Gombe Stream National Park
Gombe Stream is the smallest national park in Tanzania, it was established in 1968 to protect the chimpanzees inhabiting it and became famous thanks to Jane Goodall.
It is a narrow strip of land along the shores of Lake Tanzania that rises to mountain folds and valleys, full of towering oil palms and tall native trees, with intertwining vines hanging down. There are no roads, no telephones and no electricity. This is a real jungle ruled by African animals – a real set of a film about Tarzan.
ANIMALS AND BIRDS
Chimpanzees are kings of the treetops, but the crown hides red colobus, blue and red-tailed monkeys, and anubis baboons. Many chimpanzees have been habituated to human presence as a result of research since the 1960s. The key approach in dealing with them is respect and understanding. On the shore of the lake, piebald wagtails and snipe rush into the splashing waves and emerge back, and butterflies gracefully fly up, form clouds like confetti. Palm vultures are planning over the shore of the lake. Young baboons play in the water, sometimes even diving into it, which is rarely seen anywhere else. In addition, elephants, buffaloes and leopards live in the park.
SEASONS
Dry season: May to October is best for forest walks, although light rains in October and November are also quite comfortable. The period from mid-December to February is dry and hot.
Rainy season: Long rains occur between March and May, when the forest is especially full of insects and becomes very slippery.
GOMBE STREAM FEATURES
- Close encounters with chimpanzees
- Hiking safaris in the real African jungle
- Lake Tanganyika – continental (closed) sea
DATA
Gombe is the smallest national park in Tanzania, which received its status in 1968.
It is located on the country’s western border with Zambia, which runs in the middle of Lake Tanganyika.
This is a malaria zone.
Lake Manyara National Park
This unusual park lies in the shadow of the East African Rift Valley, whose reddish-brown steep walls looming 600 meters high on the eastern horizon. Waterfalls top the cliffs, and hot springs gurgle on the surface to the south.
Most of the park is often in the haze created by the soda lake Manyara. The lake attracts a significant number of birds, and the surrounding landscapes have such a rich mosaic of different habitats that they are home to many animals.
The park can be reached by road through the village of Mto wa Mbu, an eclectic market town where several tribes have converged to form a linguistic mix unlike anywhere else in Africa.
ANIMALS AND BIRDS
Such a diverse environment attracts an equally large variety of animal species, including monkeys, antelopes, zebras, hippos and crocodiles, buffaloes, giraffes and a large concentration of elephants. The park is especially famous for its tree-climbing lions, which can be found sleeping from the heat of the day on a branch, instead of a shady place on the ground, as in most other cases.
Among the birds inhabiting the lake, eating fish, there are pelicans, storks, cormorants and Nile (Egyptian) geese. Flamingos paint the lake pink when they come here to feed on their migration. An unforgettable sight is the giant flocks of red-billed weavers, which gather in thousands and rush over the water like a giant swarm of insects.
SEASONS
Rainy season: short rains occur in November and December when it gets hot and humid, and long rains from March to June. Both of these periods are the best time for birdwatching, waterfall watching and canoeing.
Dry Season: It tends to be dry during the cooler months of July to October, which are best for safaris.
FEATURES OF LAKE MANYARA
- Diverse landscapes and animals
- Lions climbing trees
- abundance of elephants
- Lots of waterfowl
DATA
The park is located 125 km west of the city of Arusha, which is half an hour by flight or two hours by car.
It received national park status in 1960.
The park covers an area of 330 km², of which 230 km² is occupied by Lake Manyara.
This is a malaria zone.