© 2017 Snapping the Globe, L.L.C. All rights reserved.
In the middle of the eastern Serengeti Plains, lies the Great Rift Valley, which stretches across East Africa. In it, exists one of the most important paleoanthropological sites in the world.
Olduvai Gorge.
Or…is it Oldupai?
Well, both. People now know it as Olduvai, however, the name Olduvai is a misspelling of Oldupai, the Maasai word for the wild sisal plant Sansevieria Ehrenbergii, which can be found growing in the gorge.
Whichever way anyone decides to refer to it, the ravine is the location in Tanzania that hold the earliest evidence of the existence of human ancestors. Hundreds of fossilized bones and stone tools, dating back millions of years, have been unearthed in the area, leading paleoanthropologists to conclude that humans evolved in Africa.
In 1911, German Wilhelm Kattwinkey observed many fossil bones of an extinct three-toed horse in Olduvai Gorge and later German geologist Hans Reck found hominin remains. Reck’s research, however, was halted by World War I. After a visit to Reck’s site in 1929, Louis Leakey became convinced that the gorge held critical information on human origins. Deciding to mount an expedition, he was joined by his wife, Mary. In 1959, the paleoanthropologist-archeologist team, discovered a skull fragment belonging to an early hominin. The skull dated to about 1.75 million years ago and indicated that hominins evolved in Africa. Later, specimens of Homo Habilis, a more human like species, were also found in the gorge.
In addition to the human remains, the Leakeys unearthed more than 2,000 stone tools and lithic flakes. Their research provides the most continuous known record of human evolution during the past 2 million years, as well as the longest known archaeological record of the development of stone-tool manufacturing.
In 1986, however, Olduvai Gorge, since designated a UNESCO World Heritage site, was the scene of one of the biggest and most significant findings in the scientific world, not credited to the Leakeys. A team of Tanzanian and American archeologists excavated 302 bones and teeth belonging to a female, determined to be about 1.8 million years old.
Oldevai Gorge, often called the “Cradle of Mankind” (not to be confused with the “Cradle of Humankind” in South Africa) is now a site frequented by tourists, mostly enroute to safari destinations.
The site offers a small, yet interesting museum containing a large amount of information about the pre-history of Homo Sapiens and the amazing discoveries made by Mary and Louis Leakey and others. Though the information and displays are a bit dated, a new museum is currently under construction, and is probably a reason for the higher entrance fee. Our entrance fee was taken care of by our tour, but it was noted on another travel site that it was recently raised from $10 to $35 USD.
There is a modest gift shop, adjacent to the museum, which offers more reasonable prices than the nearby Maasai village and many of the same kinds of carvings and jewelry. There is also a monument to Dr. Sekino Yoshiharo, a Japanese scientist who traveled across the world from 1993 until 2002, spending a night at Olduvai Gorge on February 8, near the end of his journey.
At the rear of the property, you can stand on the edge of the ravine and look out over the area which has offered so much to understanding the history of mankind. A covered area overlooking the ravine provides a shady area for guests to rest or enjoy lunch while listening to one of the curator’s explain the historic nature of the gorge. An engaging 8 minutes…you will learn that Lucy was not found here (as many people think), but Ethiopia and you will learn about the Leakeys. But, the main thing you will walk away with is…being asked to spread the word that it is indeed Oldupai Gorge!
Check out Facebook, Snapping the Globe and Instagram, @snappingtheglobe.
Olduvai (Oldupai) Gorge
- http://www.olduvai-gorge.org/
- Entrance fee (to be verified): $35 USD per person or vehicle
- Museum displays in both English and Swahili
- Restrooms available on site.
While we waited for the others in our party to arrive, we mingled with the women as they decorated us with their beautiful, beaded collars. They sang songs and smiled at us while the men, practiced their dance moves. Soon, the others safari vehicles pulled under the acacia tree and our friends joined us for the show.
While the women provided the music, one of the men used the Greater Kudu, or horn and the other men formed lines, moving together and chanting rhythmically, “Oooooh-yah” with a growl and staccato cough. They thrust and withdrew their bodies, some jumping.
Eventually, we were gathered around two of the male villagers who proceeded to demonstrate how the Maasai make fire. With a bit of a breeze, conditions weren’t right and they were unsuccessful after two lengthy attempts. Clapping for their efforts, we then moved on to other parts of their village.
The schoolhouse was nearby and as we glanced into the small hut, the young children sang a song for us, recited their ABC’s and we inspected their lessons written on their chalkboard. Handing over the small gifts we had brought (pens, pencils and paper) to the schoolmaster, we were thanked profusely by everyone.
