Beautiful Erosions: Isimila Stone Age Site

Hey World,

After two whole weeks in the confines of Iringa, it was time to book out the car for a few hours, turn the phone to airplane mode, and go exploring!

My first mini-adventure was a solo trip to nearby Isimila Stone Age Site, located just under 20KM outside of Iringa towards Mbeya -- just follow the major road until you see the brand new sign, then take the first left (if it looks like it couldn't possibly be the entrance...that's definitely it)!

After a minute of driving on the path, you'll see this sign and know you're on the right track!

After a junction where it looks like there are pillars/entrance to the left, continue straight and go down a bumpy, bumpy road until you reach this office. Inside you'll pay the entrance fees -- it's 2,000TsH for residents and 20,000 for non-residents. 

No, that's not a path for billy goats. The first step to seeing the site is to climb this!

And after a hodge-podge tour through the "museum" and a short hike, you'll finally find yourself here!

Hi, from Isimila! 

Notice anything strange in this photo?

How about now? 

Despite traveling through the site with a guide (who I gave 5,000Tsh at the end, but you can pay/tip whatever you feel is reasonable), you are still totally free to climb around, touch, and explore all of the rock formations -- which is awesome!

Moreover, your guide is there to remind you that you are passing through a place which has been inhabited by man for over 300,000 years. THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS! As I was walking on unpaved paths and looking around at the natural wonders, I couldn't help but reflect on the similarities we share with generations upon generations of people whose stories we will never hear.

All in all, I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The tour itself took about an hour and a half, and I allotted about 30 minutes to drive each way to/from Iringa, which meant the whole shebang took less than three hours out of my weekend. Though Isimila is not a place I would come regularly (I thought it was more of a solo hike place -- definitely not true!), it was well worth my time this past weekend, and definitely would be a great place to return to with friends to take some fun photos!

Now that I have Isimila under my belt, I'm looking into a couple other mini-adventures I can take in the next few months, including a game park, a national park, and a nearby farmhouse/spa.

Have you been exploring your local environment? Find any real gems? Sometimes the greatest places are closer to your backyard then you could have imagined :)

xoxo,
M


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