A journey into the cradle of Mankind
When was the last time you learnt/heard about Kariandusi? Probably a Geography class, or History perhaps?
Well… the Kariandusi Pre-historic Museum is an archaeological site located in Gilgil, Nakuru County. The site is among the first discoveries of Lower Paleolithic sites in East Africa. Discovered in 1928 by the renowned paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey, it’s a historical site with numerous evidence that shows the early Pre-historic people existed; in an era known as the Acheulian period.
Let’s take a trip down memory lane a bit, shan’t we? So Dr. Louis Leakey believed the site is possibly the first factory site of the Acheulian period to have been found in Situ, in East Africa. This conclusion was made after numerous collections of specimen were found lying in the Kariandusi riverbed. It is here that numerous fossils of the early hand-axe man were discovered.
Kariandusi Pre-historic Museum is located on the eastern side of the Rift Valley, about 120-km north north west of Nairobi, on the Nakuru-Elementaita basin. What a splendid road trip it can be!
Tourist attraction areas within Kariandusi include: Camp Site, Nature Trail, Museum Exhibition Hall, The Gorge, Bird Watching area and the archeological site. Overlying all divisions of the excavation site is white diatomite sediments from a lake bed. Diatomite is microscopic algae skeletons. Nowadays, people use this white hard stuff to make insulation and paints. The Maasais use it as a facial cosmetic. There are also wells nearby the archeological site for mining Diatomite.
Let’s take in some more facts. We’ve also learnt in history that the early humans almost had an obsession with stone tools and artifacts; from massive cleavers to hand axes. Well… most of the tools preserved at Kariandusi Museum were once used as cutting implements by Pre-historic people; mostly for butchering meat.
The cradle of humankind explains the uniqueness of Kenya as a safari destination. Fancy a journey into time? Book a tour with us today and create some memories.