Isimila, the Stone Age Site

Twenty kilometers from Iringa, off the Mbeya Road, lies Isimila where archeologists discovered Stone Age tools in the early '50s. We visited last Saturday, an absolutely gorgeous day with bright sunshine, no rain, and just enough breeze to make a walk through the mostly dry Isimila river bed pleasant. The gorge formed by tens of thousands of years of erosion provides some of the most dramatic vistas in all of Tanzania--and that's saying a lot. It's a little like the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, and Colorado's Garden of the Gods all rolled into one and miniaturized.

After viewing a display of Stone Age tools (60,00 to 100,000 years old) unearthed by three separate archeological digs over the last half century, we were taken on a walk down into the canyon, through the valley of sandstone pillars, haunting, towering structures left after erosion. Our guide Donatus, an archeologist who works at the site, gave us a wonderful summary filled with both fact and lore about the area. In fact, we felt so confident by the end that we were able to spot more tools in the river bed ourselves. This coming September an expedition will arrive from the U of Dar es Salaam to continue excavation; Donatus will be accompanying the team.