Isimila Stone Age Site

 

Taking in the views

 

Isimila Stone Age Site has been on my list of places to go for about five years. It's a shame that we haven't gotten out there before today, though in retrospect I must admit that I had totally underrated it. I am not sure why though it may be traced to a trusted friend giving a negative trip report. It's only about a half hour drive from Iringa town and is an easy half day trip. In my defense, one does have to go down the big hill from Iringa, which can be painfully slow if there are overloaded trucks. The road due south from Iringa to Isimila is also densely populated with traffic police and thus the travel situation can be overall discouraging.

The site is home to the Middle Pleistocene archaeological site with most of the artifacts being roughly 60,000 and 100,000 years old. To be honest I was not very impressed by the archeological site which may have been partially our fault for rejecting the guide. But there were no signs or educational content, something which could have greatly enriched the experience. There were some very crude stone tools laying in modern man made structures built to protect the stones.

However, the landscape and rock formations were quite stunning. It's a bit of a random occurrence that the archaeological site happens to be next to a beautiful natural area but it certainly helps to create a worthwhile day out at the site. There had been significant rain in the past week so the area was green and the ground was soft. There is a nice trail that walks along the bottom of the canyon and the varied sandstone pillars were stunning. I couldn't believe that more people in Iringa don't talk about this place as a "must do" for Iringa day trips!

I also must commend the main office. The staff were friendly and helpful. Prices were transparent and payment was done electronically. The visitor log also indicated that they were getting plenty of visitors which is a great thing for second rate tourist attractions like this. We really enjoyed the walk and next time we'll come a little earlier to beat the heat.

Dry soil with what I think is clay mixed in.

Impressive rock!

Canyon views