THE PLACE
Known as the "Cradle of Mankind," this roughly 48 km ravine sits directly on the road between Ngorongoro and Serengeti, on the edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Excavated by Louis and Mary Leakey from the 1930s onward, the site has yielded hominin fossils dating back 1.8 to 2.1 million years. A small museum founded by Mary Leakey in 1970 displays fossils and stone tools, and stopping here adds world-class history to a standard transfer day at almost no extra time cost.
QUICK FACTS
- LENGTH
- A roughly 48 km long ravine on the edge of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
- LOCATION
- Directly on the road between Ngorongoro and Serengeti
- EXCAVATED BY
- Louis and Mary Leakey, from the 1930s onward
- FOSSIL RECORD
- Hominin fossils dating back 1.8 to 2.1 million years, including the Zinjanthropus (Paranthropus boisei) skull found in 1959 and Homo habilis remains
- MUSEUM
- A small museum founded by Mary Leakey in 1970, displaying fossils and stone tools
- HERITAGE
- Part of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area UNESCO World Heritage Site, inscribed 1979
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