The ancient history of Mbala is recognised as being one of the most important in Africa’s archaeological world. The dig sites of Kalambo Falls uncovered the most complete, uninterrupted stratified sequence of cultural history in Southern African spanning almost 60,000 years.

The area was excavated by Professor John Desmond Clark during the late 1950s. The National Heritage Conservation Commission submitted the area to be listed by UNESCO World Heritage Committee in 2009.