The Serengeti - the bleakness of Olduvai gorge

I have been to some remote places in my life but I dont think I’ve encountered anywhere as bleak as Olduvai Gorge.

This is where mankind began. The strata of this gorge deep in the African bush hides the remains of mans ancestors from millions of years ago. The whole area consists of a real treasure trove of archaeological importance and was where the jigsaw pieces of how "man" became "man" were put together.

There is somethng primeval about Olduvai Gorge (or Oldupai as it should be called – named after a plant). For a start it is in the middle of nowhere – about a hundred miles north of the road to the Serengeti NP. Its is usually done on route to the Serengeti from Ngorongoro as a half hour stopover and it is best done as part of a safari as it is impossible to get there on public transport. The road to Olduvai is horrific – I mean, truly horrific. I thought the roads in Kenya and the Serengeti were bad but the road to Olduvai gets the medal for the worst I encountered. One hundred miles of backbreaking road where you are bounced up and down until your teeth rattle.

The terrain it is situated in is very hostile. It is mainly scrub with thorny bushes trying to get a purchase on white sand soil. Its nothing like the lush fertile plains of Ngorongoro. These volcanic flatlands are close to to being devoid of water – temperatures in summer mus t be excruciating with the white sand reflecting the heat. It does look like a landscape from the dawn of time. As we bounced along this barren unforgiving terrain I could imagine a hominid family walking together in the hot sun as they would have done millions of years ago.

The gorge itself is flanked by a small car park usually filled with safari vehicles. There is a wattle and stone museum and a set of lecture tables overlooking the gorge. The gorge itself is of minimal size and depth and from the lip you can see the strata where the fossils were found. The museum is the most interesting part and houses the finds from the gorge. Most people have little or no knowledge of anthropology archaeology. Two million years is so long ago most people cant really relate to it. But if you concentrate on aspects that you can relate too such as the natural history of the gorge – the museum can be rewarding.

For a start there is "Lucy" named after the Beatles song popular in the camp when she was discovered. She is over 1.75 million years old and is thought to be the "missing link" between hominids and modern man. The museum also shows a fossilised set of footprints of a family walking in a muddy riverbed and also on show are skeletons of the megafauna that used to inhabit the area including a giant 10ft buffalo/Ox with nasty looking horns.

Finally if your visit coincides with a lecture then take advantage of it. For half an hour the guides go into far more detail about Louis and Mary Leakey then I can ever write here. My mind wandered and I kept thinking how dedicated the couple were to live out here for thirty years. Can you imagine Olduvai in the seventies? With hyenas howling at night and sharing your space with lions?

But if they hadn't we wouldnt know what we know today....