Archive for Bolivia

Around the world – Cretaceous Park in Sucre

where the bus leaves you

In my opinion, visiting Cretaceous Park is a must thing out of 12 things to do in Sucre, Bolivia.

To get there take a bus number 4 from Sucre and get out at the last stop at Parque Cretácico just a few minutes from Sucre town.

 

where the bus leaves you

where the bus leaves you

I was surprised when the bus driver told me to get out just outside of a cement company, it all looked destroyed around. But once I climbed up the hill and paid the entrance (30 Bolivianos for foreigners, 5 bolivianos for the camera), I understood why.

the view when walking up to Cretaceous Park

the view when walking up to Cretaceous Park

First, once I walked the hill up to the Cretaceous Park in Sucre, I watched a video about the dinosaurs and their life. Then a guide walked me around the park and explained me some important facts. We saw some replicas of different species of the dinosaurs, including the biggest titanosaurus tall 18 metres and long 36 metres which is the biggest sculpture of the whole world.

We can see a replica of ankylosaurus which footprints were discovered in the South America for the first time here in the limestone wall.

It was the wall around the park which I saw from the main road but had no idea what it was about until the guide showed me. There were so many huge dinosaur footprints on it! It was because the mud covered them throthout the

Only in 1994 the cement company Fancesa found at this place what is now the world’s biggest paleontological site – Cretaceous Park in Sucre. It is around 1,500 metres long limestone wall of Cal Orck’o, tall 110 metres that is covered by dinosaur tracks that died some 68 to 65 million years ago. There are around 5055 dinosaur tracks of at least 8 to 15 species and 320 different animals. There we can see 581 metres of continuous walking of a middle size carnivorous which is the world record of dinosaur tracks in one place.

110 m tall limestone wall with dinosaur tracks

110 m tall limestone wall with dinosaur tracks

1500 m long limestone wall with dinosaur tracks

I really enjoyed looking at the tracks at the wall, and all the life-sized dinosaur statues. There is also a souvenir shop and a museum with a lot of fossils, dinosaur bones and a replica of a dinosaur found in Chubut province in Argentina. Outside of the museum you can learn more about the past of the area from the pictures and explanations. I am really happy I paid a visit to this parque cretacico as I didn’t know it was the world’s largest dinosaur tracks site. And as I was sick and couldn’t do the trekking to Crater de Maragua observing dinosaur tracks in the nature, I could at least visit the park and see some dinosaur footprints there.

Around the world – Castillo de la Glorieta in Sucre

main gate to Castillo de la Glorieta

I think that Castillo de la Glorieta is one of the places you should visit in Sucre, Bolivia. At least I mentioned it as one out of 12 things to do in Sucre.

The castle is open from Tuesdays to Sundays from 9 am to 4.30 pm. The entrance fee for foreigners is 20 Bolivianos with 10 Bolivianos if you want to take photos/videos. You can get there by a local bus number 4. The castle is situated just 5 kilometres from Sucre on the road to Potosi.

main gate to Castillo de la Glorieta

main gate to Castillo de la Glorieta

the entrance to the Castillo de la Glorieta

the entrance to the Castillo de la Glorieta

The Castillo de la Glorieta in Sucre was the home of Don Francisco de Argandoña and his wife Clotilde. It was built in the end of the 19th century (finished in 1897) in the eclectic style by the architect Antonio Camponovo together with and Argentinian architect. The castle is one of the most curious buildings from the republican period and mixes the styles, such as Gothic, Manierista, Baroque, Rococo, Neoclassical and Spanish Mudejar. It is one of the most important buildings that the husbands left behind and that reflects the places they visited in Europe.

one of the three main towers of Castillo de la Glorieta

one of the three main towers of Castillo de la Glorieta

The husbands were made Prince and Princess of the Glorieta in 1898 by the Pope Leon 13.

Castillo de la Glorieta was declared a ”National Monument” in 1970.

the view of the Princess Tower of Arab style

the view of the Princess Tower of Arab style

the view of the Gothic Church Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

the view of the Gothic Church Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

There are three towers in the castle: the English Gothic Church Tower reminds of London Big Ben, it’s 25 m tall and has 4 watches. The second tower is the one of the Princess Tower of Arab style and 30 m tall. The last tower is the tallest one – the Prince Tower (of Russian Byzantine style) which has 108 steps and is 40 m tall. I climbed it up and got a cool view of the surrounding areas and the military base outside the castle.

Prince Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

Prince Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

at the Prince Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

at the Prince Tower of Castillo de la Glorieta

finally climbed 108 steps to the top of the Prince Tower

finally climbed 108 steps to the top of the Prince Tower

Apart from the towers, the garden and the chapel, there is not much to see inside the castle. The rooms are mostly empty, just some beautiful old mirrors and remains of the beds are there.

what is left in one of the bedrooms of Castillo de la Glorieta

what is left in one of the bedrooms

a beautiful old mirror in Castillo de la Glorieta

a beautiful old mirror

But from outside it is a very unique building because of the mixture of the styles. I am not sure if the castle is worth visiting from the inside as you have to pay, but definitely recommend you to see it from the outside at least. Castillo de la Glorieta in Sucre has also a lovely patio with a garden with palm trees.

at the patio to the garden

at the patio to the garden

the garden of the Castillo de la Glorieta

the garden of the Castillo de la Glorieta

Nowadays, Castillo de la Glorieta first owners – the Argandoña husbands are buried in one of the mausoleums of the cemetery in Sucre.

 

I am happy my plans changed completely when in Sucre I had to give Sucre – white city of the America a third chance. Only because of it I was able to visit Castillo de la Glorieta.