While on a Tanzania safari, visit the world’s most famous archaeological site of East Africa. The Olduvai Gorge is a must-stop for anyone interested in mankind’s ancestors. The Olduvai Gorge attracts thousands of visitors every year to see the origin of our ancestors who lived over 1.75 million years ago.

Here you can marvel at the beautiful views of the gorge and learn about its archaeological findings through the museum’s exhibitions.

As one of the most important paleo-anthropological localities in the world, Olduvai Gorge has developed a reputation as a must-visit place in Tanzania (alongside all the other Tanzanian National Parks).

The gorge has played a crucial part in helping us to understand the history of mankind, as the oldest ever evidence of mankind's evolution was discovered there. With so many sites to visit in Tanzania, Olduvai Gorge can often be overlooked (alongside Ol Doniyo Lengai), so we wanted to highlight why this site is well worth a visit. Let's get into the reasons:

The first fossils of Mankind

As we mentioned in our introduction, hundreds of fossilized bones and stone tools were found in Olduvai Gorge in the 1950s.

These fossils date back millions of years, and this lead the team (the Leakey family) to conclude that humans evolved in Africa. This was obviously a hugely significant discovery that changed how we understand the history of mankind.

Olduvai Gorge Museum

Mary Leakey founded a museum on the edge of the Olduvai Gorge which is dedicated to discoveries made in the gorge, and to the fossils found there.

Mary passed away in the late 90s, and the museum is now under the jurisdiction of the Tanzanian government's Department of Cultural Antiquities. If you're looking for stunning views of the gorge then this is a great place to go.

Where can you find Olduvai Gorge?

The gorge is found on the eastern Serengeti Plain, within the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (this is in the north of the country). If you head to the museum on the edge of the gorge, you'll find people willing to drive you into the gorge for a small fee.