Country
Fossil hunting in Tanzania
Two of the most cited localities in human origins research sit inside one Tanzanian conservation area. Olduvai Gorge produced the Oldowan tool record, and the Laetoli footprints record hominins walking upright 3.6 million years ago.
Olduvai Gorge cuts through the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and exposes a long sequence of Pleistocene beds. Work there from the 1930s onward established the East African record of early stone tools and hominin fossils, and a museum sits on the rim.
Laetoli lies south of the gorge. Volcanic ash preserved trackways of hominins on two feet about 3.6 million years ago. Those prints are the direct evidence for bipedal gait at that date. The prints were reburied for protection. Reporting in 2026 describes a building and a visitor path on the site, so check the current arrangement with the conservation area authority.
The wider Ngorongoro-Lengai UNESCO Global Geopark covers both. Access follows conservation area rules, which means fees, and in practice a guide.
1 fossil site
Updated 14 September 2026
Frequently asked questions
- Can you visit Olduvai Gorge?
- Yes. The gorge lies inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and has a museum on the rim. Access follows conservation area rules, which means an entry fee and in practice a guide.
- Can you see the Laetoli footprints?
- Not the original surface. The trackways are reburied to protect them, so the site is interpreted rather than displayed. They record hominins walking upright about 3.6 million years ago.