Chimpanzee Trekking in Tanzania

Tanzania is popular for its incredible wildlife, especially the African Big Five Animals and the Great Wildebeest Migration however, it is also home to a healthy population of Chimpanzees. Although Tanzania is not a popular primate tracking destination (Chimpanzee trekking destination) like Uganda and Rwanda, it is home to two National Parks that protect a healthy population of chimpanzees. Unlike the savanna wildlife species that can be seen in popular safari parks like Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Crater, Chimpanzee Trekking in Tanzania takes place in some of the country’s most unique locations. Chimpanzee Tracking in Tanzania happens in Gombe Stream National Park and Mahale Mountains National Park.

While on a Tanzania safari holiday, there is also an opportunity to witness chimpanzees on your visit. You can customize your package to allow you visit Mahale Mountains National Park or Gombe stream National Park for an opportunity to embark on a Chimpanzee Tracking Experience in Tanzania. For travelers who wish to witness beyond the African Big Five (lion, leopard, rhino, buffalo, and elephant) and Wildebeest Migration, Chimpanzee Trekking in Tanzania guarantees a remarkable experience. Let us help you craft a journey that takes you beyond the popular wildlife viewing destinations like Serengeti National Park and Ngorongoro Carter, embark on our Tanzania Chimpanzee trekking tours/Chimpanzee Trekking in Tanzania.

 

Where to go for Chimpanzee Trekking in Tanzania – Best places to go for chimpanzee tracking in Tanzania

Gombe Stream National Park  

Nestled near the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Gombe National Park is one of Tanzania’s smallest parks covering a total land area of about 52 sq. km. This National Park is located 16 km north of Kigoma on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in the western part of Tanzania. Gombe National Park is famous for the ground-breaking research by Jane Goodall who studied chimpanzees here in the 1960s. Gombe is a great Chimpanzee Trekking destination in Tanzania with a number of habituated chimpanzee troops. Although generally, Gombe stream isn’t a popular chimpanzee trekking destination in Africa, like Kibale in Uganda and Nyugwe in Rwanda, trekking chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park guarantees a rare opportunity to encounter these primates in their natural habitat. For travelers who wish to experience Chimpanzee trekking in Tanzania, Gombe Stream National Park is an excellent option.

Besides chimpanzees, Gombe National Park is also rich in other biodiversity (wildlife, birdlife, and Flora) and history. In the 1960s, Goodall carried out major research conclusively on the unique relationship between man and chimpanzee, as we share 95% of our genes with them and they have similar hearing, smell, and other senses to humans. While tracking chimpanzees in Gombe, you will have an opportunity to appreciate her remarkable contribution to conservation and studies on chimpanzees.

If you wish to explore this adventure during your Tanzania Safari holiday, it is important to know that you will need to purchase a chimpanzee trekking permit. The Chimpanzee tracking permit for Tanzania’s Gombe National Park is a legal document that grants you access to the chimpanzee trekking premises. This permit costs around USD 100 per a person per a trek. While adventuring Gombe stream National Park, you will also encounter various other primates species including; olive baboons, colobus monkeys, and red tailed monkeys among others.

Getting to Gombe Stream National Park – Chimpanzee Trekking in Tanzania

Fly into Tanzania through any of its international Airports including Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam and Kilimanjaro National Park. If you are visiting Gombe stream National Park, flying into the country through Kilimanjaro International Airport is the best option.

After arriving in Tanzania, you can connect to Gombe Stream National Park by both air and road. From Arusha, take a flight to Kigoma Airport. There are different local airlines like Precision Air and Air Tanzania that offer flight to Kigoma.

From Kigoma, you will boat a boat to reach Gombe Stream National Park. The boat ride to the park usually takes about 1 to 2 hours.

Mahale Mountains National Park

A place where the lush, remote forests of Tanzania offer a rare and intimate encounter with one of our closest wild relatives, Chimpanzees, Mahale Mountains National Park is a superb destination for primate adventures in Tanzania. Mahale Mountains National Park is located in on the western shores of Lake Tanganyika, covering a total land area of about 1,613 square kilometers. Mahale Mountains National Park is popular for its excellent Chimpanzee Trekking in Tanzania. This National Park is home to Chimpanzee communities that are accustomed to human presences and can easily be trekked during a safari holiday to Tanzania. Besides the chimpanzees, Mahale Mountains is also home to different primates species including red colobus and vervet monkeys. The National Park also boasts a variety of bird species including the colorful African fish eagle among others.

Adventures to Mahale Mountains are however popular for Chimpanzee Trekking in Tanzania. Many travelers who wish to track chimpanzees in Tanzania visit this National Park.

Chimpanzee Trekking in Mahale Mountains National Park

Chimpanzee trekking in Mahale Mountains National Park is an eciting adventure experience that indulges you in a scenic environment to look for endangered chimpanzees. Just like in most chimpanzee trekking destinations, you need a chimpanzee trekking permit to trek chimpanzees at Mahale Mountains National Park. The chimpanzee permit in Mahale Mountains National Park costs about USD 150 per person per a trek. After arriving in Tanzania, you can either fly to Mahale or travel by road.

Once in the National Park, you will be escorted by local experienced guides and trackers into the forests to search for chimpanzees. There are high chances of witnessing chimpanzees during your tour in Mahale Mountains. After some time of trekking, you will finally located the chimpanzee in the wild. Enjoy viewing them as they go by their day. You will feel the sense of familiarity being our close relatives, you will witness them mimic human behaviors. After the trek, you will the return to the starting point.