Absolutely Amazing!!!
There are not enough adjectives to describe my safari experience. It was absolutely amazing, and by far one of the best experiences I have had in my lifetime. I booked a Chimpanzee Trek with Joshua from Gombe Wild Chimp Safaris for my 65th birthday. Joshua responded very quickly to any questions and I had and made the planning of this trip very easy, from start to finish. He even reached out to me after I had returned home to insure everything was satisfactory.
My guide, Samje, was waiting for me upon my arrival at the Kigoma Airport was and was available to me throughout the 4 day safari. After a 2 hour boat ride up Lake Tanganyika, we (boat captain and assistant, private chef and guide) arrived at the camp. After a short briefing, Samje and I headed out on our first trek. We saw several chimps the first day. The second day we had rain but it did not deter the chimpanzees from coming out. We saw at least 20 chimpanzees both the 2nd and 3rd day. Many times they even walked right in front of us. My greatest pleasure was watching the babies/toddlers playing. Samje was extremely knowledgeable about chimpanzee behavior and it definitely added to the experience, learning about termite fishing, mating, the different calls they make, etc. Samje also showed me Jane Goodall's house, and he took me on a trek to Jane's Peak and to the waterfall.
The accommodations were great. I stayed at the Kasekela tented camp and had everything I needed. The camp is in a remote area right on the banks of Lake Tanganyika. The water in the lake is crystal clear. The camp has hot water and solar powered electricity. The food was excellent! I was even surprised by a wonderful birthday dinner and birthday cake, along with a bonfire, music and singing. What an incredible birthday gift!
On the afternoon of the 3rd day we took the boat back to Kigoma. We went on a tour of the Livingstone Museum Memorial and then Samje delivered me to my hotel with instructions for an early morning pickup tot he airport.
I highly recommend using Gombe Wild Chimp Safaris to anyone considering a chimpanzee trek. Joshua and his staff are absolutely amazing and made sure I had the best best chimp viewing experience. Thank you so much!!!