Gombe Stream National Park is a relatively small area (52km²) but an incredibly important wilderness which is particularly rich in primate species. It was given the status of National Park in 1968 mainly to protect the resident chimpanzee population.
Other primates found here include olive baboons, blue monkeys, red-tailed monkeys, red colobus monkeys and vervet monkeys. Dr Jane Goodall is the British scientist who began the study of the chimpanzees here in 1960 under the sponsorship of Louis Leakey, making this the longest running study of any wild animal population in the world. A visit to Gombe gives you a unique opportunity to get a view into the lives of our closest living animal relative in the wild.
