Explore the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania’s Ngorongoro conservation area: One of the most significant historical sites on Earth, the Olduvai Gorge, also called the Oldupai Gorge, is situated in northern Tanzania. The first evolutionary evidence of people walking on two feet and utilizing tools was discovered here. It is one of the key tourist attractions located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area that is worth experiencing during your Tanzania safari tour in the Ngorongoro crater or Serengeti national park.
Never skip visiting and exploring this most well-known archaeological site in all of East Africa while on a Tanzania safari tour. If you’re interested in history or the ancestors of humanity, you must visit the Olduvai Gorge. Each year, thousands of people flock to the Olduvai Gorge to discover where our ancestors, who lived more than 1.75 million years ago, first appeared. Here, you can take in the gorge’s breathtaking vistas and discover more about its archaeological discoveries by visiting the museum’s exhibits.
WHAT IS OLDUVAI GORGE?
One of the most significant fossil sites in the world is the Olduvai Gorge. The gorge is a part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a World Heritage Site that is more than thirty miles long and about three hundred feet deep. The evolutionary discovery of some of the oldest traces of human development has made it famous.
The Leakey couple, a team of anthropologists who had spent years working there, discovered the remains of an unidentified hominid in 1960. The family of primates known as hominids, or hominidae in Latin, includes the genus human (Homo) and three other genera of so-called giant apes (orangutans, gorillas, and chimpanzees). It was a Homo habilis, often known as the “handy man,” who served as the genus’ first representative and a direct ancestor of the modern human.
There are other known excavation sites in Tanzania, such as Laetoli, which provided the scientists with a wealth of information. But Olduvai, which is currently the most popular name for the gorge, is the location that attracted the most attention. Oldupai or even Oldovan can be found in various sources (cf. Oldovan culture). Another theory claims that the gorge, which was first discovered by Wilhelm Kattwinkel and is located 150 kilometers (90 miles) from the town of Arusha, was really named Oldoway by accident. We humans learned that our history began here, in the Eastern Serengeti, inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.
In Ngorongoro, a monument in the form of two enormous fossil skulls was built to honor the discoveries that had a profound effect on how we saw ourselves. The monument’s statues depict the genuine skulls that were discovered in Olduvai; these belonged to two previously undiscovered genera of Homo. The special exhibits are kept at the gorge’s actual anthropology and human evolution museum.
WHERE IS OLDUVAI GORGE?
Tanzania’s Olduvai Gorge lies tucked between the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater in the Great Rift Valley. This is the place to go if you’re interested in archaeology and palaeontology and going on safari.
Anyone interested in human history should be curious about who discovered the 1.8 million-year-old hominid’s bones at Olduvai Gorge. Although the Leakey name is the one that garners the most attention when Olduvai Gorge is brought up, a few German archaeologists did examine the site in the early 1900s. After the First World War, Louis and Mary Leakey traveled to Berlin to view the transported fossils after discovering relics of early hominid settlement. The fact that the fossils in Berlin were roughly the same age as those Louis had discovered at Kenya’s Kariandusi prehistoric site led them to believe that the canyon might include evidence of stone tools. He had discovered hand axes here,Explore the Olduvai Gorge.
The majority of the discoveries and excavations in Olduvai Gorge are attributed to the Leakey family; it was here that they discovered the earliest indications of human technology. The earliest known evidence of the tool industry is evidence of hominids employing tools.
There was also evidence of hominids walking on two feet in the same location. Some of the earliest evidence of upright human walking can be seen in the nearly 3.5 million-year-old hominid footprints that have been preserved in volcanic rock. Much has been learned about civilization and the early stages of human culture from the evidence discovered in the Gorge.
VISITING AND EXPLORING OLDUVAI GORGE
Numerous of the excavation sites are still in use today. Archaeologists continue to search for additional fossilized remains of ancient civilizations. Official tour guides can give you a tour of the area and explain the significance of Olduvai Gorge’s history, while a small museum offers further information and illuminating displays for you to peruse. Anyone planning a safari in Northern Tanzania safari Circuit who wants to understand a little bit about the history of our ancestors must visit Olduvai Gorge. If reading this blog has you considering a trip to Tanzania, be sure to get in touch with us for free, unbiased advice. We’d be thrilled to hear from you, Explore the Olduvai Gorge.
IS THE OLDUVAI GORGE WORTH A VISIT FOR TOURISTS?
We advise visiting the on-site museum, which is located approximately 5 kilometers from the monument on the main road, if you’re interested in learning more about the cultural and historical aspects of the Oldupai Gorge. On the gorge’s edge, it provides some lovely vistas and has an informative museum about the gorge and its lengthy history. Along with a variety of items from the time, it displays fossils of humans and other animals.
If you make proper preparations, the location, which is not far from the main safari route, allows for a brief detour. The reward is a stop at one of the cradles of humankind, some interesting views, and the museum. Drive from the gorge to the shifting dune/sand towards the north if you want to have a more extensive Tanzania wildlife safari experience. It is 100 m long and roughly 9 m high. The prominently dark sand is primarily made of powerfully magnetic volcanic ash. Even in the wind, this keeps the crescent-shaped configuration together. When you approach it, it shouldn’t have traveled very far considering its movement rate of 17 m per year.
Tanzania has so many attractions. For those who are interested in archaeology, the Olduvai Gorge is particularly unique. Whether you’re going on a shared or private safari, we are delighted to answer any questions you may have and assist you in planning your safari vacation to Tanzania. We are always up to date on any Tanzania moment concerning tourism so please contact us! Your ideal Tanzanian experience combines your dream with our knowledge.
WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT AT THE OLDUVAI GORGE?
A brand-new museum was unveiled in October 2017. The largest natural history and scientific research center in East Africa is located at the Olduvai Gorge Site. The new museum aids in raising awareness of the Olduvai Gorge region and the significance of its archaeological discoveries among tourists. The new museum, which is a part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, gives guests more to see and do as they travel between the Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater during their safari experience.
At this outstanding paleoanthropological site, immerse yourself in historical antiquity. A wide range of displays, including items gathered at significant sites, are housed in the new museum. The museum’s exhibits on early Stone Age discoveries and cultural displays of the Datoga, Masai, and Hadzabe peoples that once lived in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are among its highlights, Explore the Olduvai Gorge.
Laetoli is only 60 kilometers distant. Visitors can view prehistoric human footprints from 4 million years ago that have been preserved in volcanic rock here. Some of the earliest indications of human development have been found in the Olduvai Gorge, a site famous for evolutionary findings. A safari trip to the Olduvai Gorge Museum is strongly advised, especially for anyone interested in archaeology and palaeontology, whether you’re traveling to Tanzania for a safari adventure or to immerse yourself in the local culture.
Visit and explore the Olduvai Gorge with Focus East Africa Tours! Whether you’re looking for mountain gorilla trekking in Rwanda and Uganda, beaches in Zanzibar Island, a game drive for the Big Five and great wildebeest migration viewing in the Maasai Mara National Reserve and Serengeti National Park, the Olduvai Gorge is another key attraction that you should never miss, especially if you’re planning a northern Tanzania safari tour.
