In Tanzania’s southern highlands on the border with Zambia, the Kalambo Falls stands tall. The falls in the Kalambo River are billed among the tallest in the world.
This spectacular jet of water plunges in a single stream 235 metres down and then on to Lake Tanganyika. Archaeologically, Kalambo Falls is one of the most important prehistoric sites in Africa. It has produced a sequence of past human activity stretching over more than 250,000 years.
It takes about four hours by road from Sumbawanga town in the Rukwa region to reach Kalambo.
Recognising the importance of Kalambo Falls to stimulate development of tourism, the Tanzania Media for Community Development (Tamcode) has been campaigning for the listing of the falls among the heritage sites in Tanzania.
“Kalambo Falls also deserves to be among the wonders of the world due to its uniqueness and the forest conservation which surrounds the area and the history behind it,” says Tamcode executive director Rose Ngunangwa.
The waterfalls were first recorded in 1913 and later in 1956. The site was first excavated in 1953 by John Desmond Clark, who recognised archaeological activity around a small basin lake upstream from the falls.
Late Acheulean stone tools, hearths and well-preserved organic objects were found there, including a wooden club and digging sticks and evidence of fruit consumption.
Tools excavated from the Kalambo Gorge have been dated to around 300,000 BC, and the hearths indicate people were using fire in the area about 60,000 years ago.
The Acheulian rocks were superseded by the Sangoan and then Lupemban rocks related to those found in the Congo. Around 10,000 years ago, the site was occupied by the Magosian culture, which in turn gave way to Wilton activity.
The Kalambo Gorge, which has a width of about one kilometre and a depth of up to 300 metres, runs for about five kilometres before opening out into the Lake Tanganyika Rift Valley. The rolling abyss is a breeding ground of the rare, giant marabou stork.
The Kalambo Forest Reserve has been established to protect the falls and its surroundings in Kapozwa village, a locality with a population of about 5,820 people.
Kalambo Falls has been attracting visitors, mostly French tourists, through Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and South Africans through Zambia.
