Isimila Stone Age Site
Isimila Stone Age Site
4.5
Tours & experiences
Explore different ways to experience this place.
Full view
Top ways to experience Isimila Stone Age Site
The area
Reach out directly
Contribute
Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
94 reviews
Excellent
51
Very good
31
Average
10
Poor
2
Terrible
0
CFEIII
Center, TX5,777 contributions
Oct 2020 • Friends
The first part of this place was a source for Stone Age tools. There are hundreds of scrapers, knives, ax heads that were roughed out are still visible here. Wandering over the hill to The Valley was really nice. It is all downhill walking and very unique. Could get messy with heavy rains.
Written November 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
triciab1945
Portland, OR148 contributions
Aug 2017 • Friends
This is an old archaeological site with a great little museum with good displays. Be sure to use the guide who is a volunteer trying to raise money to finish his college degree. He is knowledgeable and helpful. Christopher is his name and will accept any donation. He led us through the museum, the gift shop that had some great African fabric shirts and then took us on a walk that lasted almost an hour through the valley to see the Stone Pillars. It is a wonderful phenomenon and reminded us of Cappadocia in central Turkey. The actual digging sites are not that interesting as they are sheds filled with stone age tools in a pile.
Written August 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
russellamgalt
Edinburgh, UK26 contributions
Sept 2016 • Friends
This is a hidden gem. The natural pillars are spectacular. However, it beggars belief that the planning authorities approved the construction of electricity pylons over what should be regarded as a sacred natural site.
The museum is interesting but in need of a revamp. Our guide, Christopher, was excellent and gave comprehensive answers to all of our questions.
Well worth a visit.
The museum is interesting but in need of a revamp. Our guide, Christopher, was excellent and gave comprehensive answers to all of our questions.
Well worth a visit.
Written November 23, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Caleb C
36 contributions
Jun 2014 • Friends
This is a great place to visit if you are interested in geography, nature or animals. You get there on a dala dala. Be prepared for a 30 minute journey (from Iringa station) with lots of speed bumps in a crowded vehicle - but trust me it is worth it.
When you get there after a short walk from the motorway it is 3,000Tsh (£1.05). Make sure you bring a copy of your passport otherwise you pay 10,000Tsh. A guide costs 10,000Tsh (£3.50) as well which is so cheap considering he is a great guide! He will show you a small museum with some ancient Hehe tribe's tools and weapons and then he will walk you around the site (takes about 45 mins - 1 hour). He even made a slingshot out of a tree branch and started throwing large rocks around like the old Hehe tribes did, it was brilliant.
The site is incredible, 15 metre tall rock formations carved out by rivers, wind and rain over millenia. The site is not visited very often so it is largely undisturbed. There is no litter, but there are large power lines in the distance, which is kind of annoying I guess. Still, a lot less disturbed than similar sites in places like China or the US.
There are also monkeys, hyraxes and a wide variety of arthropods around the site like giant African ants and bees. There are also hundreds of lizards basking in the sun on the concrete around the museum/gift shop/entrance building, which I found very interesting. There was even an Agama lizard there!
To conclude, Isimila is an excellent experience for any traveler in the region, and very cheap. It is fascinating how this place has developed over millions of years. Definitely go if you are in the area and have time!
When you get there after a short walk from the motorway it is 3,000Tsh (£1.05). Make sure you bring a copy of your passport otherwise you pay 10,000Tsh. A guide costs 10,000Tsh (£3.50) as well which is so cheap considering he is a great guide! He will show you a small museum with some ancient Hehe tribe's tools and weapons and then he will walk you around the site (takes about 45 mins - 1 hour). He even made a slingshot out of a tree branch and started throwing large rocks around like the old Hehe tribes did, it was brilliant.
The site is incredible, 15 metre tall rock formations carved out by rivers, wind and rain over millenia. The site is not visited very often so it is largely undisturbed. There is no litter, but there are large power lines in the distance, which is kind of annoying I guess. Still, a lot less disturbed than similar sites in places like China or the US.
There are also monkeys, hyraxes and a wide variety of arthropods around the site like giant African ants and bees. There are also hundreds of lizards basking in the sun on the concrete around the museum/gift shop/entrance building, which I found very interesting. There was even an Agama lizard there!
To conclude, Isimila is an excellent experience for any traveler in the region, and very cheap. It is fascinating how this place has developed over millions of years. Definitely go if you are in the area and have time!