Exiting the huts, we saw many women and children who had not performed during our arrival, peeking out curiously at us. Shyly, they remained in the doorways of their huts where they could dart back in if a camera was raised.
Though we were not present for the great migration when the landscape may be dotted black from the large numbers of wildebeest, the views of the Serengeti from the top were awe inspiring! After the climb to the top, on the moderate trail, we were able to gaze out over the short, grassy plains while standing under the acacia trees which cover the summit. Since we had not booked the balloon safari, it was great to see from a different perspective what we had seen from the ground during the past few days.
The two square mile area is home to giraffes, elephants, antelope, lion, cheetah, vervet monkeys, wildebeest and zebras. There were also many small Agama lizards along the trail and a it is a great place for bird watching with many colorful starling and maribou storks soaring overhead.
For those wanting to stay in the area, there are a few lodges and camps; Sametu Camp for only 14 guests with a front row to superb, up-front, big cat viewing and roaring, nighttime bonfires. Serengeti Serena Lodge’s thatched, rondavel huts and manicured grounds. Four Seasons Lodge’s oasis of luxury with its infinity swimming hole overlooking a frequented watering hole and Private Mobile Camps with wildlife a few feet from its spacious tents.
Turning left onto one of the many roads that criss-crossed the park, we bumped along, spotting other vehicles in the distance. As we slowed, we noticed movement near a patch of acacia trees…a herd of elephants! Slowly they ambled along, two youngsters with four older females. We watched them slowly until continuing further down the road. Here, we encountered another herd, and this one came extremely close to Mathilda!
Our flight from New York to Istanbul was uneventful, if not a long one. Movies and a nap helped pass the time and I was quite comfortable in economy class with the help of my new neck pillow and foot sling. Before long, we were landing in Turkey, gazing longingly at the skyline, wishing I had time to visit the Bazaar (how I miss Istanbul’s shopping!) After a three hour sit, we boarded our plane and were landing in Kenya six hours later, making our way through customs and immigration quickly.
Making our way out of Terminal 1D, we began looking for a cafe that we could have a bite to eat and hang out. Paul Caffe was near the main part of the airport, and after entering, we discovered that many other people were spending time and even taking naps (which the workers did not seem to mind). Ordering a couple of sodas, we found a table with outlets nearby to charge our devices. After having breakfast a little later, we found very clean bathrooms just around the corner and were able spread out our things, change clothes and take a quick sponge bath.
There are a few companies that offer shuttle transportation between Nairobi and Arusha. We chose Riverside from a recommendation from a friend and because the price was higher than two of the others that I had investigated. Believing the higher price made the product more desirable, we were a little disappointed to find the bus’ interior to be only adequate. A few seats were available near the back of the bus and we found the ride to be a bit uncomfortable due to the lumpy seats and the many speed bumps along the highway. Despite the cramped quarters, however, we were able to take a quick nap before arriving at a rest stop about three hours later. Given ten minutes to use the facilities and get a drink, we even had time to peruse the many crafts available at the site.
Departing the rest stop, we soon found ourselves at the Namanga border crossing, about 120km from Arusha. Ushered into the building and lined up against a wall, the process was a bit confusing. A uniformed officer checked to ensure that each person had a yellow fever immunization card before allowing us to proceed to the window. Since we had arrived into Kenya, the night before, we were quickly re-fingerprinted and stamped out. Heading to the exit, we found our bus waiting for us and hastily dodged the numerous Masai women selling bracelets, necklaces and other items. Driving around to the Tanzanian side of the border, we were required to claim our baggage from the bus and proceed into the building to clear immigration and customs. Once again, our yellow fever immunizations cards were checked and we were ushered into one of the lines snaking through the new building. At the window, our immigration forms (given to us by our driver) were handed to the agent and $100 (per person) was paid while our visa was pasted into our passports. Though we were required to bring our baggage into the building, we were not required to pass it through the x-ray machines nor was it inspected.
One of the oldest hotels in East Africa, the Arusha Hotel was established in 1894 in the then new and undeveloped town. Over the years, the hotel was a haven for those traveling from Cairo to the Cape and beyond. Enduring many changes and improvements over the years, the hotel has retained its status as one of Arusha’s grandest hotels, offering its foremost hospitality to many guests over the years, including the Prince of Wales, Baron Von Blixen and John Wayne, while filming Hatari.
An Airtel office, a block away, was also a convenient find. Knowing that we would be restricted to WiFi in the lobbies of our lodges during our safari, adding a local sim card to my extra phone ensured that I could be reached in the event of an emergency. It also allowed me to have access to the internet while we were out and about or in our room.