Gombe was made a game reserve in 1943, its natural worth was recognized. After Dr. Jane Goodall’s groundbreaking research efforts, said to be the world’s longest-running study of monkeys, in 1960, Gombe rose to prominence. After chimpanzees became accustomed to human visits, the conservation status was raised to that of a national park in 1968, and the area was made public in 1978. It occupies an area of 56 square kilometers and is situated on the shores of Lake Tanganyika, the second-deepest lake in the world, 16 kilometers north of the town of Kigoma in western Tanzania. The main attraction of Gombe Stream is clearly the families of chimpanzees that live protected within the park’s boundaries. Guided walks that take visitors deep into the forest to observe and sit with the extraordinary primates for an entire morning are available — one that is the highlight of many visitors’ trips to Africa and an incredible experience. Besides chimpanzees, other primates living within Gombe Stream include beachcomber olive baboons, red-tailed monkeys, blue monkeys, red colobus, and vervet monkeys. Blue monkeys and red-tailed monkeys have also been known to hybridize in the area. There are occasional hippopotami, leopards, and 11 species of snakes. The park is also home to bush pigs and over 200 bird species. However, Lake Tanganyika is also a wonderful place to go snorkeling and swimming, fishing, sailing, or just relax on the white sand. Hippos and crocodiles tend to keep their distance from Gombe which means visitors can take a dip in the lake without having to worry about sharing the water with wild animals. While at Gombe, a visit to the Goodall Foundation’s old feeding station should be on the list of things to do and the nearby village of Ujiji is where Henry Stanley met Dr. Livingstone in 1871.