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Museo del Oro – Bogota’s Fabulous Gold Museum
The first thing we did on arriving in Bogota was to visit the Museo del Oro – the world’s largest gold museum.
Only about 15% of its collection containing roughly 30,000 pieces is on display. And what a display it is. Even if you’re not normally a museum person this one is worth visiting. It’s likely to be one of the highlights of your stay in Bogota.
The fantastic workmanship – dating back to pre-Hispanic times – and the volume of gold pieces is astounding. The only other place I’ve been that rivals this for gold is the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul.
At the Museo del Oro there isn’t just gold to be seen. The pieces in stone, pottery and metal are equally captivating. It’s not only the pieces that are so remarkable; it’s the way they are presented. They provide a glimpse into the lives of the people from pre-Hispanic times.
The displays are first class and the lighting is sophisticated. Grab an audio guide so you get some understanding of the objects you’re seeing. And don’t miss the pitch black room on one of the upper floors. You start in the dark and over the course of many minutes the walls light up revealing gold pieces – and the cylinder in the center of the floor fills with gold objects.
The curators want to leave you with an unforgettable feeling about Bogota’s gold museum – and they accomplished that.
Gold mask
Gold breast plates
The flying fish
Looks like a yoga pose to me
Two figures
Lighting brings this piece to life
The Muisca’s gold raft that represents the El Dorado ceremony
Gold objects are beautifully displayed
Display showing how images were worn on the body
Pottery mask with penetrating eyes
The jaguar-man statues of St. Augustine
Sacrificial victim tied to a high post and pierced with arrows until he bled to death. His blood was then offered up to the sun.
Reminds me of ‘The Thinker’
They were way ahead of us with regards to using nose rings
Male figure
Looks like he’s got a mouthful of cocoa leaves
The final stop in the museum – and a cylinder in the floor filled with gold art objects
Useful Information:
- The museum is open from Tuesday until Saturday from 9 am until 6 pm.
- On Sundays and public holidays it’s open from 10 am until 4 pm.
- It is closed on Mondays.
- The entry fee is 3,000 Colombia pesos (about $1.50) but on Sundays it’s free.
- Audio guides can be rented in English, French or Spanish.
- There is a restaurant and cafe on site.
For more travel inspiration check out the photos of other travel bloggers on Nancie’s Budget Travelers Sandbox website.
Have you been to Bogota’s gold museum? What’s the most memorable museum you’ve visited?
Other posts from the Colombia trip you might find interesting.
- Hiking in the Sierra Nevada del Cocuy Range, Colombia
- Discovering Bogota, Colombia via a Bike Tour
- The Bus Ride from Hell: Bogota to Guican in 14 Hours
Leigh McAdam
HikeBikeTravel
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About Hike Bike TravelAvid world traveler. Craves adventure - & the odd wildly epic day. Gardener. Reader. Wine lover. Next big project - a book on 100 Canadian outdoor adventures.
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33 Responses to Museo del Oro – Bogota’s Fabulous Gold Museum
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About
I’ve been all over the world – to all continents but Antarctica and to a grand total of 53 countries. I’ve always got some sort of an adventure planned – even if it’s only a weekend. I thrive on change and travel provides that.
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leighmcadamtravels at gmail dot com
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Stunning. Did you buy any souvenirs to take home?
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Not a thing Mette – mainly because it was the start of our trip and we didn’t want to carry anything extra.
Wow! What a place. . .I think I’d love spending a few hours there. You’ve about convinced me that we need to expand our future travels list to include Bogota. . .someday . . .
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@Jackie Bogota is another big city – but there were three very worthwhile things we did – that didn’t include shopping or dining in the higher end district – the Bogota bike tour, the tour of this gold museum and a tour of the underground salt cathedral.
Wow! What beautiful carvings and statues and such!
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Thanks Sere.
Fascinating. I remember visiting a shipwreck museum in Virginia Beach. It was just a small museum stuck smack in the middle between high rise hotels but it fascinated my kids. We learned so much on a short visit.
Tonya @ The Traveling Praters recently posted..My Favorite Photos from Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies
@Tonya It’s fun when you discover those museums that really speak to you.
