Olduvai Gorge is the very definition of an archaeologists dream. But, even if you’re not officially in the archaeology profession (we mean, even fans of Indiana Jones will count for this one), Tanzania’s “cradle of mankind” – as it’s often referred to – is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the world. A quick trip to this steep sided ravine and the fascination of a time that once was is bound to rub off on you. So, start channeling your inner Lara Croft because things are about to get very Tomb Raider-esque.
Established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979, the gorge is more than just a dramatic ravine, but rather one of the world’s most important treasure trove for fossils too. It’s here that the earliest evidence of the existence of human ancestors can be found. And it’s the millions of years worth of fossilised bones and stone tools located in this site that have led experts to conclude that humans made their evolutionary beginnings in Africa. Yep, we told you that this place was special.
The dusty gorge is 48 km long and up to 90 m deep and it’s here, in amongst this rugged landscape, that you’ll step back in time to where we began – or, at least some form of us did anyway. It was the German entomologist, Professor Kattwinkel, who first stumbled across Olduvai Gorge’s ancient gems in 1911, but the site was truly founded 20 years later by Kenyan born Louis Leakey and his wife Mary. The first ‘human-like’ – for anybody who knows their stuff, really we mean hominin – skull was found by Mary in 1959 and dated at 1.75 million years old, at the time it was the oldest of its kind. Talk about one small step for (wo)man, one giant leap for (wo)mankind.