Laetoli

Laetoli is a palaeoanthropological site in northern Tanzania noted for a set of hominin footprints preserved in volcanic ash and dated to around 3.6 million years ago. The footprints provide direct evidence of early bipedal hominins and are among the most important early human-related finds.

The primary attraction is the preserved footprint surface and associated stratified deposits that record early hominin activity; scientific study of the site has focused on morphology, gait and context in relation to other East African hominin finds. Public access to the original surfaces is limited for conservation reasons, and research continues to refine understanding of the finds.

The Laetoli footprints were discovered and excavated in the 1970s during fieldwork led by Mary Leakey and colleagues; subsequent study has placed the prints within the context of Australopithecus afarensis and the broader East African fossil record.

Laetoli lies in Tanzania’s Arusha Region within a protected conservation landscape of savannah and volcanic deposits, south of the main Ngorongoro and Olduvai areas; the site is reached via regional roads from larger towns and is managed for both research and conservation.

• Age and species attribution: Footprints preserved in volcanic ash have been dated to about 3.6 million years and are attributed to hominins of the species Australopithecus afarensis.
• Site protection: The archaeological locality is protected and managed; direct access to the original footprint layers is limited and the site is conserved to prevent damage.

What to See #

• Laetoli Footprints: Laetoli Footprints area - the thin ash layer preserving hominin footprints dated to about 3.6 million years, protected in situ and investigated by palaeoanthropologists.