We were off early today for the long drive to Olduvai Gorge. We have to go through the Ngorongoro Conservancy on our way.
Along the way we saw a number of Masai villages. The Masai are a pastoral tribe and their villages are typically surrounded by fences made of branches and brush. They have large herds of cattle and goats that are housed at night in similar corrals.
Masai with some donkeys carrying water bags.
When we started our drive it was through lush jungle. The farther we drove the more arid it became. We are in the rain shadow of the mountain.
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| A Very Spiny Tree |
We eventually arrived at Olduvai Gorge, where the archeologists Louis and Mary Leakey spent their lives digging fossils and discovering many new hominids.
They had an excellent museum there with replica's of some of the skeletons they discovered. Plus lots of other information.
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| Laetoli Footprint Trail |
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| Laetoli Footprint Trail |
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| Lucy |
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| Turkana Boy |
Banded Mongoose by the museum.
Then we retraced our drive back up the side of the mountain to the rim of the Ngorongoro Caldera...
where we stopped near the top and were met by two rangers. They took us on a walk along part of the crater rim and told us about various plants that are used for medicinal purposes.
The rim is 2,000 feet above the floor. Zebras grazing at the top of the rim.
We also met some Masai men and boys who had been camping in an incredible “hut” built into a huge bush. They had been there for a couple of months eating only meat and making medicines from the local plants.
More wildlife along the walk.
We were back by late afternoon and enjoyed some down time and another concert at dinner.
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