Gombe Stream National Park, tucked along the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania, is one of East Africa Sauvage’s most rewarding off-the-beaten-path destinations. Covering just 35 square kilometers, it’s one of Tanzania’s smallest national parks — yet it’s globally renowned as the birthplace of Dr. Jane Goodall’s pioneering chimpanzee research, and it’s reachable only by boat.

Jane Goodall arrived at Gombe in 1960 and, within months, observed chimpanzees stripping leaves from twigs to fish for termites — the first recorded instance of tool use by a non-human animal, a discovery that reshaped science’s understanding of our closest living relatives. The Gombe Stream Research Center, established in 1967, continues that work today as the longest-running field study of a wild animal population anywhere in the world, still following descendants of the original Kasakela chimpanzee community.

Guided chimpanzee treks lead visitors on foot through steep valleys and tropical forest, typically two to five hours to locate a group, followed by up to an hour observing them feed, groom, and interact. Beyond chimpanzees, the park shelters olive baboons, red colobus, blue and vervet monkeys, leopards, hippos along the lakeshore, and around 200 recorded bird species. A hike to Jane’s Peak, where Goodall once tracked chimpanzee movements through binoculars, rewards visitors with sweeping views over the forest canopy and Lake Tanganyika.

Remote, boat-accessible, and refreshingly free of vehicle traffic, Gombe offers an intimate, on-foot alternative to the classic safari experience — a journey East Africa Sauvage is proud to guide you through.