The site on Lake Tanganyika where Jane Goodall began studying chimpanzees in 1960. After more than 60 years of continuous observation, researchers have documented tool use, warfare, and complex social politics that mirror human behavior.
Geary, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
A living laboratory since 1960
When a 26-year-old Jane Goodall arrived on the shores of Lake Tanganyika on July 14, 1960, the resident chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) were a scientific mystery. The Gombe Stream Research Centre, established in 1967, now manages the longest continuous field study of any wild animal population. The data collection is constant, with researchers conducting "focal follows" of individual chimpanzees 365 days a year.
Goodall's first breakthrough came in observing behaviors previously thought to be exclusively human. She watched a chimpanzee she named David Greybeard strip leaves from a twig to "fish" for termites, a rudimentary form of toolmaking. Soon after, she documented chimpanzees hunting and eating smaller primates like red colobus monkeys, dispelling the notion that they were strictly vegetarian. These observations from Gombe changed the scientific understanding of the cognitive world of non-human primates. The work of the matriarch Flo and her offspring, including sons Figan and Frodo who both became alpha males, provided deep insights into the complexities of chimpanzee family life.
The Gombe chimpanzee war
The most startling discovery began to unfold in 1974: organized, long-term conflict between two groups of chimpanzees. The main Kasekela community had splintered in 1971, with a faction establishing a new territory to the south, becoming known as the Kahama community. For four years, from 1974 to 1978, the larger Kasekela group systematically waged a campaign against their former community members.
The violence was methodical. Kasekela males formed raiding parties that patrolled the border. On January 7, 1974, a party of six Kasekela males ambushed and killed a Kahama male named Godi as he fed in a tree. Over the next four years, all males of the Kahama community were killed in similar ambushes. The attackers would isolate a single male and beat him until he was dead or mortally wounded. With its males eliminated, the Kahama community ceased to exist, and the Kasekela males expanded into their former territory. This "Four-Year War" was the first time lethal group violence had been documented in a non-human primate species, showing a dark and complex aspect of chimpanzee social behavior.
💡Fun Facts
The Gombe chimpanzees have unique, culturally transmitted behaviors, including the "leaf squash" (squashing a bug on a leaf) and the "ant-dip-wipe" (manually wiping ants off a wand).
Tanzania's smallest national park, Gombe covers just 52 square kilometers (20 square miles) of steep, forested valleys.
When the matriarch chimpanzee Flo died in 1972, Britain's *Sunday Times* published an obituary for her.
The first chimpanzee to trust Jane Goodall was David Greybeard, who was later named one of the 15 most influential animals that ever lived by *Time* Magazine.
Park is accessible during daylight hours; trekking times are arranged with licensed guides.
Admission
Park entry fees are approximately $100 per adult for 24 hours for non-residents, plus guide fees.
Accessibility
The park is remote and can only be reached by boat from the town of Kigoma. The terrain consists of steep, rugged forest trails requiring a good level of physical fitness for chimpanzee trekking.
