Olduvai Gorge Museum

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Olduvai Gorge Museum

The Olduvai Gorge Museum is in northern Tanzania, inside the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, on the edge of the Olduvai Gorge. It helps visitors learn about the gorge and nearby Laetoli fossil sites. The museum was founded by archaeologist Mary Leakey and is now run by Tanzania’s Department of Antiquities and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority. It is a natural history museum focused on paleoanthropology.

History in brief
- Founded in the late 1970s by Mary Leakey to house artifacts from the area.
- After Mary Leakey’s death, it came under Tanzania’s cultural antiquities department.
- In the mid-1990s, the Getty Museum renovated and expanded the museum.
- A new museum and visitor center opened in 2018, with updated exhibits, a Maasai culture area (boma), a small restaurant, and a covered viewing platform with views of the gorge. The design uses quartzite stones and a ring layout around a central open space to reflect Maasai architecture.

Location
- Located along the rim of Olduvai Gorge in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tanzania.
- About 5 km past the turnoff from the Serengeti-Ngorongoro road.

Exhibits
- The collection centers on paleoanthropological artifacts from the surrounding area, some original and some casts.
- A hall about the Leakey family and their work includes maps and charts about fossil excavation.
- The Laetoli footprints are featured, with a cast of part of the footprint trail made in 1996 by the Getty Museum.
- There are displays showing Australopithecus afarensis, a key early human ancestor, walking about 3.6 million years ago.
- Outdoor lecture areas are used by staff for presentations.

Visitors
- The museum welcomes about 3,000 visitors per day during peak season, from around the world.
- Most visitors arrive by safari vehicle, have lunch, take a tour, and then continue to Serengeti National Park.

Gallery (highlights)
- Photos show the old museum as it looked in 2006, the interior of the museum, and an entrance sign.

See also
- List of museums in Tanzania

Notes
- The museum aims to educate people about the Olduvai Gorge and nearby Laetoli fossil sites, highlighting the work of Mary Leakey and the ongoing research in the region.