Olduvai Gorge is a steep ravine in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, on the road between the crater and the Serengeti. Its rock layers hold fossils and stone tools covering almost two million years, making it one of the most important sites in the world for understanding human evolution.
The discoveries
- 1959: Mary Leakey found a skull of Paranthropus boisei, nicknamed “Zinj” or “Nutcracker Man”, about 1.75 million years old.
- 1960s: Louis and Mary Leakey’s team found remains of Homo habilis, one of the earliest members of our own genus, linked to simple stone tools.
- Stone tools: the gorge gives its name to the Oldowan, one of the oldest known stone tool industries.
The Laetoli footprints
About 45 km south of Olduvai, at Laetoli, Mary Leakey’s team found footprints preserved in volcanic ash in 1978. They were made about 3.6 million years ago by early humans walking upright, probably Australopithecus afarensis. A replica is shown in the Olduvai museum.
The name
The correct Maasai name is Oldupai, after the wild sisal plant that grows in the gorge. “Olduvai” came from a mistake by an early visitor.
Visiting
The Olduvai Gorge Museum sits on the rim and overlooks the excavation sites. A short talk by a guide explains the layers and finds. A visit takes about an hour and fits easily into the drive between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti. Ask us to include it on Serengeti and the crater.
Frequently asked questions
Its rock layers contain fossils and stone tools from nearly two million years of human evolution.
A 1.75-million-year-old skull of Paranthropus boisei in 1959, and later remains linked to Homo habilis.
In the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, between the crater and the Serengeti.
