In Gombe Stream National Park, an excited whoop echoes through the forest, quickly joined by a chorus of voices rising in volume, tempo, and pitch to a frenzied crescendo. This is the renowned ‘pant-hoot’ call, a bonding ritual among chimpanzees that allows them to recognize one another through their unique vocal styles. For those walking through Gombe’s ancient forests, this spine-tingling sound often signals imminent sighting of our closest genetic relatives: the chimpanzees.

As Tanzania’s smallest national park, Gombe is a delicate strip of chimpanzee habitat along the steep slopes and river valleys on the northern shore of Lake Tanganyika. The park’s chimpanzees, accustomed to human presence, gained fame through the groundbreaking research of Jane Goodall, who began her behavioral study here in 1960. This study is now the longest-running of its kind in the world. The matriarch Fifi, the last surviving member of Goodall’s original group and only three years old when Goodall first arrived, is still frequently observed by visitors.

Chimpanzees share about 98% of their genes with humans, and while no specialized knowledge is needed to differentiate between their various pant-hoot calls, each one serves to identify different individuals within the community. When you gaze into a chimp’s eyes, you might catch a glimpse of recognition that spans the narrowest of species gaps.

Other prominent mammals in Gombe are also primates. A troop of olive baboons, studied since the 1960s, is highly habituated to human observers, while red-tailed and red colobus monkeys, the latter often preyed upon by chimps, remain within the forest canopy.

The park is home to around 200 bird species, including the majestic fish eagle and the vibrant Peter’s twinspots, which can be seen around the visitors’ center.

As night falls, the stunning night sky is illuminated by the lanterns of hundreds of small wooden boats on the lake, creating the illusion of a sprawling, luminous city.