Home » Tanzania » Day 10. Mon 30th September Gombe Streams NP

Today we visit the Gombe Streams National Park, the longest running primate research project in the world, started by Jane Goodall in 1960 and now taken over by Charlotte Uhlenbroek. The park can only be accessed from the lake - to keep out poachers and other undesirables there is no access from the land - and a boat has been booked to pick us up at 06:00 an take us down the lake to the park. This will be one of the highlights of the trip, and we are up at 05:00 to grab a quick breakfast before the boat arrives. Unfortunately the hotel staff conform to typical African standards of time keeping, and at 5:45 no breakfast is yet in evidence. Finally a pot of tea and some bread and jam appear, and we quickly slap some sandwiches together, grab the box of cold drinks prepared by Ken and, with the German guy in tow, head down to the shore and pile into the boat that has, to our relief, arrived in good time. It is a two hour trip to Gombe Stream, and an early arrival is recommended, as the chimps visit feeding stations around dawn and it is a good opportunity to find them.
Ken is obviously very disappointed not be able to come with us as planned. He waves us off and, as we chug away, we are unaware of Mama Kassim, the plump hotel proprietrix, running down the beach with our packed lunch, which was completed just a little later than breakfast.

Day 10. Mon 30th September Gombe Streams NP

DaveMidgley
2005-10-22 12:22:48

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Nevertheless, mindful that there may also be larger creatures than water snails, we resist the temptation, all except Herman The German (as he is now known - apparently he has not endeared himself to his half of the group, having been somewhat pushy), who announces that he is going snorkelling. We are really too tired to care. We trudge back across the pebbles, observed by a troupe of baboons, a local fisherman, and a family doing their laundry in the stream.

When we finally stagger back to the park entrance all we want to do is get stuck into the cold drinks box. No one is surprised to find a pack lunch waiting - somehow we are still unaware that it had been forgotten. We discover later that Ken has hired another boat at his own expense and sent the lunch after us. It arrived shortly after we had set off into the forest. However, all his efforts were in vain, as, when we open the packets of sandwiches and chicken legs, they are all crawling with ants. We salvage what we can and supplement it with Fruesli bars that Nathan and Amanada have had the foresight to bring.

Then we realise that Herman The German is no longer with us. It seems that when he announced that he was going snorkelling he meant there and then, and he is now a mile and a half down the beach taking a dip all by himself. We debate what to do, and eventually persuade the boat driver to set off, and to put in to shore when (and if) we find him. Luckily we do find him, and he climbs aboard apparently quite unconcerned, so I surprise him by delivering a lecture on having consideration for the rest of the group and the dangers of swimming alone - in German! I think the rest of the gang are quite impressed too!
Most of us fall asleep on the return trip.

On our return to the hotel, Ken is delighted, and extremely envious, of our success. The good news is that he has finally managed to sort out the train tickets, although it has taken him all day.

The evening meal is not prolonged as everyone wants to get to bed early, and poor Nathan and Amanda, who are probably the most exhausted of us all, get left at the table with a pile of banknotes that don't quite cover the bill for dinner.

It occurs to me that I have drunk 3 litres of water today, and haven't had a pee since breakfast.