Olduvai Gorge is a prehistoric site situated in Ngorongoro Conservation Area. The site lies in the Eastern Serengeti Plains at the edge of the Great East African Rift Valley. Research and excavations started in 1931. It was in 1959 when Louis and Mary Leakey discovered the fragments of teeth and skull of Zinjanthropus Boisei, the earliest man. From 1960 The National Geographic Society has helped carrying detailed excavations on the site. Wide range of stone tools, fossils of extinct species of animals and more bones of hominids of Homo Sapiens have been excavated here. Olduvai today is one of the most famous archeological sites in the world.
The name Olduvai originated from a foreigners misspelling of Oldupai, the correct Maasai word for this region of great historical importance – named after the great number of wild sisal plant growing in the gorge.
There is also a museum where visitors can listen to lecture from the guides and see visual representation of fossils excavated in the region. The museum at Oldupai Gorge provides excellent exhibits whereby lectures and its location offers great views over the gorge. Walking tours of the area, which is also a birders’ paradise, are arranged. This is the starting point to the shifting sand. Our guides will take you through.