Gombe Stream is the strip of forested hills on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika where Jane Goodall began her study of wild chimpanzees in July 1960, at the age of 26. Her observations of tool use among the Kasekela community changed the scientific understanding of primate behaviour, and the Gombe Stream Research Centre, founded in 1967, is now the longest-running field study of any wild animal, at more than sixty years. At only 35 km² it is Tanzania's smallest national park, reached by boat from Kigoma, about 20 km to the south; there is no road access. Visits centre on guided treks to find the habituated chimpanzee families, which move between the valley streams and the ridge tops. Olive baboons frequent the lakeshore, and red colobus, red-tailed and blue monkeys share the forest canopy. Around 200 bird species have been recorded, and the clear lake water in front of the camp is suitable for swimming and snorkelling.
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