The Ngorongoro Lengai UNESCO Global Geopark holds some of the world’s most important archaeological treasures, from the 3.6-million-year-old Laetoli footprints to ancient tools and fossils—offering a rare window into early human life, migration, and evolution.
The Ngorongoro Lengai UNESCO Global Geopark is home to some of the world’s most significant archaeological treasures. These sites offer a rare glimpse into the deep history of humanity, preserving evidence of early human life, migration, and innovation. From the famous Laetoli footprints—proof of bipedal walking over 3.6 million years ago—to ancient tools, dwellings, and fossil remains, each site contributes to our understanding of human evolution and cultural development.
The Olduvai Gorge is the most iconic archaeological site in East Africa and, doubtless, the world. The site was officially recognized as the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1979.
For about three million years prior to the formation of the gorge, the region was a low area that was periodically occupied by a large, saline lake known as Lake Olduvai. Massive volcanic eruptions from the Ngorongoro Volcanic Highlands to the south and east deposited massive amounts of volcanic ash and pumice (pyroclastic material) in and around the lake.
During this time, the lake and surrounding areas were home to some of our earliest hominid ancestors. The gorge formed around 30,000 years ago as a result of tectonic activity associated with the East African Rift, which resulted in the formation of the Olbalbal Depression to the east.
This allowed an existing river system, which originated in the west from Lake Ndutu, to begin aggressively cutting down through the numerous layers of volcanic ash and pumice, resulting in the formation of the gorge.
Olduvai Gorge is nearly 100 meters (328 feet) deep at its deepest point. Exposed within the sides of the gorge are remarkably rich chronicles of human ancestry and the evolution of the Serengeti ecosystem. It was here that Mary and Louis Leakey, over the course of more than 30 years of backbreaking work, unearthed the first well-dated fossils and artefacts of some of our earliest human ancestors. Their discoveries include the famous Zinjanthropus (Australopithecus boisei) skull as well as remains of Homo habilis, the presumed maker of the numerous early stone tools found in deposits ranging in age from 1.6 to 1.8 million years ago, and Homo erectus, the larger- bodied and larger-brained hominin that preceded the earliest modern humans (Homo sapiens).
Some excavation sites have been preserved for public viewing and present-day work continues during the dry seasons, coordinated by the NCAA Cultural Heritage Department. The gorge may be visited year-round. It is necessary to have an official guide to visit the actual excavations.
The Laetoli Footprint site is among the world’s most famous archaeological sites, providing indisputable evidence that bipedalism in human ancestors was achieved 3.6 million years ago. The site consists of hominin discovery sites, the hominid footprints complex and animal and bird footprints.
Laetoli has been excavated since 1938; however, it was in the 1970s that Laetoli became much appreciated when Mary Leakey turned her attention to the area. Shortly after, Mary and her team discovered numerous mammal fossil remains, including a well-preserved specimen of archaic Homo sapiens and a magnificent holotype (Australopithecus afarensis) a.k.a “Lucy”. In 1976, two members of her team fortuitously discovered the hominid footprints.
Subsequent excavation revealed that the footprints were made by three individuals walking in the same direction. This has led some to propose that they were walking as a group. In 1979, the footprints were re-buried for preservation. In 2014, two new sets of footprints were unearthed approximately 150 meters south of the old footprints site.
The two individuals were walking on the same surface and in the same direction as the three individuals at the old site, thus raising the possibility that more footprints may be discovered. Most researchers agree that Australopithecus afarensis is the hominid species that made the footprints at Laetoli.
With the establishment of the first sophisticated irrigation system in the hinterland of East Africa, Engaruka rose to become the first appreciated agricultural civilization of its kind during the 14th century, and is credited with having close commercial links with the fabled coastal city states of the era such as Kilwa.
The fame of Engaruka climaxed in the 15th -17th centuries, and by the 18th century, Engaruka was wholly abandoned following climatic frustrations and ecological stress.
Today 7 centuries later, the ruins of Engaruka remain elegant, intact and authentic. At Engaruka, one will have a chance to walk through the past 7 centuries and be reminded of the 14th-century cutting-edge technology in agricultural advancements, planned human settlements, and a commanding view of the Ngorongoro massif.
At Engaruka, one cannot miss seeing the capping snow of Africa’s highest Kilimanjaro Mountain in the mornings and experiencing brilliant sceneries of the Rift Valley geological system, including breath-taking maars and the iconic Kerimasi and Oldonyo Lengai Mountains.
Mumba is an extensive rock shelter under an immense outcrop of metamorphic gneiss located at 35°17’47″E, 3°32’26″S near the Northeastern shore of Lake Eyasi. The rock shelter contains one of the most important and complete archaeological sequences, pivotal in the study of Late Pleistocene archaeology of East Africa.
The finds from the shelter show a clear transition between the middle Stone Age and the Later Stone Age. A nearly 11-meter (36 feet) thick section of sediment in the shelter floor records hominid and human occupation that dates back at least 130,000 years before the present.
Researches at Mumba have recovered remains of archaic and anatomically modern humans, a wealth of data regarding paleoenvironments and fauna, which are central for understanding transitions from the Middle to Later Stone Age as well as the study of the processes involved in the development of technological modernity.
Several prehistoric industries have been established at Mumba from bottom to top: Sanzako industry (MSA; 131-73 kya), Kisele industry (MSA/LSA; Transitional 63-56kya), Mumba industry (early LSA; 56-49 kya), Nasera industry (LSA; 36-15kya), Holocene and ceramic LSA industries (12-3kya). The Mumba sequence also contains Pastoral Neolithic (PN) and Iron Age deposits, which are foundational for understanding transitions to food production in East Africa.
Currently, the rock shelter is 2-4 km from the shore of Lake Eyasi, depending upon the lake level. However, the sediments in the shelter floor indicate that the shoreline was much closer in ancient times and that the shelter may also have been close to one or more freshwater streams.
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