Gombe Stream National Park

Gombe Stream National Park is one of Tanzania’s most unique and intimate wildlife destinations. Located on the western border of Tanzania along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, near the border with the Democratic Republic of Congo, this small but remarkable park covers only 35 square kilometers.

Despite its size, Gombe is internationally famous for its chimpanzee populations and for the groundbreaking research conducted here. The park’s landscapes are dramatic, with steep valleys, forested hills, and lush vegetation ranging from grassland to tropical rainforest.

Visitors exploring Gombe can follow guided forest trails in search of wild chimpanzees, making it one of the best places in Africa for close encounters with these fascinating primates.

Jane Goodall’s Research in Gombe

Gombe Stream National Park is closely connected to the pioneering work of Dr. Jane Goodall, whose research here transformed the world’s understanding of chimpanzees.

Jane Goodall arrived in Tanzania in 1960 at the age of 26 and began observing chimpanzee behavior in the forests of Gombe. With patience and dedication, she spent months tracking different chimpanzee groups, especially the Kasekela community, gradually gaining their trust.

Her observations revealed that chimpanzees possess complex social structures, emotional intelligence, and even the ability to use tools, discoveries that reshaped how scientists understand primates and their relationship to humans.

In 1967, the Gombe Stream Research Center (GSRC) was established to continue studying chimpanzee populations in the park. Today, it remains the longest-running field study of wild chimpanzees in the world, with much of the research conducted by trained Tanzanian scientists