Around Ngorongoro Crater: Laetoli and Olduvai Gorge.

The western part of Ngorongoro Crater is where Laetoli lies and at this area, homid footprints were preserved in volcanic rock 3.6 million years ago and represent some of the earliest signs of mankind in the world. Three separate tracks of a small-brained upright-walking early homid, Australopithecus Afarensis, a creature about 1.2 to 1.4 meters high, were found. Imprints of these are shown in the Olduvai Museum.

Further north, is where more advanced descendants of Laetoli’s hominids were found and these were buried in the layers of the 100 meters deep Olduvai Gorge. Excavations mostly by the archaeologist, Louis and Mary Leakey, yielded four different kinds of hominid, showing a gradual rise in the brain size and in the complexity of their stone tools, even still, the first Zinjanthropus’ skull referred to as ‘Nutcracker Man’, who lived about 1.7 million years ago were found here.