Gombe Stream National Park is a national park in the Kigoma District of the Kigoma Region in Tanzania, 16 km north of Kigoma, the capital of the Kigoma Region. Established in 1968, it is one of the smallest national parks in Tanzania, with only 35 km2 of protected land along the hills of the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. The terrain is distinguished by steep valleys, and the vegetation ranges from grassland to woodland to tropical rainforest. Accessible only by boat, the park is most famous as the location where Jane Goodall pioneered her behavioral research on the common chimpanzee populations. The Kasakela chimpanzee community, featured in several books and documentaries, lives in Gombe National Park.

Trekking chimpanzees in Gombe National Park can be done throughout the year, but the odds of finding them quickly are better towards the end of the Dry season, from July to October. This is when the chimps tend to stick to the lower slopes. In the Wet season, it might take three to four hours to locate the chimps. The only private lodge in the park is closed from March-April.

• Best Time

July to October

• High Season

July to October (Gombe doesn't get crowded any time of the year)

• Low Season

April and May (The only lodge is closed)

• Best Weather

June to October (Little to no rainfall)

• Worst Weather

November to April (Wet season)

The only way to get to Gombe is by boat from Kigoma town. Depending on your itinerary, you might book your international flight to Kilimanjaro International Airport (JRO) in Arusha town or Julius Nyerere International Airport (DAR) in Dar es Salaam.

In most cases, your tour operator will pick you up from the airport or, if not, you can take a taxi. Your tour operator will also book your ongoing domestic flight to Kigoma Airport (TKQ) and will charter a private motorboat to Gombe. The boat trip takes less than an hour.

It is also possible to take a public motor boat or 'lake taxi' from Kigoma to the park. This trip takes about four hours.

• Swimming and Snorkeling in Lake Tanganyika is the longest and deepest lake in Africa.
• Hiking.
• Visit Mwamgongo Village.
• Birds Watching.
• Chimpanzee trekking.

• Kigoma Hilltop Hotel,
• Mbali Mbali Lodges and Camps·
• Mahale Classic Lodge·
• Sunset Vista Hotel·
• Triple J Resort.