Written July 19, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrea
12 contributions
Feb 2021 • Solo
Somebody wrote small fee? Most of travellers in Tanzania should learn how to travel. Going to a poor country and showing your wealth is the worst thing you can do for locals and the next travellers. Tanzania is a beautiful country and luckily those helpless holiday makers do not explore it well. Wherever those holiday makers go, it's all spoiled: they way people treat you, prices, vibes. Here people earns 300k per month, that's 100 USD per month. Tanzania doesn't really need those people's help to spoil its beauty.
This is a nice site, but with the entrance fee you pay 2 nights at a local guest house. Is that cheap?
Of course it cost that fee because some helpless holiday makers showed off thier little wealth of whole year saving.
Of course it's plenty of fee like that in Tanzania.
And if anybody thinks those money help locals, he is completely wrong in a country where everything is corrupt. Eating in local eatery or sleeping in simple lodges helps locals.
If you cannot travel, stay at home on your comfortable sofa.
This is a nice site, but with the entrance fee you pay 2 nights at a local guest house. Is that cheap?
Of course it cost that fee because some helpless holiday makers showed off thier little wealth of whole year saving.
Of course it's plenty of fee like that in Tanzania.
And if anybody thinks those money help locals, he is completely wrong in a country where everything is corrupt. Eating in local eatery or sleeping in simple lodges helps locals.
If you cannot travel, stay at home on your comfortable sofa.
Written February 9, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
VirgJ
47 contributions
Dec 2017 • Family
A very beautiful and historical place. It was amazing to learn all about the bi-facial tools estimated to be between 60 000 and 100 000. Very interesting large stone pillars as high as 30m and very hot during the day. Christopher was our guide and he was surprisingly very very knowledgeable and couldn’t be happier. If you’re ever in Iringa, i highly recommend to visit
Written December 3, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CcH1971
The Hague, The Netherlands92 contributions
Jul 2012 • Family
The Isimila Stone Age Site is very special to walk through. The strangely formed stone pilars are spectacular. This trip is very nice to to with children. When they are afraid or have difficulties climbing, the guide carries them without any hesitation. Take enough water, it's hot and there is few shades.
Written August 17, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Farid786
Toronto, Canada244 contributions
Aug 2011 • Family
this place has amazing things to see from different stones to tools the ancient people used to use, a great place to visit and see how rocks form over time with different colors
Written July 7, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Abdulla Msabaha
Mbeya, Tanzania70 contributions
Sept 2019
Beautiful place for geo tourism,see how geography can make you relax in just few kilometres from city center.
Written September 17, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Safaris-Holiday
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania328 contributions
Nov 2018
The Isimila Stone Age Site is one of the important archaeological sites in Tanzania located along the highway to Mbeya, just 20 kilometers from Iringa town. There is a picnic area at the museum with guides on site who assist visitors down the gorge to view the beds where some of the tools were found and sandstone pillars which are harder rock types more resistant to soil erosion on the area about 30meters high. It’s always better to do this walking in the morning when the weather is still cool and refreshing, the tour begin at the museum with a brief information of how the site with pillars formed, the stone ages tools and the fossils displayed.
In the 1950’s archaeologists and researchers discovered fossils bones of extinct Mammals and some of the most important Stone Age’s tools used by our ancestors estimated to date back between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago. The discovery of these tools confirms the theory that this site was the hunting ground for nomadic hunters-collectors who lived in this area prior to our existence.
In the 1950’s archaeologists and researchers discovered fossils bones of extinct Mammals and some of the most important Stone Age’s tools used by our ancestors estimated to date back between 60,000 and 100,000 years ago. The discovery of these tools confirms the theory that this site was the hunting ground for nomadic hunters-collectors who lived in this area prior to our existence.
Written May 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is it child friendly? Also how much are the tickets and can one but them on site?
Written March 25, 2018
Hello Jacob. It is children friendly but children from the age of around 7 and above. I went with my nephew who is 9yrs old and he was perfectly okay. I wouldn’t recommend younger children because there’s walking involved and we went when it was very sunny so someone younger could get tired easily. Yes you can get the tickets at the site.
Written March 26, 2018
Showing results 1-3 of 3
Is this your Tripadvisor listing?
Own or manage this property? Claim your listing for free to respond to reviews, update your profile and much more.
Claim your listing