An
excited
whoop
erupts
from
deep
in
the
forest,
boosted
immediately
by a
dozen
other
voices,
rising
in
volume
and
tempo
and
pitch
to a
frenzied
shrieking
crescendo.
It
is
the
famous
‘pant-hoot’
call:
a
bonding
ritual
that
allows
the
participants
to
identify
each
other
through
their
individual
vocal
stylisations.
To
the
human
listener,
walking
through
the
ancient
forests
of
Gombe
Stream,
this
spine-chilling
outburst
is
also
an
indicator
of
imminent
visual
contact
with
man’s
closest
genetic
relative:
the
chimpanzee.
Gombe
is
the
smallest
of
Tanzania's
national
parks:
a
fragile
strip
of
chimpanzee
habitat
straddling
the
steep
slopes
and
river
valleys
that
hem
in
the
sandy
northern
shore
of
Lake
Tanganyika.
Its
chimpanzees
–
habituated
to
human
visitors
–
were
made
famous
by
the
pioneering
work
of
Jane
Goodall,
who
in
1960
founded
a
behavioural
research
program
that
now
stands
as
the
longest-running
study
of
its
kind
in
the
world.
The
matriarch
Fifi,
the
last
surviving
member
of
the
original
community,
only
three-years
old
when
Goodall
first
set
foot
in
Gombe,
is
still
regularly
seen
by
visitors.
Chimpanzees
share
about
98%
of
their
genes
with
humans,
and
no
scientific
expertise
is
required
to
distinguish
between
the
individual
repertoires
of
pants,
hoots
and
screams
that
define
the
celebrities,
the
powerbrokers,
and
the
supporting
characters.
Perhaps
you
will
see
a
flicker
of
understanding
when
you
look
into
a
chimp's
eyes,
assessing
you
in
return
- a
look
of
apparent
recognition
across
the
narrowest
of
species
barriers.
The
most
visible
of
Gombe’s
other
mammals
are
also
primates.
A
troop
of
beachcomber
olive
baboons,
under
study
since
the
1960s,
is
exceptionally
habituated,
while
red-tailed
and
red
colobus
monkeys
-
the
latter
regularly
hunted
by
chimps
–
stick
to
the
forest
canopy.
The
park’s
200-odd
bird
species
range
from
the
iconic
fish
eagle
to
the
jewel-like
Peter’s
twinspots
that
hop
tamely
around
the
visitors’
centre.
After
dusk,
a
dazzling
night
sky
is
complemented
by
the
lanterns
of
hundreds
of
small
wooden
boats,
bobbing
on
the
lake
like
a
sprawling
city.
About
Gombe
Stream
National
Park
Size:
52
sq
km
(20
sq
miles),
Tanzania's
smallest
park.
Location:
16
km
(10
miles)
north
of
Kigoma
on
the
shore
of
Lake
Tanganyika
in
western
Tanzania.
Getting
there
Kigoma
is
connected
to
Dar
and
Arusha
by
scheduled
flights,
to
Dar
and
Mwanza
by a
slow
rail
service,
to
Mwanza,
Dar
and
Mbeya
by
rough
dirt
roads,
and
to
Mpulungu
in
Zambia
by a
weekly
ferry.
From
Kigoma,
local
lake-taxis
take
up
to
three
hours
to
reach
Gombe,
or
motorboats
can
be
chartered,
taking
less
than
one
hour.
What
to
do
Chimpanzee
trekking;
hiking,
swimming
and
snorkelling;
visit
the
site
of
Henry
Stanley's
famous
“Dr
Livingstone
I
presume”
at
Ujiji
near
Kigoma,
and
watch
the
renowned
dhow
builders
at
work.
.
When
to
go
The
chimps
don't
roam
as
far
in
the
wet
season
(February-June,
November-mid
December)
so
may
be
easier
to
find;
better
picture
opportunities
in
the
dry
(July-October
and
late
December).
Accommodation
More info on
accommodation
