Travel to Gombe, Tanzania with Bob & Wilma

Gombe is a small park, in fact the smallest national park in Tanzania. It is famous as the research center for our closest primate cousins, the chimpanzees. The young British researcher, Jane Goodall, began this research in 1960 and it has continued ever since.

There are only about 150 chimps left in Gombe, probably all descendants of the original chimp population studied by Jane. We were fortunate to see a family of four whose mother was named Nuru. Their troop numbered about 50.

 

Unlike the chimps that Jane Goodall studied, smooth skinned, hairless primates are familiar to them so we were able to get within 30 feet or so of them though we were required to wear face masks for both their protection and our own.

There are other primates in the Gombe, which we saw, and some like the baboons were frightening and a nuisance.

The Gombe is not easy to get to. It is in an isolated area of Tanzania on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest lake in the world.

We had to fly into Kigoma then it was a two hour boat ride out to the park which required a private boat and boatman.

The facilities for guests in the park were really quite nice though there was no restaurant so we had to bring our own cook, food and equipment.

Without a doubt, this was a very worth while and fun experience. One of the best adventures we have ever had though a bit on the pricy side.

Photos and story courtesy of Bob & Wilma.

Learn more about Bob & Wilma... Click Here