I have never even heard of another gold museum. I love the strange figurines. The thinker is wonderful. I am bookmarking this.
budget jan recently posted..Abbazia Di Sant’Antimo Tuscany
Thanks Jan. I loved the Thinker too – it would make a lovely object in my garden.
What an amazing museum. I can just imagine what it’s like if it is similar to the Topkapi Palace. The intricacy of their work is fascinating for pieces that are so old….and our teenagers thought they invented nose rings!!
jenny@atasteoftravel recently posted..The Backwaters of Kerala
@Jenny The Topkapi Palace blew me away years ago – more with the sheer volume of the gold I saw – candlesticks weighing 66 kgs – that sort of thing. This wasn’t weight per se – but the sheer number of pieces with intricate workmanship on display. They were very sophisticated designers all those centuries ago.
WOW..It must have been blinding in there. I would love to visit this museum and you did a great job capturing some of the objects up close. They’re all very interesting pieces but I’m drawn to that one that looks like the Thinker.
Mary @ The World Is A Book recently posted..Bryce Canyon National Park: It’s a Hoodoo’s World
@Mary There was a lot of reflection happening off the glass in many of my shots. I was actually surprised that we were allowed to take photos of almost everything. There were a few exhibits off limits but only a few.
Amazing photos
Muza-chan recently posted..Japanese Traditional Food, Teishoku
@Muza-chan Thank you.
I’m surprised they show only 15% of their collection. I wonder if some of it travels. I saw an exhibition of gold either in DC or Ottawa years ago but it was so long ago, I can’t remember if it came from Columbia.
InsideJourneys recently posted..Street Food, Jamaican Style
@Marcia I think there collection is so extensive that to do it justice they only show a portion of it.
I love pre-Colombian art. There’s some thing very elemental about it- in gold, it’s really elemental! Bet they guard that museum well.
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@Billie There was one section of the museum – and my photo didn’t turn out – but it was a vault you entered – with big thick doors. I bet they id have a lot of security in place but it wasn’t visible under than the usual security guard in every room that you get in any museum.
This museum trip will be one of those that I never forget. As much as ALL that gold is fabulous, the story it told was more amazing. The head sets were worth their weight in gold as they add a richness to the visit that you’d never get otherwise. It was a great introduction to Colombia and entices you to areas that were not on the radar. Go stand in that round room of gold and you’ll live in the world of rainbows and butterflies forever!
John aka Hubby of Leigh
Well put my dear.
Looks like a great place to go in Columbia!
EverywhereAmy recently posted..Why I Couldn’t Care Less About TSA Letting Knives Back on Planes
@Amy The Gold Museum definitely was one of our highlights of our stay.
What an interesting museum! I like glittery things so am sure I’d enjoy a trip to the Gold Museum.
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I’ve visited the Museo del Oro in Cartagena, which is much smaller, I think, but otherwise similar. Very interesting – and perhaps unique to Colombia(?), these gold museums.
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@Sophie I hadn’t realized Cartagena had a gold museum too. A friend emailed me after this came out and let me know of great gold that she saw while visiting some of the museums in the Ukraine last summer.
All that gold is mesmerizing! I do remember all the gold in the King Tut exhibit at the Egyptian museum; one of my favorite museums in the world.
“The Thinker” is really cute
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What an interesting collection of gold objects. I’m fascinated by all their shapes and forms. Beautiful shots and lighting, too; they look like they were from the museum catalog book.
Marisol@TravelingSolemates recently posted..The Streets of Hanoi’s Old Quarter
@Marisol Thanks for your lovely comment. You could easily spend a day in the Gold Museum.
Wow, that’s a lot of gold. I feel sorry for that sacrificial victim. Doesn’t sound like a pleasant way to go, but I suppose most sacrifices aren’t.
Michele @ Malaysian Meanders recently posted..Malaysian Dining in Houston, Texas
Beautiful clear shots from the museum. I haven’t been to the museum (or to Colombia, at all yet), but you’ve reminded me that I should go there. When I was in my twenties, the Art gallery of New South Wales, in Sydney, held a major exhibition from the Museo de Oro. I wish I still had the catalogue, but don’t know what happened to it.
Andrew Graeme Gould recently posted..Santiago, Chile: Photographing with a friend
@Andrew A stop at the Gold Museum was the perfect introduction to Colombia. We both found it to be fascinating and the caliber of the displays is absolutely first class.