Parque Cretácico (Cal Orck’o)

Sucre


It seems that 65 million years ago the site of Sucre’s Fabrica Nacional de Cemento SA (Fancesa) cement quarry, 5km north of the center, was the place to be for large, scaly types. When the grounds were being cleared in 1994, plant employees uncovered a nearly vertical mudstone face bearing about 5000 tracks of at least eight different species of dinosaur – the largest collection of dinosaur footprints in the world.

You can see some of the prints from outside the park's chain-link fence, but of course you get a better panorama inside; the best light for photographs is during the afternoon. From the terrace, you can examine the tracks on the rock face opposite with binoculars, though the exposed prints are increasingly eroded with every passing winter. There are a number of kitschy life-size models of dinosaurs (good for kids) and a room with unimpressive fossil displays. Recommended are the optional guided tours that take you down into the quarry for close-up views. There's a basic restaurant on site.

Micro 4 (B$1.50) runs from the center past the site; tell the driver where you want to get off. Taxis are B$30 each way and the park runs a double-decker bus (B$10 each way) that leaves from in front of the cathedral on Plaza 25 de Mayo; it's worth taking for the views of the city and surrounding countryside from the top.