Story by:
Claire
From December to April, millions of wildebeest, zebra, and gazelles amass in the Southern Serengeti around Ndutu for calving season. This is considered a ‘starting point’ of the perfect cycle that is the Great Migration. The birthplace of half a million wildebeest, this incredible natural wonder takes place a geographical stone’s throw from Olduvai Gorge, where some of man’s first footprints are etched in the ground.
Today, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area stretches across the Southern Serengeti and Ndutu to the Ngorongoro Crater. It is a place of incredible scenic beauty, brimming with natural heritage and historical importance. This is an area that connects the past and the present. Maasai pastoralists live alongside wildlife, a beating heart of tradition in a modern world.
As a place of such archaeological importance, Southern Serengeti and Ngorongoro are an undeniable wildlife mecca, but there is a human element to its location that takes us back to our origins. From fossilised footprints and volcanic remains to glimpses of Maasai daily life and the tourist rush around the Great Migration and the Crater, there is an ingrained connection between humans and these wild landscapes of the Rift Valley.
Every now and then a motorbike drove past in a display of red shuka, herders texted their friends from the roadside, a game of soccer in the dust with village dogs as spectators. But it was impossible to forget that the world’s largest caldera lay over the horizon – telling boiling, explosive stories of the earth’s past and promising some of the world’s most astounding wildlife experiences in the present.
Standing at the overlook at Naabi Hills at the fringe of Serengeti National Park, there is a Mad Max view of seemingly perfectly flat plains dissected by a single road, busy with the traffic of game viewers driving dustily into the distance. Beyond this in the opposite direction, time has given us a flash of what was, with the gorge at Olduvai carving through geological layers that date back millions of years. The gorge chronicles our history in a universal language of rock strata and bone and earth. It is not without its mysteries. There are still undiscovered paleoanthropic possibilities here. This mystery mingles with the promise of places devoid of our imprint.
Near to Olduvai Gorge lies a moving dune, dubbed the Shifting Sands. Composed of dark, magnetic volcanic ash, the Shifting Sands are like a slow-motion tremble of the earth itself, moving approximately 17 meters per year. This ash has its origins at Ol Doinyo Lengai, the Mountain of the Gods and an active volcano. Also known as barkan, the dune is considered sacred by the Maasai, on a slow migration of its own – one that has been going on for around three million years.
Ndutu is arguably the site at which the Great Migration goes full circle. When it comes to Ndutu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, perhaps the same can be said for us – people of the modern age drawn with a magnetism to places that connect us to provenance and our enduring connection to wild places. For an experience that combines culture, history, and unbeatable natural heritage, southern Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are both gateway and destination. From the footfall of millions of wildebeest in the Great Migration to the silent steps of early man, this is a part of the world that celebrates well-travelled tourist routes and the wild places beyond.
Views from Southern Serengeti, Ndutu, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area
A break in the great grasslands of the Southern Serengeti, these kopjes are waypoints, pulse markers, and islands that add to the intrigue of the area.
The connective tissue between the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater is the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, homeland of the Maasai and the location of Olduvai Gorge, where the Leakeys did their important paleoanthropological work.
Olduvai or Oldupai Gorge is sometimes referred to as the Cradle of Humankind and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is here the Leakeys did more than 30 years of excavation, finding a trove of early stone tools and famous hominin fossils.
Today, there is a museum at Olduvai Gorge where visitors can learn more about the incredible specimens that were discovered in this location. Guided tours into the gorge are also available - and can include tours to the fascinating Shifting Sands.
The drive from Serengeti's Naabi Gate to Ngorongoro Crater follows a thread of dirt road through wild, open spaces. Maasai villages dot the way, their cloaked inhabitants going about life according to a proud tradition - sometimes with a modern twist.
Serengeti Links:
Serengeti Balloon Safari | The Great Wildebeest Migration | Serengeti National Park Overview | Southern Serengeti, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Ndutu, and Olduvai | Central Serengeti, Seronera, and Grumeti | Northern Serengeti, Kogatende, and the Mara River | Quick Travel Tips For Serengeti National Park | What To Pack For a Serengeti Safari