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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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.

We watch the dawn rise over the hills, and, a couple of hours later, are welcomed at the Gombe Park entrance by a solitary baboon.

On arrival we unload the boat and put the drinks and the remains of our jam sandwiches in a hut on the shore. It is strictly prohibited to take any foodstuffs into the forest as the chimps will attack if they smell food. Still no one notices that we have forgotten the lunch - presumably everyone thinks someone else has it.
We pay our entrance fee, complete the paperwork and are split into two groups. Groups must be less than 6 people and must be accompanied ...