If you are a lover of prehistory and dinosaurs , in La Rioja you have a paradise that you should not miss. There you can find more than 8,000 dinosaur footprints, which is undoubtedly one of the largest deposits in the world. All this together with the excellent natural landscape that exists in this Autonomous Community makes it a fantastic destination for travelers of any age.
There are so many sites that you can enjoy various routes and places to enjoy them, so take note of the route of the dinosaurs in La Rioja and you will see that doing it is an authentic experience:
– Dinosaur footprints in Enciso : This route begins in the small town of Enciso, which is on the road that goes from Arnedo to Soria. Everything is well signposted so you will not have problems following the route. It is 6 kilometers so you can do it perfectly on foot, although if you prefer a little more excitement you can rent a quad.
– Virgen del Campo Archaeological Site : It is to the right of the Cidacos river, about 100 meters from the Virgen del Campo hermitage. Formerly there was a lagoon and its entire bottom was fossilized, which meant that all the tracks were perfectly preserved. It is one of the most important sites and you can find more than 500 dinosaur footprints, many of them that suggest the struggle that took place between several and that are now represented by models.
– La Senoba Archaeological Site : From the previous one, you continue for about 2 kilometers and you arrive at this one, which is at the top of Mount Carrascal. There are 139 footprints and many of them belonged to carnivorous dinosaurs. Here there is a rest area and themed facilities to learn more about these animals.
– Valdecevillo site : It is in the ravine of the same name and has 168 tracks. At the bottom you will find tracks of carnisaurs and higher up remains of dinosaurs or iguanadons. At the top are traces of herbivores walking on all fours.
– Yacimiento de los Cayos : From the previous one we must continue to the town of Cornago, which is some 22 kilometers from Enciso. Before arriving you come across this site, where there are hundreds of different dinosaur footprints.
– Era del Peladillo Archaeological Site : From Cornago you can continue to the La Rioja Paleontological Interpretation Center, where you can admire a fossil log that measures more than 11 meters and “La Era del Peladillo”, the largest site in the entire region. There are almost 1800 footprints, making it the largest site in Europe and the third largest in the world.