Paleontological Research Center — Attraction in Boyacá

Knowledgeable guides make a difference here. Two of us joined three other people to listen to their English-speaking guide. We learned a lot about the exhibit and the research that is going on in the Center. Even though they have labels in English, still you get a lot more information from the guide. Don't miss this opportunity, especially since you probably won't have a guide at the nearby El Fósil . This place (the Center) is much more informative about different kinds of fossils that can be found in the area, so go see the giant dino at El Fósil first, and then come to this Center to see other kinds of fossils and get valuable information. Both sites together will take less than two hours, maybe even an hour if you are in a hurry and don't spend much time at El Fósil and leave the Center right after the guided tour (assuming that you are lucky and don't have to wait (we did not)).

Visited in...

The Centro de Investigaciones Paleontologicas is an example of a hard working nonprofit organization with the mandate of paleontological research and education. They have put together very carefully curated specimens from the Boyaca region. Researchers working in this part of Colombia and who have contributed to the knowledge of palaeontology internationally actively continue their work from this centre. We had a tour with a young guide who spoke some English (and did very well actually, better English than our Spanish). The displays and animated presentation were in Spanish but it was not difficult to get the gist and Google Translate covered the rest. A “must see” if you are in...

Excellent example of a private institution doing scientific research and trying to support that research through outreach (although I hope some of their finance comes through government and academic resources - science shouldn't be 100% self-funded).

As a visitor experience the centre does a great job in a small space. Guided tours are conducted at regular interviews (in Spanish) but there are many interesting exhibits and posters to examine, many with English translations.

In addition to the museum of fossils there is a hands-on experience for children that is both enjoyable and inspiring for them. Highly...