What to see on the route of the dinosaurs of Asturias

Asturias

Despite the fact that scientific tourism is still incipient in Spain, there are more and more people interested in making visits or excursions related to science. Under this premise, Dinópolis Teruel was born in 2001, a unique theme park in Europe dedicated to dinosaurs that since it opened its doors has attracted millions of people thanks to the combination of leisure and science.

However, Teruel is not the only place in Spain where the remains of these Jurassic creatures can be seen. On the eastern coast of Asturias each day that passes more fossils and traces of the presence of dinosaurs appear in the north of the country. 

The route of the dinosaurs of Asturias covers the coastline between the towns of Gijón and Ribadesella. Throughout nine sites we will discover the footprints that the dinosaurs left in this place millions of years ago. Then we will take a brief tour of them to get to know them better.

Colunga

colunga

The most popular and accessible site in Asturias is located here. The visitor can contemplate, on a path parallel to La Griega beach, one of the largest sauropod tracks in the world, 125 centimeters in diameter, as well as other theropod ichnites.

Merón Beach

meron beach

In Playa de Merón, belonging to the council of Villaviciosa, there is the trail that a quadruped dinosaur left when walking. It is made up of twelve hand and foot prints, as well as some tridactyl icons of bipedal dinosaurs.

Ribadesella beach

ribadesella

Ribadesella beach, in addition to being one of the most touristy, has numerous dinosaur footprints quadrupeds, probably sauropods, which are easily visible on the cliff. You can also see some ichnites of carnivorous dinosaurs (theropods) at the end of the walk that runs along the beach.

Cliff of Lights

beacon of lights

On the cliffs near the fishing village of Lastres, near the lighthouse, there are tridactyl dinosaur footprints and counter-molds. The visitor will have to travel a path before reaching various groups of ichnites, both sauropods and theropods. Among all of them, a sauropod trail formed by three large footprints in which the animal's fingers can be identified is especially noteworthy.

Cliff of Tereñes

footprints

Along with the Colunga site, the Tereñes Cliff is one of the most important. It is located near Ribadesella and four parallel traces of ornithopods stand out, one a theropod and the other a stegosaurus, where hand and foot prints are preserved. You can also find several small tridactyl tracks created by bipedal dinosaurs.

La Vega beach

In Playa de Vega there is one of the sites of dinosaur footprints of great scenic beauty, in which you can see three ichnites left by these reptiles during the Jurassic.

Tazones Port and Lighthouse

The route ends in the town of Tazones, a fishing village near the mouth of the Villaviciosa estuary. At the Puerto de Tazones site, on a cliff, you can see various theropod and sauropod tracks, while at the Tazones Lighthouse you can see numerous caudruped, theropod and small ornithopod dinosaur tracks.

Jurassic Museum of Asturias

asturias dinosaurs museum

To learn more about dinosaurs and their presence in Asturias, it is worth visiting the MUJA, that is, the Jurassic Museum of Asturias. It is located in the council of Colunga and it is a unique museum that, in the form of a large dinosaur footprint, houses one of the most complete exhibitions on the world of these fascinating creatures.

The MUJA shows the evolution of life on Earth from its beginnings to the appearance of the human being, with special emphasis on the Mesozoic and its three periods: Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous.

So that the little ones can have fun while learning about dinosaurs, activities, workshops and games are organized at the Asturias Jurassic Museum to make the visit more enjoyable. With them it is possible to give a different approach to MUJA and to the study and interpretation of Paleontology.

To finish the visit to MUJA, it is advisable to go outside to contemplate the landscape because in its surroundings you have an exceptional panoramic view of the Cantabrian Sea and the fishing port of Lastres as well as the Sierra del Sueve and the Picos de Europa.

The entrance to the Museum of the Jurassic of Asturias has a price of € 7,24 for the general price and € 4,70 for the reduced price. The hours to visit it are the following:

  • Monday and Tuesday closed.
  • Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 14:30 p.m. and from 15:30 p.m. to 18:00 p.m.
  • Saturdays, Sundays and holidays and from September 1 to 11, from 10:30 a.m. to 14:30 p.m. and from 16:00 p.m. to 19:00 p.m.

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