Olduvai Gorge
Part Of The UNESCO Ngorongoro Conservation Area (1979). Olduvai Gorge, Excavated By Louis And Mary Leakey From 1931, Yielded Fossils Of Paranthropus Boisei And Homo Habilis And The Laetoli Footprints Nearby, Key Evidence Of Human Evolution Over 2 Million Years. The Site Museum Shows Casts And Displays And A Guide Explains The Layers. · Karatu, Arusha
Olduvai Gorge is a dry ravine about 48 km long and up to 90 m deep, cut by a seasonal river through layers of volcanic ash on the plain between Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. It is one of the most important sites on Earth for the story of human origins. Louis and Mary Leakey worked here from 1931, and in 1959 Mary found the skull of 'Nutcracker Man', Zinjanthropus boisei, followed by Homo habilis, an early toolmaker. A small museum on the rim shows fossil casts and displays, and a Maasai or local guide explains the layers from a viewing platform. The honest picture: the gorge is hot, dry and dusty, the museum is modest, and the digs are mostly closed to visitors. The value is the STORY, not spectacle. Most people stop for 1 to 1.5 hours on the drive between the crater and the Serengeti. Read a little first and the layers make sense. Bring a hat and water, because shade is scarce, and ask your guide to name each layer. Expect a short, thoughtful stop rather than a long day, and the story stays with you afterwards.
Steep-sided ravine on the edge of the Serengeti plain inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, about 45 km from the Ngorongoro Crater rim, with a site museum on the rim, Karatu, Arusha, Tanzania
The museum is open daily in daylight hours, usually from morning to late afternoon, but times change, so confirm with your operator. The excavation areas are CLOSED to casual visitors and are seen only on a guided arrangement. The Laetoli footprints are covered and NOT open to the public.