Olduvai Gorge
Known worldwide as the Cradle of Mankind, Olduvai Gorge is where fossil discoveries in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area rewrote the story of human evolution.
Known worldwide as the Cradle of Mankind, Olduvai Gorge is where fossil discoveries in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area rewrote the story of human evolution.
Olduvai Gorge (also spelled Oldupai, from the Maasai word for the wild sisal that grows here) is a roughly 48 km-long ravine cutting up to 90 m deep through the eastern Serengeti Plains, within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and about 150 km (90 miles) from Arusha - most visitors stop here en route between Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, exactly as this itinerary does. Known worldwide as the "Cradle of Mankind," the gorge is where Mary and Louis Leakey's excavations rewrote the story of human evolution: Mary's 1959 discovery of Zinjanthropus (Paranthropus boisei) and their son Jonathan's 1960 discovery of the Homo habilis type specimen, among more than 85 hominin fossils unearthed here to date. The gorge sits within the wider Ngorongoro Conservation Area, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979 - though the famous Laetoli hominin footprints, often confused with Olduvai, are actually a separate site roughly 45 km away.
Olduvai Gorge cuts a dramatic scar across the otherwise flat eastern Serengeti Plains, its steep, layered walls exposing nearly two million years of volcanic ash and sediment in bands of grey, tan, and rust. The gorge splits into a Main and a Side Gorge, meeting at a confluence near the museum, with sparse dry-country vegetation - including the wild sisal the site is named for - clinging to its slopes. About 12 km northwest, the plains give way to the Shifting Sands, a striking crescent-shaped dune of black, magnetic volcanic ash from the Ol Doinyo Lengai volcano that migrates roughly 15-29 meters west every year.
Olduvai Gorge sits on the same hot, dry eastern Serengeti Plains as its more famous parkland neighbor, so its climate mirrors the wider Serengeti's - dry-season days around 26C (79F) dropping to 14C (57F) at night, and slightly warmer wet-season days near 27C (81F) with nights around 15C (59F). Since most visits are a short stop on the way between Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti rather than an overnight, the bigger practical concern is the access road itself, which can turn slick and slow during the long and short rains.
The things to do at Olduvai Gorge lean toward history rather than wildlife - most Ganza Adventure itineraries build in an hour or two here on the drive between Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti to walk through the story of humanity itself.
Olduvai Gorge is a year-round stop rather than a seasonal destination, since a visit is short and doesn't depend on wildlife activity - the main consideration is road conditions on the drive in.
Fossils are the main event at Olduvai Gorge, not sightings - though as part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area's shared-use plains, gazelle, zebra, and Maasai livestock alike are a common sight on the road in and out.
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