|
Gombe Stream National Park
Ecosystem
The discussion on Gombe
National Park would have to encompass the many aspects of the
surroundings of the park, which would include the soil, Lake
Tanganyika, physical geology, vegetation and the bio-diversity.
Bush Routes Adventures discusses each aspect independently to
provide clients identifying aspects that could make them better
understand and appreciate Gombe's offerings.
Soil and Rocks At Gombe National
Park: Upon entering Gombe, first time guests are
surprised to the see that Gombe has a combination of wildlife
and beach experience that they did not know of. The rocks and
soil at the beach are beige-white with fine granular size and
the sands being a little coarse than what would normally be
found on the Indian Ocean beaches
but this would be understandable because of a lack on attrition
process, normally strong tidal waves that would break them down
faster.
The rocks found on the hills and valleys
are ancient genesis being worn out gradually over the centuries
by the flowing streams that run through the park. The hardened
rocks on high parts of the park have been determined to be
quartzite. Bush Routes Adventures guests walking on the beach
might see apart from the regular beach sand and pebbles, rocks
of reddish-brown color that descended from the hills on the high
slopes of Gombe National Park.
Lake Tanganyika: Lake
Tanganyika embraces Gombe National Park. It is the second
deepest lake (1400 meters) in the world created by faulting and
tectonic processes in the earth's surface. It is home to over
250 endemic species of fish, who are found close to the water
surface giving guests who are interested in snorkeling an
awesome opportunity to view some of the species. Lake Tanganyika
has one drainage outlet in the Congo, and several inlets coming
from Tanzania, Zambia, Burundi and Congo. Traveling via boat to
Gombe, Bush Routes Adventures guests will see small fishing
villages, which exist because the opportunities created by the
existence of the lake. The most common fish found in Lake
Tanzania are the chiclids called Dagaa is Swahili. Ask one of
our guides to purchase and prepare some fresh Dagaa giving you
the opportunity to experience the taste.
Physical Geography and Vegetation At
Gombe National Park: Gombe's vegetation and
terrain vary slight from elevation to elevation. As Bush Routes
Adventures guests enter the park via the entrance, they will
encounter grassland with few trees. Leading up to one of the
main ascending trails, guests will encounter hills where the
dominant vegetations can be dry and evergreen forest with
closely aligned miombo trees, shrubs and underbrush. The dip in
the floor in some part of part also allows for water retention
encouraging greener vegetation than on the valley sides where
the trees seem to be a little harsher with less leaves. On
higher slopes, the miombo (brachystegia) trees seem to scatter
around allowing penetration of sunlight to the park floor. When
trekking chimpanzees at Gombe you will notice because of the
competition for food between baboons and chimps, many of them
tends to be found on higher elevations. Lucky guests visiting
Gombe may have the opportunity to view chimps near the lake or
on the lower slopes. The variation of vegetations and terrains
adds a small twist for guests as they scramble and wiggle
between the trees and underbrush when trying to view the
chimpanzees. |
|
Biodiversity At Gombe National Park:
Guest visiting Gombe will have the
opportunity to experience the park through sight and sound.
Although
Chimpanzee Safari is normally the focus of attention when
visiting Gombe, keen
clients will be able to hear the sounds of the birds such as
turacos and cuckoos
or watch the fish eagle perched on the branches of tree
sprouting out to the shore
keeping an eyes out for ripples and agitations in the water.
Commonly seen on
the shores are butterflies with beautiful dark brown bordering
around the wings
with a large white uneven circle in the center by the name of
pansies. Staying the
night at the Gombe Luxury Camp, Bush Routes Adventures guests
can keep a keen hearing
out for the cicadas' grinding sounds or the rustling that
accompanies the
camp grounds when a bushpig tramples on the soft grasslands and
dried leaves.
Along the shore grounds, Bush Routes Adventures guests should be
very careful of the
baboons that lurk around during the daytime. After years of
feeding and other
encroachment activities, the baboons' behavioral patterns have
radically changed
and have become a sort of trouble. Guests are asked to be very
careful and not to
eat in their presence and to keep their tent zippers or dining
room door closed.
View the precautions set out by the TANAPA in regard to your
visit to Gombe
National Park. The baboons found at Gombe are the Olive Baboons
different from
the Yellow baboons found Mahale Mountains National Park |
