with Ahadi who was a fantastic guide. We saw two families, followed them first on a path, then through the bush and were able to stay with and observe them for quite a long time (until they decided to take off) on a few occasions. It was pure joy watching the chimps, especially the youngsters and babies! They are so fascinating! The trek was everything I hoped to get from this trip. Very lucky with the weather - sunny and dry - even though it rains now almost every day. The trails were not really muddy (it rained the day before) or too slippery. The scenery was fantastic. I organised the trip on my own: booked return Dar to Kigoma flights with Air Tansania, hotel in Kigoma for one night and researched the park fees in advance (these I believe are available on the TANAPA website, also blogs and forums. They haven't changed in a while.) What was not clear was how to arrange a boat transfer from Kigoma and its price with prices mentioned on the internet to be anywhere from $150 to $300 for the return journey. In the end, I managed to contact the Gombe visitor center in Kigoma and the super helpful Iddi aranged a TANAPA boat and a transfer from the airport to the TANAPA boat dock via WhatsApp. The costs are as follows: approx. $90 cash for the fuel (I paid TZS) payable to the boat captain, and $23.6 per boat + $23.6 per night waiting time to the park by card when you arrive in the park. The boat was very nice and the ride to the park very scenic and took approx. 1 hour 15 minutes one way. Tipping (park guide, chimp finder / checker, boat captain) is expected, appreciated and well-deserved - all the park staff were great and a pleasure to deal with. Even though Air Tanzania cancelled one of my flights and messed my park visit plans, it all worked very well for me in the end, and I had a superb experience in the park.

Gombe National Park was an incredible experience. We stayed for two days and one night there. The park ranger Mr. Saanane was very cordial and got our entry permits sorted quickly. We had a guide assigned who took us around on both days. We were lucky to have sighted chimpanzees within 15 minutes of arriving in the park. On the second morning, we hiked across the island to see several breathtaking views (Jane's Peak) and refreshed ourselves at a waterfall, besides sighting more chimps (this time they weren't closeby and were on the trees). We stayed in a luxury tent which was on the lakeside and had great amenities (there are cheaper options such as guesthouse rooms also available). Our trip was arranged by Roaring Tours and Safaris, who were very good and affordable overall. Amos, our chef who accompanied us, was a creative genius with his culinary skills!