Located in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, the Olduvai Gorge is
uniquely positioned on the road from the Ngorongoro Crater to the
Serengeti. We are often asked whether a visit is “worth it” – especially
when it comes to deciding whether to travel overland or fly between the
two. We think the answer relates directly how “into” archaeology and/or
paleontology you are. You
won’t be seeing much more than the gorge from its rim, and the iconic
rock formation. It might
be hard to believe, but after days of spotting elephant, lion, cheetah
and zebra in Tanzania‘s northern game reserves, you may actually be in the mood for something completely different.
The Olduvai Archaeological Site and Musuem
When you first come upon it, it looks like aliens must have left it
behind. Especially as the sand is not only very fine and black, but also
highly magnetized due to its high iron content. When you toss it up in
the air, it sticks together and falls back onto the dune almost like a
boomerang, rather than blowing away on the wind. Here’s a picture of
Yvette’s guide Hillary illustrating the phenomena.
Locating the Shifting Sands
Be prepared to go off road when looking for the mysterious shifting sands, as it moves and there are no sign posts! You may find yourself driving straight through the seemingly endless grass plains, avoiding the occasional giraffe, zebra, termite mound, and Maasai cow. But it’s totally worth the detour.
Lois and Mary Leakey brought Olduvai (now Oldupai) Gorge to world’s
attention with their early hominid discoveries during the 1930’s.
Oldupai Gorge, located in the Ngorongoro Conservation area in northern
Tanzania, is 30 miles long and 295 feet deep. It’s got nothing on the
Grand Canyon, but this gorge holds a treasure chest of fossils spanning
over 5 million years. Major fossil findings include
Australopithecus Zinjanthropus (Boisei), Australopithecus Afarensis
(like Lucy), and Homo Habilis (tool guy/handyman). The “Laetoli
footprints” were perfectly preserved in a rock bed 30 miles from
Oldupai. They distinctly show two upright bi-pedal hominids, out for a
stroll more than 3.5 million years ago.
The
“Cradle of Mankind” is not that impressive to look at, and the museum
founded in 1970 by Mary Leakey is a modest affair. But it all comes to
life with a little narration from the soft spoken local guides who are
trained archaeologists. You can clearly see how the rock strata has
formed over the past 5 million years and why this site is so special.
For an extra fee, you can clamber down and take a closer look. Two camps
on the rim of the gorge are still in use by researchers from American
and Spanish universities. Paleoanthropologists still spend several
months a year excavating with the help of local Maasai.
The Mysterious Shifting Sands
There is a mysterious and beautiful volcanic ash dune of Shifting Sands situated near Olduvai Gorge. These crescent-shaped mounds are a remarkable phenomenon. Technically they are known as barkan, and they are created when there is sufficient dust on the ground and a unidirectional wind to blow it. The dust collects around a stone, and continues to accumulate until it literally forms a small dune. The process continues and the dune moves. In this case, the Shifting Sands move around 10 meters every year. The crescents have their two sharp arms pointing the way the wind is going, and the whole shape is beautifully symmetrical. The local Maasai believe the shifting sands originated from their most holy of places – Ol Doinyo Lengai or “Mountain of God”, which you can just see from Olduvai on a clear day.
There is a mysterious and beautiful volcanic ash dune of Shifting Sands situated near Olduvai Gorge. These crescent-shaped mounds are a remarkable phenomenon. Technically they are known as barkan, and they are created when there is sufficient dust on the ground and a unidirectional wind to blow it. The dust collects around a stone, and continues to accumulate until it literally forms a small dune. The process continues and the dune moves. In this case, the Shifting Sands move around 10 meters every year. The crescents have their two sharp arms pointing the way the wind is going, and the whole shape is beautifully symmetrical. The local Maasai believe the shifting sands originated from their most holy of places – Ol Doinyo Lengai or “Mountain of God”, which you can just see from Olduvai on a clear day.
Locating the Shifting Sands
Be prepared to go off road when looking for the mysterious shifting sands, as it moves and there are no sign posts! You may find yourself driving straight through the seemingly endless grass plains, avoiding the occasional giraffe, zebra, termite mound, and Maasai cow. But it’s totally worth the detour.
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