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Gombe Stream National Park
Size
52 sq km (about 32 sq miles), Tanzania’s Smallest park
Location
16 km (about 10 miles) north of Kigoma on the shore of Lake
Tanganyika in Western Tanzania.
To Do
Chimpanzee trekking; hiking, swimming/snorkelling; visit the site of
Henry Stanley’s famous “ Dr Livingstone I presume" at Ujiji near
Kigoma and watch the renowned dhow Builders
Best Time
The chimps don’t roam as far in the wet (February-June, November-
mid December)> so may be easier to find; better picture
opportunities in the dry (July – October and late December).
Gombe, the smallest of Tanzania’s National parks, is a fragile
remnant of chimpanzee habitat, a thin strip of ancient forest set in
mountains cut with steep valleys clinging to the shores of Lake
Tanganyika. The chimps sip the streams tumbling into the lake while,
at night; the lanterns of hundreds of small wooden boats light the
horizon like a sprawling city. You can meters of the world’s most
famous chimpanzee community, made famous by the pioneering British
researcher, Jane good all, whose years of constant observation since
1960 have made this the longest study of its kind.
Gombe is a place personality. Chimpanzee are as individually unique
as humans and no scientific expertise is required to distinguish the
different characters in this cast – their repertoire of pans, hoots,
grunts and screams defining the celebrities, the powerbrokers, the
supporting roles. Perhaps you will see a flicker of understanding
when you look into chimps eyes, assessing you in return. Sharing
more than 95% of our genes, it’s a look of recognition from our
closest animal relative. The majority of the parks mammals are
primates – most of them forest species. Likely to be seen, in
addition to the famous chimpanzees, are the colourful red-tail and
blue monkeys. Carnivores are a rarity in the forests, making Gombe a
haven for walking safaris.
NOTE: Strict rules are in place to safeguard you and Chimps. Allow
at least 2 days to see them – This is not a zoo so there are no
guarantees where, and when they’ll be each day. ::
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Katavi National Park
Size
4471 sq km (about 2780 sq miles)
Location
South-western Tanzania, east of Lake Tanganyika
To Do
Walking, driving and camping safaris
Best Time
Dry season: May – October and mid–December to February.
Accommodations are one seasonal luxury tented camp, a rest house
and campsites inside the park, as well as hotel and lodge
accommodation at Mpanda 40 km (About 25 miles) away. Katavi
National Park is remote, hard and wild. It sits on a high, wide
flood plain in south-western Tanzania. This is a true African
safari, just you and the wilderness- an untouched landscape.
There’s little chance you’ll have to share Tanzania’s third
biggest park with anyone else, except an abundance of wildlife.
The park main features are the watery grassy plains t the north,
palm-fringed lake chalet in the southeast, and the Katuma River.
Katavi boasts Tanzania’s greatest concentration of both
crocodile and hippopotamus. The hippo is the world’s third
largest land animal, spending its nights devouring up to 60 kg
of fodder before returning to its aquatic home.
Katavi immortalises legendary hunter, Katavi, whose spirit is
believed to possess a tamarind tree ringed with offerings form
locals begging his blessing. Katavi lion and leopard have no
shortage of prey: delicately bounding impala, beefy eland, lack
legged topic, zebra and herds of up to 1,600 buffalo wandering
the short grass plains. A kaleidoscope of more than 400 bird
species flits across the acacia, the riverbanks the swamps and
palm groves while flotillas of pelican cruise the lakes.
Elephants graze in the marshlands, up to their sizeable waists
in reeds.
If travelling by road, allow plenty of time to get there and
back. The park maintains an airstrip for charter planes. ::
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Mahale Mountains National
Park
Size
1,613 sq km (about 1000 sq miles).
Location
Western Tanzania, bordering Lake Tanganyika.
To Do
Chimp tracking (allow 2 days); hiking, camping safaris, snorkelling;
fish for your dinner.
Best Time
Dry season (May – October) best for forest walks although there is
no problem in the light rains of October/November. A chain of
dramatic peaks draped in lush forest commands the lake far below,
thin curls of white sand lacing crescent azure coves like flashes of
silk. Like its northerly neighbour, Gombe, the Mahale Mountains are
home to some of the last remaining wild chimpanzees in Africa.
There, in isolated rainforest, around 1,000 of these fascinating
animals roam the valleys and hills.
A trip to see the chimpanzees is a magical experience. Your guide’s
experienced eyes distinguish last night’s nests – shadowy clumps
high in a gallery of trees crowding the sky. Scraps of half eaten
fruit and fresh dung become valuable clues, leading you deeper into
the forest. Butterflies flirt in the dapples sunlight. Suddenly you
are in the middle of a chimpanzee day. They preen each other’s
glossy coats in concentrated huddles, squabble noisily or bound
effortlessly into the trees, whinging nonchalantly through the
vines. The area is also known as Nkungwe – named after the park’s
massive mountain. At 2,460 metres (8,069 ft) it is the highest of
the six prominent points that make up the mounting range which runs
down the Mahale promontory, alongside Lake Tanganyika. You can also
trace the Tongwe people ancient pilgrimage to the mountain spirits,
hiking through enclaves of rainforest to grassy ridges chequered
with alpine bamboo. Then return to the lake to plunge into the clear
water home to 250 unique species of fish, before returning as you
came by boat.
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Rubondo Island National
Park
Size
240 sq kms (about 150 sq miles).
Location
Northwest Tanzania, 150 km (about 95 miles) west of Mwanza.
To Do
Walking safaris, boat excursions, sport fishing, chimpanzee
treks, canoeing trips.
Best Time
For butterflies, the wet season November – March. December –
February is best for migratory birds.
A fish eagle guarding the gentle bay shrieks an alarm, head
tossed back. A well-fed monster of a crocodile snaps to life,
startled from it is nap in the morning sun. It stampedes through
the crunchy undergrowth, crashing into the water in front of our
boat, leaving only sentry post eyes sceptically monitoring our
movements.
Our game viewing starts the moment we touch down. A pair of
giraffe race beside the airstrip, all legs and neck yet elegant
in their awkwardness. A line of zebra parades across the runway
in their wake while protective elephants guard their young under
the shade of a fat baobab tree.
Rubondo Island is tucked in a corner of Lake Victoria, the
world’s second largest lake, an inland sea sprawling between
three countries. With 9 smaller islands under her wing, Rubondo
protects precious fish breeding grounds. Tasty tilapia and the
rapacious Nile perch, some weighing more than 100kgs, temp
recreational fishers with challenging sport fishing and world
record catches.
But Rubondo is more than a water wonderland. Deserted sandy
beaches nestle against a clack of virgin forest. Papyrus swamps
host the secretive sitatunga, a shaggy aquatic antelope and the
dapples bushbuck, darting fleet footed through the maze of
tamarind, wild palm and sycamore fig, strung with a cage of
trailing taproots. The malachite kingfisher’s azure brilliance
competes with the paradise flycatcher’s glamorous, flowing tail.
Rubondo is home to fish eagles and global stopover for hundreds
of migratory birds. Wild jasmine, 40 different orchids and a
smorgasbord of sweet indefinable smells from the forest greet
you.
Ninety percent of the park is humid forest; the remainder ranges
from coastal grassland to lakeside papyrus beds. A number of
indigenous mammal species – hippo bushbuck, monkey, genet and
mongoose share their protected habitat with introduced species,
such as chimpanzee, elephant and giraffe, the benefit fro
Rubondo’s inaccessibility. ::
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