Tanzania: the country ... travels

Field sites: Northern Tanzania

In the city: Dar es Salaam ... the University

Living arrangements

Links ... maps ... photo album

Program timeline and course listing

Courses: Kiswahili ... Human Evolution ... Ecology of the Maasai Ecosystem ... Methods course and Field project

Academic info: eligibility ... credit and grades ... faculty ... costs ... how to apply

Contacts: campus program advisors... ACM office

Above: A view of the area surrounding Olduvai Gorge.
Below, right: On the Serengeti Plain. (Photo courtesy of Elaine Dunham)

Field sites in Northern Tanzania

Tarangire National Park

Tarangire National Park, the main field site for the program, is named for the Tarangire River, which provides the only permanent water source for local wildlife.

The park encompasses 1,600 square miles and is a magnet during the dry season for large concentrations of elephants, buffaloes, wildebeests and zebras. Tarangire is also a permanent residence to mongoose, giraffes, lions, hyenas and many other species. Bird enthusiasts will find populations of eagles and owls. The park also has large areas of wetlands.

Field practica topics at Tarangire are quite varied and have included: Thermal Characteristics of Burrows Created by the African Burrowing Wolf Spider, A Study of the Flocking Behavior and Interspecific Association of Starlings, and A Comparison Between the Biodiversity of Tarangire National Park and the Adjacent Maasai Lands.

Endulen Village

A second field site for the ACM program is at Endulen village, near the Laetoli archaeological site. The area in and around Endulen affords opportunities for archaeology and anthropology field work. There is a significant Maasai population in the region and a local hospital that permits ACM students with strong interests in health care and medical anthropology to conduct field practica.

Past topics have included Maasai Women’s Reproductive Health and Sexual Education, Cultural Constructs of Disabled Individuals among the Maasai, and Global Change and the Maintenance of Tribal Traditions: Maasai Feelings About Their Changing Way of Life.

Serengeti National Park

Students will also visit Serengeti National Park, which boasts the oldest ecosystem on the planet, containing an enormous variety of terrestrial wildlife, from large mammals to countless birds, reptiles and insects.

Above: A lake in the Ngorongoro Crater. (Photo courtesy of Rachel Sandler)
Below: A plaque in Olduvai Gorge commemorates Mary Leakey’s work.

Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli

Nearby are Olduvai Gorge and Laetoli, which have been sites of paleo-anthropological research since the early 1900’s.

During their years at Olduvai and Laetoli spanning five decades, Mary and Louis Leakey uncovered numerous fossil remains, including a 1.75 million-year-old Australopithecus cranium, the first identification of Homo habilis, and a long trail of 3.5 million-year-old hominoid footprints.

Below: Program group visits an archaeological site in the Lake Eyasi basin. (Photo courtesy of Gary Wagenbach)

Above: Beginning of the Eyasi escarpment of the Rift Valley. (Photo courtesy of Dhaval Vyas)

The photo album has pictures from the field sites and of wildlife in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro crater.

Go to: Dar es Salaam ... University of Dar es Salaam ... Serengeti and Laetoli ... living arrangements